Earth-QUAKE!

Most of you have read or heard on the news about the earthquake that hit Virginia yesterday at approximately 2 pm EST. The quake/aftershocks were felt in 22 states. One of them being MINE! I was sitting at work, minding my own business, when I felt my desk start to move back and forth a bit, like a heavy footed person had walked past. I then looked about for someone shaking their leg which tends to wiggle the desks nearby but I found nothing and no one. Then I looked outside and the trees were shaking back and forth. I stood up and asked if anyone else could feel the building shaking. No response other than, "seriously Nichole? The building is not shaking" I was adamant about it. I KNEW what an earthquake felt like. Although I had only been through one in my life when I was in Utah, I NEVER forgot how it felt and this was an honest to God quake.

Fifteen minutes later our CEO emailed us to let us know that indeed it was, and I was right all along. Well, he did not come right out and say "Nichole you are a genius and we will listen to you forever," but he should have. In either case after the email was received I stood up again and said, "I TOLD YOU SO!" Maybe next time they will believe me and I am not as crazy as they think! Although I may still be crazy but I am hypersensitive to the ground moving beneath me.

Someone mentioned yesterday that since I was in the Navy I was used to feeling movement under my feet. I think she may be right. You have got to have sea legs when traveling on a ship, so what would be the difference if you had sea legs on moving earth under your feet?

My First English Assignment

I have an English professor, who has a Master's degree in English and apparently cannot spell or figure out the function of the auto correct feature in Word. This is the man who is going to be grading my papers for the next semester. Thank God I only have one semester with him because I cannot handle disorganized nonsense when it comes to my online classes. I just don't have the patience for anything other than what is expected of ME. Just tell me what you want to see and what you want us to read and I will get it done, is that too much to ask? Whew...I'm done ranting now...so sorry!

My first assignment was a "getting to know you" type assignment. We had to pick a quote from a list that he had already given us and decide what it meant to Shakespeare and what it meant to us and our lives. So here it is. I tried to be funny, but that didn't work out as well as I had though because it seemed like I was just bitching about things again. I tried to be sad or moving and that didn't work either, so finally I just wrote about my kids. Funny how my kids are always my default to go to when I have nothing else I can do.

Here it is, exactly as it appears in MLA format, which I have NEVER learned since I learned in APA format for most of my college courses. With the exception of removing my professors name (to protect his privacy and anonymity) nothing else has been changed. Enjoy...or don't...whatever!

Nichole Hill

ENGL 111 WC3

(Bad speller name goes here)

22 August 2011

Getting to Know You: ENG 111, 114 Writing Diagnostic

I chose, "love looks not with the eyes but with the mind” as the quote I would write my interpretations about. I am pretty sure that Shakespeare was trying to explain the absurdity of love and why, when someone is being treated horribly or someone does an ugly and despicable thing, that there seems to always be someone else who still loves that person. That brief explanation is not why I chose the quote. It is the perfect explanation as to why I continue to love my children so unconditionally.

I have three daughters, all under the age of eight, who I think are possessed by some sort of hyperactive entity that refuses to let them sit quietly and be the little angels I used to have. While they can be annoying, loud, hyper, and just plain evil to each other and others, I still love them. It will never matter what sort of trouble they may get in or how much grey hair they force onto my head, I will always love them.

 I loved them when they lost my diamond earrings that their father gave me when he returned home safely from Iraq for the second time. I loved them when they broke my handmade porcelain doll my grandmother gave to me before she died. I loved them when they spilled so much paint on my brand new carpets that they had to be replaced, again. I loved them when they told on me to my sister-in-law about hating her meatloaf.  I especially love them now as they tell me goodnight and give me sweet kisses and toddle off to bed. I love my kids, all of them, no matter what evil may reside in their hearts or minds or bodies, they are still MY kids and I love them. When they finally put me in a nursing home I hope it was enough love for them to choose an expensive resort instead!

Going Back to School...at 31?

Well, it is that time of year again. That time where I wonder where my life has gone? What happened to all that time I used to have left to finish the things I wanted? Jim, the hubby, has decided to retire for good. A stay at home dad he should be since he served his country 25 long years. He has seen things that most civilians never get to see. He is tired of being away from his family because someone told him he had to go. I stand behind him, he deserves to be home with the kids while I take care of him for awhile.

I did get to travel the world and see countries I never would have seen normally. I did get to spend four years fighting for my country and getting paid to do it! I would never trade those four years for anything in this world. I came home safe every time with my entire crew, which is hard to say for most of the military now. They were the best years of my life and although I may not have enjoyed some parts of it, I do think about the good times I had, the lifelong friends I made, and the awesome job responsibilities! Seriously, how many people can say they stood on deck and guided helicopters to land on a moving target? Not many in my now corporate world. Time flew by and I regret not continuing my career with the Navy. I always assumed I had plenty of time to head back to college once I got out, plenty of time to do the things I wanted to do like doing a job that I really enjoy. The time has come to either take wing and fly or stay where I am, angry and unsatisfied in my job and my life.

Anyway, that was a bit off subject, sorry about that. The point is, I am headed back to school....again. This will be my third and final attempt at finishing college with a degree that I can use. (Third time because NOW the military cannot drag my husband away to another country and me to another state!) I am going back for Nursing in the two year RN program, once that is finished I can quit the mundane job I have now and actually help people who really need it. I am unsure where exactly I would like to work or in what field of nursing. I have it narrowed down to either psych or emergency room or even labor and delivery (since I can no longer have kids of my own and I LOVE babies.)

Wish me luck! Things are slowly falling into place for me to start very soon. While nervous I am also very excited. I know I will be in classes with a bunch of young kids but hopefully I can make friends. Love to you all and keep me in your thoughts.