October 2023

Since I missed September and October is going to slip away before we know it, I’m doing this post right here in WordPress rather than doing it in html off-site. It’s quicker. Yes, it’s also lazier, but “quicker” is my story and I’m sticking to it!

I am still working on my latest short story. This has to be the SLOWEST I’ve ever written, but so far, it’s working. I’ll work on it, leave it alone for four or five days, then come back and write three or four more paragraphs (or write to the next big “event” in the story).

Normally, I come up with an idea, and I try and bang the story out within a day or two. Maybe that’s part of the writer’s block: I’m putting too much pressure on myself to “get it done! get it done!” So far, the slow method is working, so I’ll keep doing it and see where it goes. Maybe my new writing style is “leisurely pantsing” (Oh, lort! Autcorrect tried to change that to: Maybe my new writing style is “leisure pantsuit”!)

(For the non-writers reading this, writers generally categorize themselves into two types: plotters and pantsers. Plotters generally outline all the points in their stories before they begin writing, where pantsers just start with an idea and see where it takes them. Of course, there’s lots of varieties in between. A plotter might start with only a rough outline and play it by ear; or a pantser might plot only the ending and work toward that. The main point is that some writers write with at least some direction in mind and some just wing it. I’ve always been a wing-it writer. Given the depth and breadth of my writer’s block, my writing style no longer suits me–pun intended–so I need to try different things).

On the reading front, I’m participating in a University-wide book read that leads up to a campus visit from David Treuer. We are reading The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee. It’s been on my “to-read list” for a long time. I think I bought it on pre-order, and it was published in 2019. So this is long overdue for reading.

Reading it as part of the University community is appropriate, too. The first time I read his work, it was his novel, Little, assigned reading in one of my English classes in the 90s, back when I was an accounting major sneaking off and taking English classes. I also saw him speak at two UND Writers Conferences, in 1997 and 2002. So reading this with others in the university community just seems like it’s the way things should have always played out.

Speaking of the university, classes have started again. I’m taking an online course for my Information Systems minor this time. To be honest, I’m not enjoying it.

A big part of it is that it really got off to a rocky start. It seems like the instructor was very disorganized. For example, he rescheduled the exam, but then that messed up the lessons. So rather than push everything back and maybe drop a lesson, he combined two weeks in one. In other words, all the reading and assignments for weeks 3 and 4 had to be done in the same week.

And it looks like we may hit a simliar problem soon. We spent the first four weeks in the textbook, and then four weeks were on Excel and four weeks will be on Access. In November, we return to the textbook. And the syllabus lists one week in November as:

Normally, we read one chapter a week, 30 pages or so, and do the 10 point assignment. The ten point assignment is a little misleading as far as the time requirement. The ten-point assignment is a series of questions, usually 15 to 20, often with multiple parts. So a typical question may list six or eight terms and you must match the definitions with them. No big deal, but more time-consuming that it appears on the syllabus.

But that week (Thanksgiving week, no less, when students may be traveling and spending time with family), we have two additional sections to read, each of which also has questions! He doesn’t post the links to these things ahead of time, so while you could complete the reading early, you cannot complete the assignments early, and without a link, I can’t confirm how many questions we will be facing.

AND, ON TOP OF THAT, there’s some kind of oral presentation assignment this week. Not only am I flabbergasted about having so much work that week, a traveling-holiday week, but I’m also curious how that’s going to work. For these online classes, we have no face-to-face or live component. Are we going to record a video to post?

A normal week’s work is worth ten points; that week is worth 55. This all seems like a tremendous amount of work for a holiday week. I think I might try and avoid taking a class from this professor in the future.

Although, that might not be a problem: I’m no longer sure about my minor. I believe that when I picked this minor, it said it was available online or in-person. Now the program selection page says that it’s only available in-person. The more time goes by, the less inclined I am to attend in-person classes (they are a giant hassle, especially with how bad parking has gotten to be on-campus; they just permanently closed one of the largest lots on campus, and aren’t planning to replace it). It looks like the class I want to take next semester for this minor (a web development class) is available online, so for now, I will keep this minor. That may change in the future.

You might be thinking: “Wait. Your current class and your next class are both related to your minor? What about your major?”

Yeah . . . about that . . . My communication major is still up in the air, and I guess I’m stalling. The major requires an “experience” component that is usually accomplished through an internship or teaching assistant position. I’ve said it before, I’m not interested in an internship or being a TA. Eventually, I’m going to have to address this issue and either work something out with the college or drop the major. For now, though, the stalling continues!

Of course, I’m not without alternatives for either. My original major in the 90s was accounting and computer science, both of which I could still pursue if I wanted. I’m not keen on an accounting major, but I could do computer science as a replacement for either my current major or minor. If I decide to drop the Information Systems minor, I will highly likely replace it with a computer science minor. The things holding me back from a computer science major are: 1) Do I still have math to finish? I am a little scared of having to take a calc class at this stage of my life; and 2) the very same thing that kept me from FINISHING my computer science degree in the 90s: the evening EE lab that runs from 6-8 pm. Back then, it was just annoying. Now? By the time I walk from class to my car and make the drive home, etc., it will damn near be my bedtime, lol!

In reality, I may have already completed all the math, and the EE course is now available online, so they aren’t likely the hindrances I imagine them to be. So it remains to be seen if I will stick with the Communications major/Information systems minor or if I will switch things up a bit.

Besides work and struggling with my university class, I’ve been doing a lot of art. I’ve been working through my art books, daily prompts, and online lessons. I have subscriptions to Udemy and SkillSuccess, but they are better for lessons on technology and such. I also got an introductory deal on Craftsy, but so far, the art lessons aren’t really for me. So far, the ones I enjoy most are the lessons on YouTube and my Domestika subscription. I was skeptical about Domestika at first, since their model is more like Audible (you pay a monthly fee and get one freebie per month). They won me over quickly, though.

Since I’m a grown-ass adult, I no longer have to hang my artwork on the fridge. My wall is filling up. My intention is, once the wall gets full, I’ll start replacing the older stuff with newer pieces.