Spring Semester

Well, a lesson to all ye students out there. Read your catalog carefully. I signed up for Precalculas Algebra, thinking that somewhere I had read that I needed it as a pre-requisite for another class. I started the class and felt completely overwhelmed. I really, really don't like graphing. I tried to drop with a refund, but was a day late and denied an extension. I figured I was screwed. Well, today, while freaking out about my first Precal test that was supposed to be tonight, I looked at my materials. I found out - 1) I don't actually need precal, just a math credit, 2) I could withdrawal and it would not effect my GPA. Now, I would still end up paying for the class, but I wouldn't have to sit through 16 weeks of class I didn't need. So, I withdrew and signed up for statistics. I have to take another statistics class when I get to the University level, so I figured it would be a good basis for that class. So! No freaking out about a scary math class! Hooray.

Speaking of college, one of my favorite bloggers, the South African Tertia, has called upon the masses to help friends of hers, Masande and Nontobeko, follow their educational dreams. I donated some money, in honor of my grandfather, who put himself through college while working full time and raising three kids. Sure, my grandma did a lot of the heavy lifting, but he made the grades and became a chemical engineer, which happens to be what Masande wants to be. If you've got a little extra cash, consider donating. Sometimes a little makes a big difference. (I couldn't believe that Masande's college registration fee was $450. Mine was $15. Now mine is for community college, but still! That's crazy. And he has to pay that fee before he can apply for financial aid.)

My grandparents come from generations and generations of really thrifty people, and somehow I've managed to screw that up with my generation. (Actually, it may be my mom who screwed it up first.) Anyway, I love their stories of ingenuity in the face of poverty. One of my favorites: At some point when my grandfather was in school and my grandma was at home with the kids, it became really popular to have either fancy wallpaper put in your house with a beautiful tropical vista, or if you were really wealthy, have someone come in and paint a mural of such a scene. My grandmother wanted one in her living room, but couldn't afford either option. She found a small paint-by-numbers scene that she liked, and my grandfather borrowed a projector from a friend. With pencils, they traced the picture onto the wall together, basically creating a huge paint-by-numbers. They found some paints that matched the colors they wanted, and then, when the kids were down for a nap, she would paint small sections of it. My grandmother is actually quite artistic (I think she could have probably painted a mural without the whole paint-by-numbers thing, if she'd had a little more confidence in herself. But poverty doesn't necessarily afford confidence, you don't want to waste paint, afterall) and in no time, she had her dream mural. And it apparently became the talk of the neighborhood. I love the idea of that - that art and beauty are worth splurging on, even if you have to fake it. I think that's a little something that many modern Americans are missing from their lives.