It is my last first day at GSCC. So bittersweet.

It is my last first day at GSCC.  So bittersweet.

On the bright side Mr. Osborn (the Calculus teacher) has homework posted already.  Class isn't until 5.  😁😁😁  He never disappoints.  I am going to miss him so much.  😢  (⬅️  Not sarcasm, y'all.  He's quirky and crazy punctual in a way that I can only aspire to be.  I dig it.)

I wanted to share a big old nail fail with y'all.

So... I wanted to share a big old nail fail with y'all. I normally don't just rip off another person's nail art, but after seeing this quick Instagram tutorial I really wanted to try it. It looked pretty simple, but, well... It wasn't. Or either smooshy nails just aren't my jam. 🙁

Biggest upset is that I wasted a bunch of polish trying this. Nothing expensive or irreplaceable, though. I was probably just having a bad night. When I started (I was being super lazy, which is never the best way to start a project) I had my mat on a binder in my lap. 😳 Let's just say that an unstable surface with 4 - 5 bottles of open polish is not the best idea.

I knocked them all over several times. Thankfully none spilled, but they did roll through the wet decals I'd already made (a couple of which actually looked ok to me). 🙁 After finally deciding that lazy wasn't working for me I set up my nail table and kept going. I think by then I was already frustrated. Not the best way to continue trying to learn a new thing.

By the end of the night I had polish all over me from the elbows down - EXCEPT for on my nails. I cleaned myself and my polish bottles off with acetone, then picked one of the prettiest polishes I had and just put it on. Plain. In utter defeat. 😂😂😂

I may or may not try to do nail art to it tonight. We'll see. But if I do, it probably won't be this smooshy mess right now.

Just got my diploma in the mail. Woohoo!

Just got my diploma in the mail. Woohoo!

That thing is FANCY. 😳

😁😁😁

This dog and this tortoise - again.

This dog and this tortoise - again. Every day, y'all. 😂😂😂

Sorry for the picture quality; I had to zoom in a lot. They would have moved if I'd gotten up.

Just showered.

Just showered. It was great. Thought "I'm gonna wear actual pants to work today."

Actual pants = jeggings.

🤔🤗😆😆😆

This dog and this tortoise. 😂😂😂

This dog and this tortoise. 😂😂😂

Pardon Booka's nappy butt. He chewed the hair off of his tail before his allergy meds kicked in so he looks a little janky at the moment.

The purge came through for me.

The purge came through for me. I got a spot in an online English 252 so that opens up some space for me to tutor this summer. 😀

Apparently I am JUST NOW comprehending why I'd want to use Pinterest. 😂

Apparently I am JUST NOW comprehending why I'd want to use Pinterest.  😂  I put my jewelry up on it a million years ago and never really messed with it again aside from the occasional update.  WELL, that has changed!  I've been pinning and uploading most of the evening and apparently I've hit the daily limit.  😝

For a while now when I wanted to look at my stash of nail art photos that inspire me I just went [painstakingly] through my bookmarks.  I think I was bookmarking nail art on blogs before Pinterest was really a thing.  Needless to say - that was FRUSTRATING.  So is trying to organize a bunch of screen caps on my phone.  😳😒😒😒

I don't know why it took me up until a few days ago to realize that there was a better way to manage my pics because this has frustrated me for a while.  But now that I know what's up I'm excited to clean out my bookmarks and phone storage.  I've been working on it for a couple of days now so that's awesome.  I just kind of wish they hadn't stopped me today, though, because I was on a roll!  😛

I guess I'll join in with all the other parents today...

I guess I'll join in with all the other parents today... It's Shadow's last day of 11th grade so... I have a senior? 😳😍😍😍

It's late so probably no one will see these, but that is kind of ok. 🤣🤣🤣

It's late so probably no one will see these, but that is kind of ok.  🤣🤣🤣  I like them because I like puke colors and nature, but I know that is not everyone's cup of tea.  😜  Anyway, I've decided that these are leaf cells.  If you look closely you can see some mitosis happening.  Yay for biology!  And spring!  😄😄😄  (This totally counts as a spring mani, right?  😆)

Gradients look SO NICE, but I've never been that great at them.  The sponge method doesn't work well for me because my C-curve is so strong that the edges of my nails usually don't get coated in polish.  🙁  There is a new stamping plate out, Make Your Mark 03 by Lina Nail Art Supplies, that has a blank rectangle in it.  The first time I saw the plate was on Instagram and a girl was putting stripes of polish in it and then swiping a couple of times to mix them to create a gradient.  It turned out GREAT.  Needless to say, I had to have it.

So my left hand (my practice hand) doesn't look quite as nice as this one, but I gotta say that this method is pretty effective for gradients.  The polish that gets picked up on the stamper is super thin, so doing a few layers builds it nicely.

Weirdly, the only thing I ended up painting on these was topcoat.  I did three thin layers of white, and then 2 - 3 of my yellow / green mix, and then the pattern - ALL WITH THE STAMPER.  😳  If you don't like the feel of thick polish, then maybe you would like this, but you'd need liquid latex or tape or something to keep from having to drench your skin / nails in acetone trying to clean up the mess (which is what I did - woohoo for not planning!)  LOL

I tend to like thicker layers on my nails because they are thin and I clean a lot because of all of my ani-pals, so thicker coats protect my nails and stay on longer.  My nails feel almost naked right now and I'm not down with it.  I keep also feeling like this whole mani is gonna flake right off, so I decided to get a pic and post it before I destroyed them.

Anyway, what do you think?  Too fugly for spring?  😜😆🤣

Scooter used to do this...

Scooter used to do this when he didn't want to come in.  But then he would scream like I was killing him when I picked him up.  So dramatic.  😂😂😂  I miss that boy every day.  ❤

I took off my nail polish last night...

I took off my nail polish last night because it was peeling and I was gonna wreck my nails if I didn't.  Now I'm torn - polish or sleep?  I want both.  🙃

These are the screens of my devices currently.

These are the screens of my devices currently. LOOK HOW CLEAN AND PRETTY! I love it when things are organized and not cluttered. This is definitely how I want to start summer semester in 10 DAYS.  😃

SERENITY NOW!

Since money is tight...

Since money is tight and I can't afford (and actually don't even need) a new phone - I gave mine a makeover.  🙂

I uninstalled a bunch of apps I don't use anymore (including Reef Polling from Physics ☹️) and I bought a new high-speed HD card to be integrated as internal storage instead of using a slower one as portable storage.  I also bought a new glass screen protector since my not-glass one was peeling up and looking gross.

The Good News:  I put that fancy new screen-protector down PERFECTLY - and in record time.  No fuzz, no bubbles, nothing.  No having to peel it back up a couple of hundred times to align it correctly - just BLAM!  Done.  😮😮😮😁😁😁  It's probably ridiculous how accomplished that makes me feel, but my perfectionist tendencies are so soothed right now.  😝

The (kinda) Bad News:  I accidentally broke my case when I took it off my phone to insert the new SD card.  BUT, I've been feeling pretty unhappy with it for a while now anyway.  It's clear (was meant to have photos inserted under it, but I never bothered) so crud would get up under it and it would look pretty gross.  Since a phone make-over can't be complete without a new case anyway I found one I liked on Amazon and it should be here on Monday.  😁

Now all I have to do is change my home screen to something else and what do you know?  Feels new to me!  🙂  It's faster, it looks better, yet it has all of my apps already the way I want them - all for </= $40.  Woohoo!  😃

Despite my best efforts...

Despite my best efforts - I am up! I've been awake since 5-something. Who am I? 😳🙃😂

I am SO not a morning person, but...

I am SO not a morning person, but we got a call saying that Shadow was getting an award and to come to Awards Day if we could (and also that the award was a surprise).  He brought home the choir trophy yesterday because his choir teacher wasn't going to be there for Awards Day so I knew there must be something else he was getting.

When he brought home the trophy I asked him about Awards Day and he said that he was pretty sure he wasn't getting anything because he was "just an average student."  Gotta tell y'all - that hurt my heart.  Shadow is plenty smart, but I can tell that he doesn't enjoy school like I do.  While a lot of parents expect for their children to be miniature versions of themselves, I do not.  I love and appreciate Shadow the way he is and I am so proud of him for all of his achievements.

So aside from the choir trophy he received this Certificate of Achievement in Algebra with Finance.  Gotta say - I was not expecting that.  Not because he's not smart, but I guess it was a class that he didn't complain about nor was it as exciting as choir so it was just never brought up.  I suppose that meant he was doing well!  🙂

In addition to that he was recognized for participating in Writer's Bowl back in October.  He was on the team that won first place.  He got a neat little medal for that, but I have no idea where it is stashed now so it's not in this picture.  😕

Anyway, I'm super proud of him and that was totally worth getting up early for.  😃❤❤❤

I find it gross when a married person...

Maybe it's just me, but I find it gross when a married person (outside of the context of speaking to someone who might not know who this person is to you) calls their spouse "my husband" or "my wife" almost exclusively instead of by their name.  This is something that has annoyed me for years both IRL and online, so it's directed at no one in particular.

But to y'all who do this:  Does marriage mean that you now posses that person and they are no longer worthy of having a name as an individual person?  Or are you just trying to make sure that everyone knows you got someone to marry you?  🤣🤣🤣  For real tho, it's like a little kid with a new toy.  We know, we see it, now please go and play with it somewhere else for a while.

It goes for other family members, too.  I don't walk around saying "my son" when referring to Shadow because generally speaking friends and coworkers know that he exists.  He is a person with a name, not something that I view as a belonging.  I don't even think I've legit said out loud to anyone that Shaun is "my fiancé" because he is still Shaun regardless of anything else.  If someone was unclear I would say that we are engaged, but if I am speaking to friends, family, or coworkers, then they probably already know and there would be no confusion when using his name.

Maybe I am just weird and I read too much into things.  I feel like words are powerful, though, and I'm always questioning things.  I mean, not using someone's name seems like a slight against their person-hood or individuality.  I never wanted to be called "Mom" but between family, daycare, and school, that is what happened.  I'm not mad about it, but I'm far more than "Mom" and I'm far more than "someone's fiancée" or "someone's daughter" or "someone's sister" or what have you.  I am definitely no one's possession.  Establish our relationship to your new audience once then proceed to call me by my name again.

I think with marriage it might be particularly upsetting to me because of how much of it throws back to a time when women were treated as objects.  I mean the traditions of being given away, of only the women being marked with engagement rings, etc.; that whole deal is just icky to me.  So repeated possessiveness in relationships really rubs me the wrong way.  And unfortunately, I don't view it as women taking it back to say "my husband" all the time... it's just the flip side of the issue to me and still no less an issue.

Ok, so that's a ramble.  I am home sick from work today.  I woke up and started barfing so I've been trying to take my mind off of how terrible I feel by thinking, I guess.  😂  There are far worse ways to pass the time, I suppose.  If you have differing opinions or different views I'm open to discussion.  I won't be on here constantly because I feel like crap, but I will definitely check in and respond.

Anyway, for all of you married folks that haven't forgotten your spouse's name, y'all the real MVP's.  ❤  I like how you do.  😃

Nail pic time! 😃😃😃

Nail pic time!  😃😃😃

I have been waiting all semester to do something fun with my nails.  Then I had to decompress enough to feel creative.  Blegh, finally!  LOL

I feel like over the last year or two I've become more of a polish hoarder / collector than someone who does nail art.  It's really sad.  But on the bright side there are some beautiful polishes out there that I am more than happy to have come and live with me, so I guess it's not all bad.  🙂

Since this is an indie polish I feel like I just need to say that Poetry Cowgirl Nail Polish did a great job on this one.  It's called "Faerie Wishes She Could Be Here."  It's an Indie Shop Limited Edition, so I'm not sure if it's still available, but if you like it go and find out.

I love muted colors, so this was a win by being grayish / lavender to begin with, but then it has these things (what I tend to call "opals" because they are not quite the same as glitter) that flash red.  THEN, ON TOP OF THAT AWESOMENESS it also has this crazy shimmer.  You can see the teal on my pinky and the lavender on my pointer finger.  It's SO PRETTY.

Anyway, I stamped with holographic polish because WHY NOT?  Then, I picked up a unicorn on my stamper and filled him in with a tiny paintbrush because that was obviously what needed to happen here.  😁🦄🦄🦄  I thought about adding stones and doing more stuff, but then I didn't.  The week began and I'm working and blegh.  Life force officially zapped.

So... I feel happy with this as a comeback.  I was planning to do something quite a bit easier, but then I went all out.  What do y'all think?

Yesterday I got an email...

Yesterday I got an email that my degree posted.  Apparently, I graduated Cum Laude.  I had no idea.  😆  Oh well.  😜  Diplomas mail out in June so it'll be a while before I get that, but it's ok.

In other news I am sending back my Programming book today and I extended my Cal book rental through summer... so that's a thing that is done.  I know it's probably so lame how excited I get over every little thing I do for school, but they are all steps forward no matter how small they are.

I made an appointment today for next week at Quality of Life.  I'm going to see if there is any way they can help me get on a Biologic medication for my PsA.  My skin is getting crazy and my bones are having some pretty rough days off and on.  I just can't handle methotrexate anymore and it's not that effective after all of this time so I feel like it's time to move on.  I desperately want to preserve my joints.  ☹️

Also, I did my nails the other day.  I hope I get to post them later today.  I'm so picky about the nail pics I post.  These have a shimmer that is so pretty, but so hard to catch.  It's primarily pink and teal, but I've seen it go red and orange at extremes.  Also, there is a unicorn.  🦄😁😁😁

Anyway.  Happy Tuesday, friends!  💙

When you want to do your nails, but you have nothing to wear...

When you want to do your nails, but you have nothing to wear...

It feels weird, but...

It feels weird, but I've got my whole school schedule through the rest of the year planned out.  😀  Registration for Fall at JSU began in March, but I had to finish Cal II and Intro to Programming to be able to register for 3 of my classes and unfortunately they were already full.  But the awesome ladies in the MCIS building over-rode something in the system and let me register today, so I'm VERY excited.  😃

Summer at GSCC:

Calculus III

American Literature II

Fall at JSU:

Computer Programming I

Linear Algebra

Discrete Computational Structures

Applied Probability and Statistics

Those classes at JSU sound a little scary, but hopefully I will be ok.  Also, that will be the first time I've attended school full-time since I began so I'm really hoping that I won't be overwhelmed.

I haven't dropped this bomb publicly before now (I don't think), but I'll be leaving SCM in August and free-lancing office skills, web-design, and tutoring around my school schedule.  I have a page that I will publish soon and I'm really hoping that my friends and family will promote me a little bit so that I'm not flat broke.  😂  So keep an eye out for that in (hopefully) the next week or so.  Here's to getting started on the second part of my college journey!  🙂

Final grades have posted!

Final grades have posted!  The only news I have (since I posted previously about my Cal II and Programming grades) is that I made a B in Physics.  I had (have?) mixed feelings about it because I'm pretty sure I was one of the top students in the class (it had dwindled down to about 6 people by the time the drop date came around), but that doesn't seem to be saying much, unfortunately.

The professor told me that a lot of people were struggling this semester.  He re-opened homework over spring break because basically no one was doing it besides me.  He also re-opened it up at the end for one other student that I know of.  This person went from an F to a C (somehow) right at the end of the semester so I'm not sure how that happened.  My thought is that if he scaled everyone the same my B should have turned into an A.

So on the one hand I feel like I should have gotten an A for effort (and also the reason above) because I consistently tried my best all semester.  But on the other hand I messaged him after he updated Blackboard and I had a B and he told me that was before any scaling and that I definitely earned it so I do feel accomplished.

Though I have some friends and family who are annoyed that I didn't come out with an A I feel like I'm just going to mind my business and take what I earned.  Also, I have given enough time and energy to spring semester so I'm not trying to fight about it.  😂  Physics is hard and I did a good job.  I may not have had the best test scores, but consistent, on-time hard work does count for something, apparently.

Also, I did better on the Thermodynamics test than I did on any other.  Heat engines and all that?  Really interesting stuff.  Who knew?  🙂  All in all, this was one of the most interesting and challenging classes I've ever taken.  I feel like there was so much to learn that I might like to take it again one day, but I can't focus on that right now.  Onward!  😃

Shaun is the best ever.

Shaun is the best ever.  I do not know what I've done to deserve such a great guy, but he is treasure.  I wanted a nail polish collection that released today and he texted me from the Ren Fair with his card number because he didn't have an internet connection.  Just the fact that he remembered when he was out and about with friends...  *swoon*  I swear I am gonna marry him SO HARD the first chance I get.  I cannot wait to get a money job so I can spoil him the way he spoils me.

Y'all, it sold out in 4 minutes.  I got it, but DANG.  They are Tonics and and they are amazing and I knew that would happen.  Happy Graduation present to me!  🙂

Before Graduation. Pardon my psoriasis face.

Before Graduation.  Pardon my psoriasis face.  This is my life right now.

After! This is my excited face. 😂😂😂

Also, this was a loaned gown from the school. My tassel does say 2016, but I don't care.

They also got my degree wrong in the program, but as long as it's correct on my actual diploma - who cares!

Today is graduation day!!! 😃

Good: Today is graduation day!!!  😃

Bad:  I took an antihistamine a few hours ago and I am still dizzy.  Also, it didn't work.  🙁

I'm gonna eat and see if I can get right.  If not I'm not sure I'm gonna trust myself to walk across a stage.  😕

Wait - I'm going back to bed.  My eyes are crossing.  I can't do anything right now.  😵

Booka Bear is rolling in the floor...

Booka Bear is rolling in the floor - growling and snarling.  He looks insane.  Shaun's cat, Sindar, is looking on.  Her face expresses concern.  😂

Poor little buddy has skin allergies this time of year.  We've got an appointment in the morning so he'll feel better.  I wish Benadryl worked for him, but unfortunately that doesn't help him much.  We need vet-strength meds.  Poor Boo.  🙁

I had an amazing lunch at The Classic today...

I had an amazing lunch at The Classic today thanks to Ayers Trio Staff.  I can't possibly express all of my gratitude to them for all they have done for me over the last couple of years.  I am convinced that their support, mentorship, and encouragement are a major part of what has brought me so far.  Being a first-gen college student is hard - especially when you are non-traditional.  There are so many obstacles, but here I am graduating tomorrow.

Leaving Gadsden State after this summer is going to be bittersweet, but the Trio Staff has given me the confidence to tackle JSU.  I know that as a grown woman I shouldn't let a school intimidate me, but honestly the field trip they took us on to the JSU campus last summer made all of the difference.  It is programs like this that help people move forward.  No one can do this alone.

I can't wait until I am financially stable so that I can give back to the programs that have helped me change my life.  They are so necessary and not only help the students individually, but our communities as a whole.  Education is so important, but it's not always as easily attainable as you'd think.  So I just wanted to share this expression of gratitude to the Ayers Trio Staff for helping me on my journey.  I couldn't have asked for a better support system and thank you all from the bottom of my heart!

Just finished my last final of the semester!

Just finished my last final of the semester!  😃

So... I made an A in Programming!  😁😁😁  My teacher told me at our last class meeting that she really thought I had a knack for it so that makes me happy.  Woohoo!

I made a B in Calculus (an 87), which makes me slightly regretful that I didn't re-take a test I'd planned to AND that I didn't do a bonus assignment.  Looks like had I put in a little more effort up there at the end it could have been an A, but legit - I've been trying to pour from an almost-empty cup for a while now.  This semester has really taken a lot of time, energy, effort, and brain power.  I went in knowing it would be hard with a back-up plan to drop a class if I needed to, but I am thankful that I was able to hang in there with all 3 classes and do so well.

Still waiting on my Physics grade.  It could be anything by now, but the last I checked (a few weeks ago) I had an 82.  Hopefully I will know something tomorrow.  Paws crossed that it isn't bad news!

And with that my brain is officially on vacation for 3 weeks.  No one ask me anything.  😛

Well...

Well. I am officially one final exam away from earning a degree! My first degree!

Life is weird and I'm excited. 😃