Seasonal Obligations to self, (follow my example)

Telling you to follow my example is a little poncy. You will bloody well ignore it anyway if you are so inclined, but at least do the reading:

It occurs to me that the seasons are a Major influence on life up here. I have quite by coincidence run into several people I know on the boardwalk this week. It has been quite pleasant. Have you been down to Ramsey this year?

I ask because I realize that I did not ice skate on Ramsey last year at all. Now I'm sure you realize that winter can kiss my pearly northern ass, But skating and skiing make up for winter's transgressions. By and Large. Ergo, one should get out and Do these things. Me? Not once. Neither activity. Haven't made a snowfort or had a decent snowball fight since I've lived here.

I don't particularly care if I am too old for such behaviour. Anyone who would like to make that suggestion will get a snowball for free, regardless of the current season, I have that power.

So the point I am working towards here is that there are things that match the seasons, which should be accompanied with each season. Here are some:

1) Winter: Skating Ramsey, Skiing - wherever but I guess Adanac, Snowball fight - preferably at School and well timed to include the more lighthearted and libertine profs, cafeteria workers and admin. Some will say Polar Bear dip - if you want to, may I suggest doing it but once, on New Year's Day. Loonies.

2) Spring: Spring Camp Downpour - if you don't get totally drenched you did it wrong, Hike one of the better trails, Low-Temp skinny dipping - also see above.

Educational Solutions for Young and Old.

If you have heard my plight regarding advanced study, which I wish to do, you know that I am between a rock and a hard place. Should I bother to continue? Should I just find work and abandon intellectual pursuits?

Being fairly bloody-minded about things, and refusing to give up, I have found another solution to my problems. In fairness, the director of the MA program to which I was denied entry found this solution. Well, he pointed me in the direction. Enough! Athabasca offers distance education. They offer fourth year courses in Communications Studies. The courses look interesting.

This bodes well. Now my poor unsuspecting parents, whom I visit next week, will have to assist me here. I can get OSAP to re-imburse them, but I need their credit card to get me established with Athabasca.

This news will I break to them when, in a week, I visit their fair city to renew and refresh relations from my too much missed family. Bologna. Hamilton, sorry.

One gets tired of delays. Frustrated. Nonetheless, here I go for an Extra year of it.

Attrition

Damn straight I've used this title before. If you're looking to discern my state of mind by titles, you can figure with 90% accuracy that when i use the word "attrition" I am digging in for a fight. You can figure that I am developing that sort of dog mentality, that special bloodimindedness that has taken me so far so many times.

It is becoming more and more difficult to find fourth-year courses available to me. Let this be a caveat to anyone in an honours degree program. Philosophy is a no-go. Same with women's studies. Theatre and classics were already out of consideration.

Fuck it! This is frustrating. Furthertheless, course listings are now available to students Exclusively by web-advisor. Fuck.

Failure...

I don't think this is the first time I've used this title. It likely won't be the last of course, but who likes to admit that?

I was officially turned down today for the MA Humanities Program that I applied for. The director of the program cited two chief reasons: I did not meet the mid-B requirements, but more importantly I have no fourth year courses from which the applications committee could assess my ability to work in this program.

As for the grades, my cumulative GPA is 73.72%, a mere 1.3% under guidelines. Actually, the booklet "School of Graduate Studies" distributed by Laurentian University states the requirement to be "a minimum of B standing in a four-year humanities degree, or equivalent." So it is disappointing to see that amongst its various divisions LU has a problem in communication.

The tone of the letter implied that this 1.3% deficit in GPA was something that the apps committee may have overlooked, if only I had some good showing for the other requirement.

Ironically, the BA Communications at LU offers no fourth-year courses whatsoever and precious few third-year courses. Now the program I sought entry for is multi-disciplinary, so I checked for fourth-year courses in related areas of interest. Classics: no fourth-year courses available. Theatre: no fourth-year courses available. Even the English program has a very restricted set of fourth year courses. Most of them have a minimum of 24 credits (nearly a full year) as pre-requisite. Women's Studies, Philosophy and Religious Studies each have one fourth-year course without listed pre-requisites. So does Geography.

This, too, is rather deceptive. Last year my friend Neil and I registered for a four thousand-level course in Religious Studies with no listed pre-req, only to arrive and be told that we were absolutely Not allowed to take part because of a lack of pre-requisite courses. You can see my dilemma. Essentially, unless you have studied in a field that specifically leads to these upper year courses, you're not going any further.

Now I am not arguing that there should be said upper-level courses. I understand the importance of them for assessment of ability. I suppose I should have intuited that they would be mandatory. I don't know how many courses are required, though I hope to hear back from Program Director Laurence Steven, who has recommended I take some four thousand-level courses to build qualifications. He seems genial, I'm sure he will respond soon.

More than anything, I simply wish to vent my frustration at the fact that, wittingly or not, Laurentian appears to have set up some students for failure. Surely this is not faculty's fault. I have spoken to many members of faculty who have expressed their own frustration with different aspects of administration. Everyone understands the economy of it all; more funding units equals better quarterly reports. Standards must be maintained, however.

Until this resolves, it will be the students who get hosed. If you are a student, (and that's roughly Half the people who read this), be careful. Take nothing for granted at this institution. Plan ahead. Well ahead, and go seek as much information as you can get..........

Waiting...

You all know it. Sympathize with me.

I am waiting Stil for L.U. to tell me whether I am in the program or not.
The cheque cleared last week for processing. I Neeeeeed an answer!

Waiting sucks. You all know it.

Bull Rush

Yes, Mattarazi admits to trash-talking Zidane. I don't like even the phrase trash talking, it seems to take the edge off the viciousness that it contains. If you doubt that, you've likely never been trash-talked. Mattarazi should be fined. I mean this isn't (American) football or Hockey.

HOWEVER (note the raw size of that however), Zidane should be Heavily fined. Thanks for the apologies and all, especially to the kids, that's hunky dory, dude.

Really? Some people theorized that Zidane sensed the game tanking and didn't want to be part of the loss. This is unlikely. Frankly, the longer it went, the more chance France had. I am Amazed that Italy won shootouts, given the fact that France seems to get by on penalty kicks. It was even less likely given Italy's tragic love affair with the crossbar. I was going to yell "Don't pull a Baggio!" but I was at Caruso Club and wanted to leave in one piece.

So what made a normally gentlemanly player lose his mind in the face of an insult? Cuz you must realize it is Not the only time this has occured (i.e. trash-talk).

I think it derives from the fact that France (again) pulled it's only goal off a penalty kick and the Italians, who are only supposed to win if they score early, managed to come back with their own Earned goal. This, combined with the fact that France simply couldn't beat Buffon in regular play must have been an influence, if not a reason.

I never had anything against Zidane. He always seemed likeable,for the Most part (this isn't the first time he's been Ignorantly violent), but that really took the shine off his career. And that made me angry at first, but now it just makes me sad to see someone go out like that.

Kids

I have spent the last hour or so (slightly more perhaps) with Vic and his daughter Kahlan. If ALL children could be this cool, I would likely have had some ages ago. Unfortunately most children are Not this cool. Therefore I have spent ages looking for the kind of person that I Want to have children with. There's only one.

Then again, it's probably best to wait until I am Rich. I have no intention of spoiling my child, mind you. I just want to see to it that all eventualities can be covered with ease.