I think I just want to go back to being a mom again.

June is half gone!

And I haven't written anything! In fact, I can't think of anything to write. It is all school, school, school these days!

I decided to trade my online English class for an in-class English class. When I saw all the stuff I'd have to do online I decided it would be much easier to spend the six hours in class. And I was right! :-) I like my teacher, and the work is easy and fun—Intermediate Writing—right up my alley.

Algebra is . . . algebra. After bombing the first test (70%) we had an easy section. In fact, it was quite fun. I am 90% sure that I'll get 95% on the second test we took last Monday—provided I didn't do dumb things like add instead of subtract, or put the wrong signs down in the answer, which I am prone to do. But I tried to be very careful, so hopefully I'll get the 95%. Now we are in a difficult section again; but maybe that's because I go to bed after 1:30 a.m. most nights, get up at 7:00 a.m. so I can be on time for my gym classes (which I love), and then live on apples and oranges all day until I get back home.

Let's see . . . I already said I'm loving my gym classes. Not much more to say about that.

In Corset-Making I'm mostly done with my first corset. It is actually a cool piece of clothing. Soon I'll have to start on my second corset. While the first one is all white, and I would only wear it under my clothing (I mean, if I intended to wear it), the second one is to be made of fashion fabric. So I'll make it to go with a Halloween costume. I'm thinking I'd like to do Regency era clothing (think Jane Austen), or Victorian, or maybe make one to wear over a chemise, with a full skirt. Best of all would be something versatile that I could use with several costumes (because I spend soooo much time and effort dressing myself up for Halloween). Hm. I'm looking over that last sentence. Are corsets versatile?

Speaking of corsets and dressing up, wouldn't it be fun to have a real fancy ball? There is a dance called "Mr. Beveridge's Maggot" (I'm not making that up), that I've seen in a couple of my favorite Jane Austen movies. I think it would be easy to learn. And maybe learn how to waltz, and minuet . . . and then have a big, fancy, dress-up ball. Wouldn't that be fun?

Well, anyway . . . I don't really have much to say. I guess this is just a little update. :-)

Funny Man

Today Bruce told me I should write a book. Hm.
He said I could take some of my best blog posts, write more on the same topics and publish it. Hm.
He said people would want to read it, and I could make some pocket money.
Hm.

Now, I believe that sometimes—on some topics—I am a pretty darn good writer. And I believe that my friends and family are willing enough to read about my trials with laundry and algebra. But I have a hard time believing that anyone else would want to.

Bruce says I have lots of things to say that people would be interested in.
I think the truth is that I have lots to say that he is interested in.
Funny man!

Obsessing

So, I woke up this morning and guess what? I knew how to solve at least two of those stupid test problems! I didn't study last night; I didn't copy the questions in question and try to figure them out. I stayed home pouting about how badly I'd done, and watching a fairly dumb movie. But this morning I woke up knowing the problems (and I mean exact numbers) I was given to solve, and knowing just what to do anyway.

Stinky Problem #1:
Some stadium or other sells 33,000 seats; some of them are general seating for $4 each, and some are reserved seating for $13 each. They bring in $222,000. How many general seats and how many reserved seats did they sell?

Could I solve this yesterday afternoon? NO!!! I just sat there freaking out because I knew I should know how to do it, and trying everything I could imagine, and then finally left it unfinished.

I wake up this morning and, Bing! Here's how to do it:

G = general seating; R = reserved seating —OK?
So, G + R = 33,000 (general seats plus reserved seats equal the total amt. of seats sold).
4G = 13R = 222,000 ($4 per general seats plus $13 per reserved seat equals the total amt. of money brought in.)
To use the process of elimination I will get rid of the G from each equation. So I multiply the first problem by - 4, getting - 4(G + R = 33,000), or - 4G - 13R = -132,000. Follow?
Now I add that new problem I just created to the second problem and I get:
- 4G - 4R = - 132,000
+ 4G + 13R = 222,000 and the answer is:
9R = 90,000 or
R = 10,000

Since I now know that R = 10,000 I can figure out that G = 23,000 pretty easily. So the answer is:
They sold 23,000 general seating tickets and 10,000 reserved seating tickets. (And, yes, it checks out.)

See!!! I can do this! And it was easy besides!! And I could shoot myself for not being able to do it on the test yesterday! AAARRRRGH!!!

Stinky Problem #2: You row downstream with a 4 mph current at your back and you travel 94 miles. You come back only 47 miles in the same amount of time. At what rate do you row in still water? (Although I think saying "still water" is making an assumption.)
This morning I realized that I was three-quarters there with this problem, and if I hadn't been so freaked out I could have solved it.

Stinky Problem #3: A deep sea diving bell, traveling at a constant rate of speed goes down 600 feet in 8 minutes (which sounds like 75 feet per minute, but apparently isn't). It goes 1500 feet in 40 minutes (this sounds like 37.5 feet per minute). How fast was it really going?

Stinky Problem #4: A gas station sells 4289 gallons of gas at $1.35 per gallon; they sell 3570 gallons at $1.40 per gallon. How much could they sell at $1.19 per gallon? (A lot, nowadays!)

I'm still stuck on problems 3 and 4, although I'm sure I got close to solving them too, end even now the solution is tickling the edge of my brain.

I won't trouble you by solving problem 2 here on my blog. But getting 1 and 2 done would have been the difference between B- and A- on this exam. I really could shoot myself!

Can you do them?

algebra test score < acceptable

I had my first algebra exam today. After doing all the required homework problems for each section I was < certain that I was understanding the whole mess. So, with my first exam looming, I went back and worked every single problem in every single section that we'd covered. I looked over my notes, re-read all the instructions in each section, used the "student solution guide" as a help when necessary, and spent every spare minute I had doing algebra. I did algebra problems for two to four hours a day for eight days running, until I thought I'd finally figured out what I was doing. I was even getting through the story problems quite well. So I went to class this afternoon feeling pretty confident in my ability to pass the test, and pass it well.

And then we got our exams. I was unsure of how to solve a few problems, but all of the story problems completely threw me for a loop. Oh, I can do the math, but I couldn't figure out how to set up the problems. And with each problem that I couldn't quite solve, I got more freaked out and tense (that's Loralee taking a test), so my solutions to some of the other questions were . . . questionable. At best I will pass with 80%. That's if I only missed the problems that I either gave up on or ran out of time to puzzle out.

Tonight, in retrospect, I've reached the conclusion that I really did understand how to do all the story problems—in context of doing 15 to 20 of the same type of problem in a row. :-(

I am very sad. I feel very discouraged. I worked my bum off for that pathetic score! Or maybe just my fingers. ≤ 80% is unacceptable! I don't know why, but I feel compelled to be an A student.

B < acceptable.