Got my grades back for a couple of assignments. I got an A+ on the poster I worked my butt off on. :D I am proud to say that I did it without my group since they were insisting on having everything done a week early and I was still collecting data then. It's more satisfying to have done it on my own anyhow. It is also worth 25% of my final grade and I got an A+ on the presentation worth another 25%, so now all I have to do is get a good mark on the essay worth 50% of my grade in that class and I'll be all set. ^_______^ On the plus side, a lot my paper will involve elaborating on the information on the poster. So it's at least 1/3rd done already simply by having all of that information written up.

I gave that one class mostly positive feedback in the course evaluation, but I noted that the group work for this course was quite pointless since we all had to have our own individual study topics anyhow. It really just added a lot of unnecessary stress.

In my other 4th year psychology class, I got a B+ on my essay worth 30% of the grade. I would have liked to get a better mark, but I can't complain. I wrote that paper up in one night. I lost marks for not covering enough psychological theories. Given the time of night I was writing some of this paper, I'm fairly sure that covering any other theories than the two I touched on would have been made of epic fail. XD Not to mention, I would have gone over the maximum page limit.


As long as I do okay in guitar class, I'll have a nice honor roll average for applying to grad studies next year. The only annoying thing about guitar class is that we were never given any real evaluation criteria, or any grades at the midterm on anything, so I have no idea what kind of grade I'm getting in that class. I doubt it'll be horrible, but it's hard to tell how the professor marks.

Hey guys,

I'm having difficulty getting enough people to do my academic study for my fourth year psych honours class. Even offers of free food have not persuaded people. I'm going to be putting up a couple of questionaires and links to some media (either an image, article, or a video). I'd really appreciate it if people would please fill out the questionaires. There's 32 questions in each, where you rate how accurately a statement fits you from 1 to 5. One before viewing the media, and one after.

It's a study in readiness to change - I'm testing whether images, articles or video will prompt the greatest change in attitude.

I'm already up too late so I'll be posting them tomorrow. ♥ in advance for whoever agrees to do it. ^_^

I'm glad that I'm back in classes. In the psychology course I was freaking out in, I'm finally settled into a group and everyone's pretty hard working and on the ball. We're actually one of the furthest along groups of all, so yay for that. I feel a lot better about that now.

I went for an academic advising appointment and I found out that I'm actually taking more courses than what I'd need to graduate. I might drop Japanese because of it, since I got one really crappy mark on my first test. If I can raise the grade, then great. I'll just keep the class. But I don't want to kill my average. Last year's average was an honor roll average. I'm doing well in most of this year's courses except for that one. It's not that I haven't gotten good marks on anything in Japanese - it's just that the tests are worth more than the things I've done well in.

One thing they did advise me for next year was to put off graduating until next year as well because otherwise, any courses I take to raise my average won't count toward my transcript.

I got some work this week, too. I'm hoping I'll be able to put in hours consistently. I'm making an effort to learn how to do some things that I previously didn't know how to do so that I'll be more useful at work. The more things I know how to do, the more likely my manager will make an effort to consistently give me some hours.

I discovered that I missed the deadline for grad school applications by a long shot. X_X Apparently, September would have been a good time to be investigating this because they were due in early to mid December. I'll have to find out about taking the GRE because it looks like any program I'm interested in will require it.


While this does suck, I am able to see the bright side of this. I wasn't sure if my grades were going to be quite good enough to get in, and now I'll be able to take a couple of classes to raise my average while working the rest of the time. I already have a job and I don't get as upset by the asshat customers as I used to. By taking a couple of classes, I retain my status as a student, which means that I can claim it on my income tax, and I can also go to the school gym. My bank also doesn't get to gauge me.


I have an appointment on Tuesday at 11:15 to meet with someone to talk about my academic options.


Oh~ The strike is over now, btw. The government legislated everyone back to work and classes resume Monday. I'm going to have to bust my ass.

Well, the strike is still going on and the government negotiator had to put talks on hold because neither side was ready to really bargain. There were a few concessions made on both sides, but...yeah. Mainly, both sides of the disagreement are both being very stubborn.

I fully agree with the union on the job security measures, though. There are some people who have been at the university for ten years who still have to re-apply for contracts, despite doing well on their academic evaluations.


Given how much this is going to screw up my ability to get into graduate school right away, I am seriously contemplating working for a year after I graduate, and just maybe taking a single course each semester so that I can be considered a part time student. Obviously, I will take a bird course to raise my average if I go with that option. ^__~ No sense in stressing myself out more than I have to. Ideally, I'd like a maternity leave position through a temp agency. I'll have a degree, office experience, a decent typing speed, a good phone voice, and a reasonable amount of computer literacy to offer to a prospective employer.


I went to the gym today and did 40 minutes of cardio. Go me! I'm hoping to lose 10 pounds by the end of April, though it would be spiffy if I could lose 15 by that point. Ultimately, though, I care less about the number on the scale and more about the fit of pants I've purchased in the last two years around my waist. I'd be happy to stay at 140 with a slightly smaller waist (2 inches smaller would be great for solving that "some pants fit uncomfortably" problem) and more muscle definition on me.

Went to Starkers (place that makes custom corsets) and then Cafe Demetre for cutegoth's birthday on Tuesday. All in all, it was nice. Fainting on Dianna's couch (Starkers is run out of a house) was less fun but at least it was a soft cushioned surface and I was already sitting at the time.

The York strike is STILL going on. This annoys me. They're not making a lot of effort to meet, and both side of the argument is being very stubborn about sticking to their guns instead of attempting a compromise and looking to resume classes.

I've been so lazy and unmotivated lately. It may have something to do with the snow outside. I hate the stuff.

:D My laptop is back and working.

Holy CRAP extended warrantees are worth it. O_O I got a new charger, and I had the motherboard replaced. Another part that I can't remember the name of was replaced, too. Last time I needed a fix, the monitor was replaced. The charger alone is enough to cover the cost of the warranty.

My harddrive is in tact, so yay for not having to reinstall everything and for not losing stuff I was working on here.

Now I have to get down to work because even though York University is on strike, I still have an assignment due this Thursday that has to be submitted by email. Fortunately, it's not a very long one and I've already done my research because my presentation was on the same topic. I got a good mark on that presentation. :D


I'd really like to be able to work a seasonal retail job somewhere...but with my fainting and dizzy spells still going on, I'm really not capable of working a job that requires me to spend hours standing. They're not as frequent as they used to be because I'm getting better at managing them, but they're bad enough that I'd probably faint on the job.

X_____X I hate learning Japanese writing. I do quite well with Japanese as long as everything's in romanized letters, but as soon as it's hirugana or katakana? Aaaaaaugh.

This test will only have hirugana on it. I'm hoping hirugana is only a PART of the test and that the rest will be in romanized letters. I know my vocabulary pretty darned well and get the basic grammatical structures and stuff that we've covered, but I am so very screwed if the bulk of the test is in hirugana.

Well, mostly screwed. It is multiple choice so even if I don't know, I might get a couple of questions right through sheer dumb luck and the few hirugana letters I DO know off by heart.

Fortunately, this test is only worth 10% of my grade, so I do have the chance to redeem myself later if a lot of the test does involve hirugana. I'm hoping not. In lecture, hirugana's only been a small part of things and we've emphasized vocabulary and grammar.


On the plus side, I feel reasonably prepared for my presentation on antisocial personality disorder. It's not going to be the most amazing presentation EVER but I covered all the key information plus some extra material. I got a good case study, a relevant short movie clip and I have a couple of discussion questions. I don't know exactly what I'll get as a grade, but a B should be perfectly reasonable to expect at least.

*headdesk*

Okay, my school library is stupid. Despite me renewing ALL of my books at the same time and nobody placing any holds that would have interfered with my ability to renew, I have a late fine on a book.

...yet, they let me renew the book so it's no longer overdue. X__X

It's just a small fine but I'm going to petition to have it waived because I shouldn't have it in the first place.


Gah. Haaaaate crunch week at school. *spastic flail*

I am very, very close to getting rid of a debt that has been hanging over my head for about 3 years. This makes me a happy Lex. :D One or two more paycheques ought to do it.

It's nice to have money. I don't even have a lot. I'm still careful about spending my money. But I bought a couple of things I'd been meaning to buy for over a year just recently (shorts, a one-piece bathing suit), and it's good to know that I can do that.

I still need to see a few movies - Indiana Jones, Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, and The Hulk, to name a few. I did see Iron Man and Forbidden Kingdom, though.


Hopefully, I'll be able to get a job at the univeristy library or the gym in the fall. I like my manager and co-workers at the place where I'm at...but the work itself frequently leaves me tense. I'm better at handling it than I was, and I DO really like the fact that the dress code is casual, but it would also be a miserably long walk in the winter and I don't want to make my fourth year any more stressful than working my butt off at my courses is going to be.

I'm still going to be volunteering at SASSL. I think it's a good cause, and I have a good idea for a campaign. Hopefully I'll be able to work with the events co-ordinator on it.