A problem well stated is a problem half solved...

I...uh...cannot eloquently describe the past few days. I'm working toward getting where I want to be...getting comfortable with yet another new school schedule...new requirements, new papers to write..new people to identify with. The up-side is that in the Monday class, I recognized a few former classmates. This class is mostly lecture with three term papers due within the first four weeks of class. One (the last) is a 30 page group paper...I normally despise group anything because someone inevitably disappears or f's up the project. In one of my last classes, we lost 20 points because one member, at the last minute, decided against PowerPoint...so for two different formats and a lack of a proper, collected bibliography, we lost points. Just enough to drop me down a grade level but not enough to knock me off the Dean's List...otherwise, someone would need to buy new tires for her car. I cannot stand it when people know their contribution is critical and they fail intentionally.

Amy e-mailed me today to tell me that the fare to Phoenix went down and that I should apply for a refund...it was $14 and seemed to be a pain in the ass and I basically told her as much. Five minutes later, she had a new itinerary and a refund posted to my credit card...I was just going to let it go. She's a 'take charge' kind of woman...I admire that in her...I owe her another bottle of wine.

I finally got in touch with Cassandra after a couple of weeks of phone tag...it was nice to talk to her and find out what she's about...but she's 18 and having not seen one another since she was in diapers, it was tough to find common ground. We're related by our father only. She was primarily raised by her grandmother in Ohio and, from what I learned yesterday, was very well taken care of...which is great with the exception that she seems to think that she world owes her something because she's young. She's moving back to Ohio in November with the goal of going to nursing school...I'll make a trip to Ohio to meet her at some point next year...take it a week at a time...see where it goes. I'm not quite sure where this will go...but I will find out.

Still no time on the bike-I have carved out time this weekend to get back in the saddle. I can pedal and read (indoors) my text at the same time. I checked out the music store-it's only $15 per hour on the large drum kit...well worth it for me at this time. I can spend $30 and depart completely exhausted...about what I'd spend to do something else for a couple of hours.

I started reading "When You're Engulfed in Flames" by David Sedaris. It's my second go with this book. I started it several months ago, lost my place in the book and wound up starting over. It's a quick read and Sedaris's books are very interesting to me...I have three lined up behind it when it's finished. I'd like to get them in by year's end...it's a minor milestone.