Well, so far I can get into the system for school. The bad news, all my previous work has been wiped out. So I'm hoping that the professor knows all the grades because my sanity could not handle redoing all those quizzes! He gave us until tomorrow to finish the course. There goes that break I was supposed to be on!
I took the day off today. Originally it was because Elijah's summer camp ended yesterday. Now I realize that I did it to keep me sane. Yesterday I worked 14 hours and still have work to do. I'm trying to figure out how I can squeeze in some time to go in today.
Tuesday is the big day: Boy starts school. I'm starting to freak out a little. This is going to be tougher than I thought -- I figured since he's been in daycare since he was 3 months old that this would not be much different. It is.
If you pray, say one for me please. I need strength to keep putting up with the massive volume at work. I need strength to finish this class and my last class, and I need some strength to send my sunshine to school on Tuesdays. Thank you.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to two of my cousins: Pam & Brooke. I hope both of you have a fabulous birthday and I wish you all the best!
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
What happend to August?
Can someone please tell me what happened to August. I'm still trying to figure out what happened to June and July and here I am thinking the end of August already? I don't know whether to laugh or cry.
They restored the old version of the system we use as school. I came up at 5 p.m. today, however I still cannot get in. I guess the passwords were reset and the one they told me should work doesn't. I'm about over it.
Elijah had orientation at school today. I think that is putting me into midlife crisis mode. We were sent home with a nice big manila envelope with policies, procedures and a list of things I have to volunteer for. I'm already signed up to work a lunch - thank goodness I had already requested the day off.
Not much else is going on. Work is still psycho busy. I've almost reached my saturation point.
They restored the old version of the system we use as school. I came up at 5 p.m. today, however I still cannot get in. I guess the passwords were reset and the one they told me should work doesn't. I'm about over it.
Elijah had orientation at school today. I think that is putting me into midlife crisis mode. We were sent home with a nice big manila envelope with policies, procedures and a list of things I have to volunteer for. I'm already signed up to work a lunch - thank goodness I had already requested the day off.
Not much else is going on. Work is still psycho busy. I've almost reached my saturation point.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Just in case you were wondering . . .
They still don't have the system up yet for school. WTF. I don't know whether to laugh or cry.
Work is psycho again. I don't know how much more I can take. I'm actually debating going back to caffeine. Let me remind you that it is has been 11 years since I have had caffeine. The last time I was this desperate was when Elijah was born and he had his days and nights mixed up.
If you pray, say one for me. I need some strength. Thank you.
Work is psycho again. I don't know how much more I can take. I'm actually debating going back to caffeine. Let me remind you that it is has been 11 years since I have had caffeine. The last time I was this desperate was when Elijah was born and he had his days and nights mixed up.
If you pray, say one for me. I need some strength. Thank you.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Grand Rapids -- WOW!
It's been about 10 years since I've been to Grand Rapids. The last time was with Gary for a mountain bike race. I remember that we spent most of the time in a suburb and only went downtown to go to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum. I highly recommend going to the museum by the way -- regardless of your political affiliation, it is a great experience for all.
On Friday, myself and seven others from work embarked on a journey to the great town of Grand Rapids. The occasion was the near opening of the first J.W. Marriott in the Midwest. The hotel officially opens in about three weeks, but we got a preview! Let me tell you that in my 13+ years in the hotel business in addition to all my other years of travel, I never seen a more amazing hotel. This is a one of a kind work of art. If you ever go to Grand Rapids, you have to go to this hotel and check it out. There isn't one room with an amazing view. The entire building is glass so you see everything. Wow - that's all I can say.
BTW, the nightlife has picked up a bit as well, so if that is your kind of fun, this is your kind of town!
On Friday, myself and seven others from work embarked on a journey to the great town of Grand Rapids. The occasion was the near opening of the first J.W. Marriott in the Midwest. The hotel officially opens in about three weeks, but we got a preview! Let me tell you that in my 13+ years in the hotel business in addition to all my other years of travel, I never seen a more amazing hotel. This is a one of a kind work of art. If you ever go to Grand Rapids, you have to go to this hotel and check it out. There isn't one room with an amazing view. The entire building is glass so you see everything. Wow - that's all I can say.
BTW, the nightlife has picked up a bit as well, so if that is your kind of fun, this is your kind of town!
Twelve Days Later
It's been twelve days since the university took down our online platform and it is still not up. A note posted at 11 p.m. on Friday said that they decided to go back to the old platform. Two days later the old platform is still not up. They are offering us the option to finish the class with the new deadlines that the instructors will notify us of after the system is back up, or drop the class and retake it at no additional charges. Since I was on the last week of class, I don't think I am going to drop it.
This experience has taught me that they were not adequately prepared for this, and did not seem to have a good plan to handle the situation. That is disappointing, but I hope they learn from it and will be better prepared next time. The fact of the matter is, you should never assume that an upgrade will run smoothly. I don't think anyone expected it to be this bad, but just simple planning of doing this while we were on break, could have cut this inconvenience down from 12 days to 5 days.
I just keep telling myself that I'm almost done.
This experience has taught me that they were not adequately prepared for this, and did not seem to have a good plan to handle the situation. That is disappointing, but I hope they learn from it and will be better prepared next time. The fact of the matter is, you should never assume that an upgrade will run smoothly. I don't think anyone expected it to be this bad, but just simple planning of doing this while we were on break, could have cut this inconvenience down from 12 days to 5 days.
I just keep telling myself that I'm almost done.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
It's almost humorous now
If you can believe it, the system is still down. Who know when I will get to finish this class and actually start my next class. Do you think it is divine that it worked out this way? I'm beginning to wonder if I am meant to finish this degree.
Work still sucks. The volume does not appear to be slowing down at all. I worked another 12+ hour day and will need to be there bright and early tomorrow morning.
Elijah received his teach assignment in the mail. We get to go meet her next week. I can't believe he starts school in less than two weeks. Where did summer go? Where did 2007 go?
Work still sucks. The volume does not appear to be slowing down at all. I worked another 12+ hour day and will need to be there bright and early tomorrow morning.
Elijah received his teach assignment in the mail. We get to go meet her next week. I can't believe he starts school in less than two weeks. Where did summer go? Where did 2007 go?
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Happy Birthday Janinne!
Happy Birthday to my sister-in-law Janinne. I hope you had a great day. I wish you a year of happiness!
MySpace Graphics at GlitterBell.com
MySpace Graphics at GlitterBell.com
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Time Warp or Twilight Zone
So I finally got an email from my instructor last night saying that he will accept assignments until Sunday night (instead of last night since the lovely system has been down). Sounds good except what about the class that starts today? Well, he sent an email that the system should be up at 6 p.m. today, if not, he'll let us know where to go from here.
I emailed my academic advisor last night to ask her if she knew if they were setting up new dates, or was it up to the instructors. She emails me this morning what was posted on the website (gee thanks, I would have never found that). So I respond that I need to know if I'm juggling two classes this week, or is everything getting pushed. No response yet. Thanks for the help.
Surprise, surprise . . . the system was not up at 6 p.m. and still is not up. My head hurts. This has been a nightmare. A bit of advice . . . if you are going to school online and they say they are going to do an upgrade and the system will only be down for a few days -- do not pass go, do not collect $200, run now and avoid the Christmas rush.
I emailed my academic advisor last night to ask her if she knew if they were setting up new dates, or was it up to the instructors. She emails me this morning what was posted on the website (gee thanks, I would have never found that). So I respond that I need to know if I'm juggling two classes this week, or is everything getting pushed. No response yet. Thanks for the help.
Surprise, surprise . . . the system was not up at 6 p.m. and still is not up. My head hurts. This has been a nightmare. A bit of advice . . . if you are going to school online and they say they are going to do an upgrade and the system will only be down for a few days -- do not pass go, do not collect $200, run now and avoid the Christmas rush.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Is it the last day of class?
I sure would like to know the answer to that question. Today is supposed to be the last day of class, but Blackboard (the program we use) is still down. They keep telling us that we will have time to make up the assignments and won't be penalized, but I just want to get the class done. I took today off work in order to finish. Needless to say this day -- actually this weekend, has been frustrating. I called the university and they were in a mandatory meeting. I guess it was to discuss the problem. Hey, maybe someone should have anticipated these problems in advance and waited until our break to do this. What an idea.
So at this point, I don't know if they will just push everything forward a week -- putting me at finishing a week later. If they will push everything forward and cancel the break -- so we will make up the week and stay on schedule, or just have us finish one class and start another at the same time -- creating a big burden on me.
So at this point, I don't know if they will just push everything forward a week -- putting me at finishing a week later. If they will push everything forward and cancel the break -- so we will make up the week and stay on schedule, or just have us finish one class and start another at the same time -- creating a big burden on me.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Still Not Fixed
Just a follow up on the system I log into for school. I can now log in, but I get this message:
"We are currently experiencing severe response time problems with Blackboard and are working diligently to resolve the problems. We ask for your patience.
We sincerely regret the inconvenience this outage is causing students and faculty."
I can't get into the discussion board, the area to submit assignments, or any of the important areas I need to access for the class. I hope there was a critical reason behind them doing this upgrade during the last week of class.
Who knows when I'll get in - I guess I'm on my own. Hope for the best.
"We are currently experiencing severe response time problems with Blackboard and are working diligently to resolve the problems. We ask for your patience.
We sincerely regret the inconvenience this outage is causing students and faculty."
I can't get into the discussion board, the area to submit assignments, or any of the important areas I need to access for the class. I hope there was a critical reason behind them doing this upgrade during the last week of class.
Who knows when I'll get in - I guess I'm on my own. Hope for the best.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Time Flies
August is moving about even faster than July. Where does the time go? This is my last weekend of this class. The last class starts on Tuesday. It's hard to believe that almost two years of graduate school is close to an end. I'm starting to feel the pressure of the last time I graduated: what now? Do I want to stay where I am? Could I move out of state? What do I want to be when I grow up? Ugh . . . the pressure! :-)
Speaking of school. I'm still scratching my head on the methodology behind this one. About two weeks ago they posted a note that they were going to upgrade the system we use to participate in class, submit assignments, get grades, etc. Now we will be on break starting August 28, but for some reason they decided to do this upgrade on August 14 and keep the system down until 6 p.m. yesterday. My first thought is why wouldn't they just wait until we are on break? It would seem to be easier because then if there is a problem (I know we all like to think that there won't be problems, but I've been through enough system upgrades to know that there is always some sort of problem), it wouldn't interfere with our studies. Well, as my cynical mind thought, there was a problem. Now the system is still down and they expect us to be able to get back on at 6 p.m. tonight. There was also a note that our instructor would extend our assignments. That sounds great, but class ends on MONDAY. Do you think we can get an extension on ending the class and postpone starting the new one? Whoever approved this upgrade during the last week of classes needs to get their head examined. What was the big rush that couldn't wait two weeks?
Work was psychotic again. I spent the last three days working 12 hour shifts. It will look nice on the paycheck, but I am tired. I also missed saying goodbye to my brother-in-law because of it. He and his wife are off to new ventures in Houston. I didn't see them often when they were here in Michigan, but it seems strange that they will be so far away.
Not much else is going on. Less than three weeks until Elijah starts school. Orientation is less than two weeks away. His karate instructor said that he will be testing for yellow belt in September. He is also going to start taking swim lessons. Needless to say I think September is going to be busy between me finishing school and Elijah getting used to school.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Speaking of school. I'm still scratching my head on the methodology behind this one. About two weeks ago they posted a note that they were going to upgrade the system we use to participate in class, submit assignments, get grades, etc. Now we will be on break starting August 28, but for some reason they decided to do this upgrade on August 14 and keep the system down until 6 p.m. yesterday. My first thought is why wouldn't they just wait until we are on break? It would seem to be easier because then if there is a problem (I know we all like to think that there won't be problems, but I've been through enough system upgrades to know that there is always some sort of problem), it wouldn't interfere with our studies. Well, as my cynical mind thought, there was a problem. Now the system is still down and they expect us to be able to get back on at 6 p.m. tonight. There was also a note that our instructor would extend our assignments. That sounds great, but class ends on MONDAY. Do you think we can get an extension on ending the class and postpone starting the new one? Whoever approved this upgrade during the last week of classes needs to get their head examined. What was the big rush that couldn't wait two weeks?
Work was psychotic again. I spent the last three days working 12 hour shifts. It will look nice on the paycheck, but I am tired. I also missed saying goodbye to my brother-in-law because of it. He and his wife are off to new ventures in Houston. I didn't see them often when they were here in Michigan, but it seems strange that they will be so far away.
Not much else is going on. Less than three weeks until Elijah starts school. Orientation is less than two weeks away. His karate instructor said that he will be testing for yellow belt in September. He is also going to start taking swim lessons. Needless to say I think September is going to be busy between me finishing school and Elijah getting used to school.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Crazy Week
It was another crazy week! On a lighter note, I received my LAST schoolbook in the mail. I can't believe I'm in the home stretch!
This week was some rainy weather, which makes for good sleeping -- unless you need to get to work! Then it makes for a tough morning.
On Tuesday night some jerk in a big truck hit our mailbox. We know it's a big truck because they failed to realize that they left their mirror behind at the scene. Of course our "pleasant" (facecious) mail lady will not deliver our mail, so we are stuck going to the post office to pick it up. I will take a week to get the parts.
Thursday night I was graced with an obscene phone call. Either he truly did mean to call someone else or was really dumb because his number popped up on caller id.
Friday night Elijah was messing with the tape dispenser and knocked it off the counter onto his foot. I had to take him to urgent care because I couldn't tell if he broke one of his toes. I felt so bad for him, but it ended up he didn't break anything. Thank God!
Today we went to a birthday party were they had a portable petting zoo there. That was fun.
Trying to stay motivated to finish this class. One more week and then I start the last class. I can't wait!!! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
This week was some rainy weather, which makes for good sleeping -- unless you need to get to work! Then it makes for a tough morning.
On Tuesday night some jerk in a big truck hit our mailbox. We know it's a big truck because they failed to realize that they left their mirror behind at the scene. Of course our "pleasant" (facecious) mail lady will not deliver our mail, so we are stuck going to the post office to pick it up. I will take a week to get the parts.
Thursday night I was graced with an obscene phone call. Either he truly did mean to call someone else or was really dumb because his number popped up on caller id.
Friday night Elijah was messing with the tape dispenser and knocked it off the counter onto his foot. I had to take him to urgent care because I couldn't tell if he broke one of his toes. I felt so bad for him, but it ended up he didn't break anything. Thank God!
Today we went to a birthday party were they had a portable petting zoo there. That was fun.
Trying to stay motivated to finish this class. One more week and then I start the last class. I can't wait!!! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Birthday Wishes
More birthday wishes!
Happy Birthday to Lindsey! (Gary's niece)
Happy Birthday to Terry!
Happy Birthday to Ryan! (Elijah's friend)
Happy Birthday to Michelle (cousin)
I hope all of you had a great birthday!
Happy Birthday to Lindsey! (Gary's niece)
Happy Birthday to Terry!
Happy Birthday to Ryan! (Elijah's friend)
Happy Birthday to Michelle (cousin)
I hope all of you had a great birthday!
Friday, August 03, 2007
How Nerdy Are You?
A friend of mine had this on his blog, so I thought I would give it a whirl. I guess I'm a little "nerdier" than I thought! (He was a 93 - AKA Supreme Nerd BTW -- but that's what we love about him!):-)
Big Choice
Well, I told a dealership to order me a 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid yesterday. He said it would take 6-8 weeks. Other dealerships said 8-12 weeks. We'll see when it comes. I'm excited but I'm also a little nervous about having a car payment again. I've had a lot of new cars that I used to lease, but this is the first time that I had the opportunity to actually order exactly what I want.
On another note, happy birthday to my sister-in-law Suzette. I hope you had a great birthday!
I'm officially half way through my tax class. It's been a bit of a challenge, but I think I'm over it. I'm so ready to be done. Of course I would like an A in every class, but considering the hours I've been working and my family obligations, I think I'm doing well. Now I have a lot of thinking to do about my future plans. Pressure . . . ugh!
Enjoy your weekend!
On another note, happy birthday to my sister-in-law Suzette. I hope you had a great birthday!
I'm officially half way through my tax class. It's been a bit of a challenge, but I think I'm over it. I'm so ready to be done. Of course I would like an A in every class, but considering the hours I've been working and my family obligations, I think I'm doing well. Now I have a lot of thinking to do about my future plans. Pressure . . . ugh!
Enjoy your weekend!
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Happy 18th Josh!
Happy 18th birthday Josh! By dear friend Kevin's oldest son is 18. It's official . . . I feel OLD! Wow! Anyway, I hope Josh had the best day ever . . . so far!
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