Popcorn Anomalies

For the past 2 weeks I have been having popcorn as a late evening snack. I have discovered that 3.5 ounces of Pop Secret takes 15 seconds longer to pop than 3.5 ounces of Act II. I have confirmed that the weight is actually the same (using my handy kitchen gram scale), and they both use the same ingredients in the seasoning. Is it possible that there is a difference in the variety of corn, or where it was harvested causing the different pop times?

I don’t understand fuzzy handcuffs

What is the point of fuzzy handcuffs? They are for “erotic” situations, but usually for domination and control play, which tends to go to any direction but “fuzzy”. I own 6 pair of handcuffs (2 chain, 2 hinged, 2 long chain) as well as other steel restraints, and I can’t imagine them being any fun with fuzzy stuff on them.

So… does anyone get the point of fuzzy handcuffs?

Raphael easier than Frost

Finished my Art History assignment a few minutes ago. I am much happier with it than I was with literature. It took me 5 days to create 200 words about a few Frost poems, but only about an hour to create 700 words about some paintings by Raphael. Its interesting how I handle visual information easier than literary information.

Difficulties with Frost

I am presently analyzing Robert Frost poems. I entered this process with a fairly high opinion of Frost, but I think he man spent too much time staring out into nature, or reflecting on nature after his experiences. Writing a 200 word response to each of 8 of his poems is leaving me completely drained. I am having to strain my usual level of bullshit to get the work together. I usually love poetry, but this is becoming an insane level of analysis. I should have been done with this assignment days ago, but I have run into a huge writers block in creating my response. It is taking me time to start thinking metaphorically again.

Possible Academic Directions

I have many options when it comes to my academic life for spring. I have open applications with UNC-Greensboro for Liberal Studies and Fayetteville State University (UNC-FSU) for Psychology, and of course there is the obvious option of UNC-Charlotte with Computer Science or Fine Arts (I won’t say BFA, since that is a whole different process). I have so many options, but none of them seem to be the perfect fit for me. All of the degree programs seem so template. I want to be able to combine artistic with technical, without majoring in computer art. I feel like my desires pull me in too many directions at once.

Current directions of Interest:

  • Fine Arts (General)
  • Drawing
  • Ceramics
  • Creative Writing
  • Computer Science
  • Computer Programming (AAS)
  • Culinary Arts
  • History
  • General Humanities
  • Kinesiology/Athletic Training

I’m just too spread out. I could get a degree in each field and probably still find more I’m interested in. Where does the academic loop end?

Academic Queue

Assignments exist in my queue
Some more important than others
I show favor to one or two
The favorites are not the ones soon to be due

Annoyed here I sit
Homework of Frost, C-Sharp and Art Hist
Few appeal to me
Most ascend me to a fit

Frustration it does run deep
I dream of drawing
men nude and with big feet

Other thoughts are there too
but still none are in my queue

Instructors Abusing Web-based Courses

This semester I am noticing a horrible trend among instructors of web-based courses, they are abandoning the courses for days (or weeks in some cases) and being generally unresponsive when students attempt to communicate with them. For my self-paced C# course I expected that, but not in my Art History and Literature courses. Chris and I both have a substantial amount of coursework online. For him, its his first time in such a situation, and in my opinion, instructors being complete morons does not help get students adjusted to college. This semester that has been a lot of absent minded assignment dropping and running.

I waited over 10 days to get a response to my problem with Art History, and I still only received a half-ass response, although, with the most recent test, the problem seems to have been corrected. The BIGGEST problem I am having with C# and Art History is that the modules for future weeks are not available anymore. For C# they went away to be updated from C# 2005 to C# 2008. For Art History, they went down to go from Janson Art History to Gardner’s Art History, since there was a bookstore mix up. Neither course has had its  modules restored yet, and for Art History, the slow leaking of weekly work by the instructor shows that the materials still haven’t been updated. As for Literature, I still feel like something is missing there, but in general, the instructor does seem to be available upon request, but she doesn’t show up a lot otherwise.

For American History and Literature, I was told LAST weekend that stuff was being graded, as of today, there are no new grades in either course and the class averages haven’t changed.

What is it?

DSCF7787  DSCF7813   

I planted this bush/tree in my yard about three years ago. I thought it was just a flowering tree, but now it is producing berries/fruit and I have no idea what it is. Does anyone recognize what type of plant this is? In the spring it did blossom, but they were short-lived, and over the spring these fruits have been forming in their place. At present the bush is about 5 or 6 feet tall. It is very bushy, and all of the limbs are very pliable. These fruits are sporadically placed throughout the branches from about 1ft from the top to the very bottom branch. I am very curious as to what this plant is.

DSCF7820  DSCF7811

Considering Correspondence

At some point near the end of this semester I am considering taking a correspondence course from UNC-Chapel Hill called “Advanced Poetry Writing”. It is a self-paced course that has a format allowing the student and instructor to develop the curriculum for the course. I have been wanting another Creative Writing course since Creative Writing II left me a little empty after so much fiction writing and so little poetry. Only problem with the course is I have to get approval of the instructor to even enroll in it, and I am afraid that my current poetry portfolio sucks.

http://www.fridaycenter.unc.edu/cp/catalog/english.html#engl407

 

If I take this course, it will be my first correspondence course. I fear that I will develop an obsessive compulsion of walking to the mailbox every 5 minutes each day until the mail arrives with feedback and assignments from my instructor.