Tomorrow is exam day. Apparently I haven't been tested enough in the last couple of years! (joke to self)
I've been taking an online PowerPoint course through the local college.
I know, some of you reading may be saying to yourselves, "A PowerPoint COURSE? Why on earth would you waste your time with that, Tracy? You could learn that in an afternoon!" I know, I know.
At work, management wants people to learn. They require us to learn things, to get educated. It's on my review every year. I was going to take the half-day course, but then my boss found this online course and suggested I look into it. It cost less than the half-day course (until you add the cost of the textbook in), and it said it required 30 hours to complete. It's got to be more intense than any half-day course!
You know what? This course has been surprising. I've put a lot of hours into learning and practicing PowerPoint. More, I think, than the 30 hours the course required. There is no way I could have learned AND RETAINED as much information about PowerPoint in a half day course as I have in this online one. It's been 18 years since I graduated from highschool, and this is the first real course I have taken since then. I'm not exactly used to studying and practicing and completing lessons anymore! But I did it, and it wasn't so bad. Now I'm feeling pretty comfortable with PowerPoint, and that's exactly what I wanted. All that half-day blitz course would have given me is a headache.
The exam tomorrow is 3 hours! Well, they allow you 3 hours to complete it, so that doesn't necessarily mean that it takes that long. I'm nervous, but I think it's going to be okay. For one, there won't be a teacher wandering about and making me extra nervous. Secondly, the exam is online too, so I can use my books and look through my notes and examples to complete the exam. It's going to be alright.
I'm thinking about taking another online course now. Another program that I need to know better for work is Access. Yikes! That one really scares me! It makes me think numbers, and numbers are my enemy! They don't like me at all! I'll have to psyche myself up for that one for sure! Too many exclamation points...
I am not studying tonight. I did some of that last week, over the weekend, and today at work. I'm relaxing tonight. In fact, as soon as I post this I'm going to get ready for bed. I'm going to be as fresh as a daisy for that exam tomorrow.
Hooray! It's over!
Monday, July 24, 2006
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Help
Finally, a topic arises that I am passionate enough about that I need to write about it.
I am not good at asking for help. That has become abundantly clear to me since having Miles. There are a number of reasons why I’m not good at asking for help.
1. I’m not good at asking for anything. I’m a fairly self-sufficient individual.
2. My help-asking timing generally sucks.
3. Once I get the courage to ask for help, I often get let down.
There’s much more to it than just those three points, but that’s the basics.
Now, before I go any further, allow me to do this.
Mom and Dad – Thank you for everything, every day of my life. I would be more than lost without you.
Krista and Bob – Thank you for your unfailing love and support.
Glenn and Sherri – You guys have made life so much easier for me over the last couple of years. Thank you both so much. Sherri, you’ve become a real sister to me. An EXTRA thank you to you.
Now, without going into lengthy detail, I need child care for Miles starting at the end of August. I called today to find out if I am eligible for Child Care Subsidy. As a single, working mother, I thought I might have a chance.
I don’t. I am not eligible. Why am I not eligible? Because I’m too freakin’ smart, responsible and caring, and have a loving, supporting family. I have too much money in savings to be eligible for child care support. Yes, because I moved in with my parents because I couldn’t afford the rent charges in this area, and instead started saving up money for a down-payment on a house, because I don’t want to go into debt paying rent and become a social assistance case and yet another burden to my province and country, there is no help available to me. By all means, there are thousands of people out there who need the assistance far more than me, and please, PLEASE, assist them first! But where is the assistance for people like me? Why do I get shafted because I have a good job that I’ve stayed at for a long time, and because I have family who ensures I don’t end up on the street? I don’t need to have the fees completely covered. I don’t even need to have half of the fees covered. But a little bit of something would be better than nothing!
To quote a friend, “Oh you told the truth? It's terrible how you get punished for being a
responsible person. If you had pissed away all your money recklessly they would reward you by subsidizing you.” Yeah. No kidding.
My mom asked me a good question. If I went out now and bought myself a house, and basically over-extended myself monetarily, then would I be eligible for child care custody? My guess is yes. What is yours? Isn’t that a ridiculous scenario?
As a society, we definitely need to help those who are less fortunate. But shouldn’t we also help the “Average Jane” to keep her from joining the less fortunate?
Just my thoughts. I’m done.
I am not good at asking for help. That has become abundantly clear to me since having Miles. There are a number of reasons why I’m not good at asking for help.
1. I’m not good at asking for anything. I’m a fairly self-sufficient individual.
2. My help-asking timing generally sucks.
3. Once I get the courage to ask for help, I often get let down.
There’s much more to it than just those three points, but that’s the basics.
Now, before I go any further, allow me to do this.
Mom and Dad – Thank you for everything, every day of my life. I would be more than lost without you.
Krista and Bob – Thank you for your unfailing love and support.
Glenn and Sherri – You guys have made life so much easier for me over the last couple of years. Thank you both so much. Sherri, you’ve become a real sister to me. An EXTRA thank you to you.
Now, without going into lengthy detail, I need child care for Miles starting at the end of August. I called today to find out if I am eligible for Child Care Subsidy. As a single, working mother, I thought I might have a chance.
I don’t. I am not eligible. Why am I not eligible? Because I’m too freakin’ smart, responsible and caring, and have a loving, supporting family. I have too much money in savings to be eligible for child care support. Yes, because I moved in with my parents because I couldn’t afford the rent charges in this area, and instead started saving up money for a down-payment on a house, because I don’t want to go into debt paying rent and become a social assistance case and yet another burden to my province and country, there is no help available to me. By all means, there are thousands of people out there who need the assistance far more than me, and please, PLEASE, assist them first! But where is the assistance for people like me? Why do I get shafted because I have a good job that I’ve stayed at for a long time, and because I have family who ensures I don’t end up on the street? I don’t need to have the fees completely covered. I don’t even need to have half of the fees covered. But a little bit of something would be better than nothing!
To quote a friend, “Oh you told the truth? It's terrible how you get punished for being a
responsible person. If you had pissed away all your money recklessly they would reward you by subsidizing you.” Yeah. No kidding.
My mom asked me a good question. If I went out now and bought myself a house, and basically over-extended myself monetarily, then would I be eligible for child care custody? My guess is yes. What is yours? Isn’t that a ridiculous scenario?
As a society, we definitely need to help those who are less fortunate. But shouldn’t we also help the “Average Jane” to keep her from joining the less fortunate?
Just my thoughts. I’m done.
Monday, July 17, 2006
Forget it
May I forget what ought to be forgotten; and recall, unfailing, all that
ought to be recalled, each kindly thing, forgetting what might sting.
- Mary Caroline Davies
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