Time for a proper update…

School: Refunds are back…Tuition at both NMC & Grand Valley are paid. & there is some left over. Some of it has to go towards ‘outside’ books for classes & the materials for that bloody xylophone…But I should be able to sneak some fun stuff in there too, along with necessities (like the chunk that went to pay the gas bill).

NMC classes:

Math: We have our first test next Wednesday. I have barely started on the portfolio (we are talking less than one problem done…Or maybe I did get that one done…*shrugs*). I need to read the 3 children’s book for this section…That will either be today before class (depending on how early I get there) or tomorrow after class.

World Lit: Missed one day last week due to snow…But really didn’t miss anything in that missing. Took a quiz Tuesday…I think I only got 1 question wrong, so feeling pretty good about that.
We have to do this stupid forum thing, which I really feel is a waste of time…But it’s required, so it’s been done. Blah.
We’ve got two long(er) books we have to read as a class. One before Spring Break and one after. [My rant on Spring Break will be coming shortly.]
In addition, we have to read a book outside of class as well.
Our first paper has to do with something we go over within the first 4 or so weeks of class. Our second paper has to do with our outside reading. Those are the only two papers for this class, thankfully.
We have a midterm & a final in this class…Blah.

Grand Valley classes:

ENG 216: Which I know has a more formal title, but I can’t be bothered to remember what it is…Something about critical stuff. Blah, whatever.
There are 5 Application Papers…Which I am totally clueless about…& the first one of which is due a week from Monday. *shrugs* Hopefully I’ll have it figured out by then. It only has to be 2 pages long, and in the grand scheme of things, all 5 of them together is only 15% of the grade. Not going to stress over it.
What is stressing me a bit are the other ‘two’ papers. One of them is the Seminar Proposal…Which is basically just saying ‘this is what my main paper is going to be about’, but it has to be all full of thoughts & be 4 pages long.
The other one…The Seminar paper itself…That one makes me nauseous. It is to be 14 pages and has to be full off all kinds of thoughts. My brain doesn’t want to think…It’s tired of thinking.
& we have a final this time around. Blah. 
Storytelling: O.o People! *hides*
No papers for this class…Tho those may be preferable. Instead…4 presentations! *falls over* I’m in the last group for first presentations, thankfully, but the second group for second presentations…So I only have two weeks between the two. O.o & @ the end of things for the third presentation…Will get to the fourth momentarily.
Our first presentation is to be on a fairytale, myth, folklore…Something along those lines. Got my story…Just need to sketch out what I’m going to do, as I have to get in front of the class as ‘tell them the story’.  I’m doing Bluebeard…Nice gruesome story…Fun. [Yesterday the first 4 went. O.o OMGs…They set the bar high…Too high…*falls over*]
Our second is ‘of our creation’. We can write something, adapt something, etc….It’s also the one that’s giving me the most fits, as I have next to no time between the first one & it, & I haven’t a clue as to what I’m going to do for it! The creative part of my brain is laughing at me and telling me it’s giving me nothing in the way of help. I’ve thought about using something I’ve already written, but I can’t seem to find anything from that that would work either. *cries* It hates me!
The third one, I’m set for…Feeling pretty good about…it’s a ‘wild card’…So our choice to do whatever we want. Sonja actually gave me the story for this one…I’m not sure if that was her intention at the time or not, but it quickly turned into that. I can’t even remember the conversation leading up to it…Tho I suppose it had to have something to do with class. She said something along the lines of ‘liking the pony with the wings’…& shortly after mentioned the ‘sea serpent’ too…Though I think she used other words. Took me a couple seconds, but I realized she was talking about Flutterby & Serendipity. *looks @ the date inside Flutterby’s cover* Holy moo cow…I’ve had this book since October 1979!
[Mum use to get me sets of books that came in the mail…When they would come she’d write the date in the cover…Both the previously mentioned books came from those sets.]
I’ve decided to got with Flutterby as my third story. (@ least I’m hoping I can manage it…It’s kind of a short little book…But I think I can stretch the story 9-12 minutes.) It’s about a tiny (very tiny) winged pony that emerges from it’s cocoon (too bad I can’t rig up a cocoon…Now that would be an entrance into the telling of the story!).  She doesn’t know what she is, so she goes in search of trying to find out…She finds ants, and bees, & tries to fit in with them, but they tell her she’s not one of them and has to move on. Finally she finds a butterfly, who she asks if she is a butterfly too (I believe, it’s been a while since I’ve actually read it) and he tells her no, but he encourages her to just be herself & finds her a ‘job’ (which, as I just peeked to remember, is to warn the rest of the insects when winter’s frost is coming), and so she feels useful & learns to appreciate just being her. [Yay for a good moral. *laughs*]
& the forth presentation. O.o *falls over* It is in essence, our final exam. We get to pick any of our previous presentations to retell…But this retelling is to take place at one of the local bookstores! In front of customers! Ahhhhhhhhhh!

I’m going on record to say…I did not care for Alice in Wonderland. *nods*
I would rather find a nice movie adaptation and watch it instead of reading it.
It’s so contrary to how it usually works. Usually if I watch a movie first, then read the book, I can say they both have merits, if I indeed liked the book or the movie.
It has been my experience (and I’ve heard it a lot from others as well), that if I read the book first, then watch the movie, I am more critically of the movie. I may still find it good and enjoy watching it, but it will never measure up to the book. [My actual first instance of this was with one of the Nightmare on Elm Street movies that I read a book rendition of first…I was soooo pissed at the movie. *laughs*]
In this instance…I would rather just skip the book all entirely, and that really disappoints me. I had such

high hopes and was so excited about reading the book. *sigh* I’m hoping Through the Looking Glass provides a better experience, but honestly, I’m worried now that it won’t.
[& I feel a tiny bit better knowing that I’m not the only one of this opinion…I talked to one of the women in my English class, and she had the same experience…& then the poor thing, had to listen to my rant on the ending of the seventh Harry Potter book…She learned the hard way that, ‘Yes, I do have a voice’…*shakes head* Poor, poor thing.]

Well…I think that is enough for the moment…

OOPs…Almost forgot to rant about Spring Break…Or rather my LACK of Spring Break.
NMC’s Spring Break is the last week of March, same as Alba, so I would have it off with the Critters & we could have fun…Well…That will work for 3 days.
Grand Valley’s Spring Break is the FIRST week of March! So there will be a week, where instead of having 2 late nights, I will only have 1 class, everyday, for 5 days.
During what SHOULD be my Spring Break…Monday & Wednesday I have to trek over to T.C. & go to my English class & Storytelling classes. *sigh*
Good think I wasn’t planning on going anywhere for Spring Break. But still…It’s annoying.
& I’m going to guess, come next year, me & the Critter’s Spring Breaks won’t be the same…Which sucks…As 1.) It’s the Idiot’s year to have them…So I will have a week that I have school and no Critters to come home to afterwards…& When I have break from school…I won’t be able to go anywhere, because I’ll still have to get up at some unGodly hour to take the Critters to school. BLAH!