This day got right down to business. I was up late watching a great movie, Interstellar. Another Amazon Prime film that I watch via an Xfinity flex box. I’ve mentioned before that not many movie keep me waiting to know how the end will work out, this one did. With some clever story telling and of course, the eased requirements of Fiction, and some decent cinematography the movie portrayed the inside of a black hole as survivable (with the help of others, presumable a more advanced version of ourselves,) and as a three dimensional time communication device (via gravity… the force that can go between dimensions,) as a way to explain their views of the reality of five-dimensional space.
I had actually found it earlier and had paused it when I went to write, thinking I would write quickly and get back to the movie. I did not write quickly. When I finished I tried to go back to the movie, yet the last few minutes were fuzzy and I wasn’t sure how much I’d missed. After flipping back to regular OTA TV for a while, I realized there was nothing on and went back to the flex and restarted the movie. I didn’t realize it was a three hour movie until it ended close to four am.
Apart from the rest of the movie, which was all great. One scene really caught me off guard. In the movie and a parent teacher conference for a mid school aged child, the father is chastised for allowing his daughter to bring to school an “old federal” schoolbook which portrayed the moon landing as true event. The father, himself stupefied, questioned the teacher who let him know that the “moon landing” was just a fake propaganda attack against Russia to get them to bankrupt themselves with the “silly” idea of space travel.
In the movie, the “teacher” stays a teacher, and the father travels through a wormhole on the edge of Saturn, into a black hole, finds the fifth dimension… you don’t have to believe it, yet if science is true, it will take you places.
So I woke up past nine today, skipped the Vyvanse and took the crazy pill. The pain in my rump and thigh is the worst in the mornings. Each night my leg wants to seize up tight again. The first few step have been better, yet once I get downstairs they’re bad. I am however now standing up fully straight for the first time in 19 months, and that last inch of unstretched muscle can feel it.
Checking messages, I had a reply from a reader on the Facebook page that was quite relevant to the day and I’m so glad they shared it with me. Today, at the King Center, Jackson College was doing a registration event from 2 to 4pm. Another event is planned next Monday from 5 to 7pm. The timing was perfectly coincidental (um, hm.. we know what that is,) in that I had just mentioned last night that signing up for class was next on the list.
I’d love to say that I checked this item off- yet, as I type this I realize I haven’t checked this item off for a very long time and I won’t for another very long time if I don’t get used to following through with it. With that message in mind I planned my day around it and arrived shortly after two. I wish I could tell you it was packed. It was not — yet again, what does that mean?
Is it a “low turnout” say if only two signed up today? What about ten? With an operation that included two JC staff, two I think King Center staff, a County Commissioner and a JTV photographer. 100% of people that heard about it and wanted to show up showed up. How are we supposed to decide which denominators to use?
I was already inside, seated and given water when I heard John Willis’s voice come in through the door. Feeling now well rested myself, I went to greet the new comer as well. I think the last time I saw him was a day before my surgery. Though really, I’ve had so many conversations with John over the years that I have known him, I could be misplacing one in my mind. It was nice to add another.
The previous enrolling coming out of the registration room greeting John warmly, John then greeting the boys mother as well. I bid them all well and went to take a seat myself at the table erected for the two Jackson College employees. A third was there as well, a higher level I thought as she seemed to claim and solve a few minor issues while I was there. Otherwise she greeting everyone, mostly at the door as she buzzed about making sure things were going well.
Once seated, I explained my agenda, I wanted to re-register (again, now since fall ’21,) pick a few classes and have them show me how to login and access everything with my laptop so I’d be ready when classes started, as well as I was curious to whatever resources might be available to assist me, else I said, I had also brought a blank legal pad to take notes on how such I might go about achieving such.
Well, I probably didn’t say that all at once, yet over the twenty minutes with the two of them, looking up my student ID (a low six digit.. I wonder what they’re up to now,) and checking my eligibility for state and federal grants, I ended up with a list full of next steps, and an appointment scheduled with a student navigator next week- in time for classes to begin the following week. Of course, at this point classes have begun to fill up even online-
I was about to say there there are two classes offered at the King Center that I could take, yet neither would fit into my “General Studies”, I have taken a few core classes and I’m not sure what would be next up. I just tabbed over and was looking through their website looking for a description of ENG 232, when click, click and I found myself looking at the class list for a Behavior Sciences Certificate with a focus on Psychology. It also “nearly fulfills” all the requirements of an Associate of Arts degree from them, if the intent wasn’t to transfer over to a four year university.
I’ve recently mentioned Pre-Law, as really that would be a topic that would interest me, perhaps, to hold my attention for that long. However, I can only imagine the tedious amount of book work and study required- that surely wouldn’t stop once the degree was attained, if it were to be used at all. Psychology though, I had previously signed up for an Intro to Psych class as the topic has always interested me. My idea for my General Studies Associate of Applied Science, was to rack up the widest variety of classes that I could over time.
Over twenty plus years, I don’t think my methods have worked. Hmm, what have I tried: take a class or two at a time to ease in, drop before the deadline if I get stress or have bad vibes about something, don’t sign up and commit when I don’t have everything else squared away.
Hm, I wonder what might happen if I reversed all three trends right now?
If I was going to commit to single program of study, it would only make sense- as with other true training – to get all the classes in as quickly as possible, not strung out over another decade. I’m sure the advisor might tell me two of the eight classes each semester, then I could fill the rest with whatever else the AA requirements are (I can’t believe that I’m looking at an Arts degree!)
Hm, I’ve got a week to finish this college todo list and be ready for the navigator, maybe I should just focus on that.
Feeling good I drove over for some coneys, however I had forgotten that Monday is the day you can’t get good Coney’s in Jackson. I remembered after I had parked in the middle of the block, gotten out (blocking traffic for just a moment in my slow process- even though I did wait for a clear spot,) and walked up to see the open sign not illuminated.
Walking back, I was dismayed. Not the first time with this Monday problem, I again considered trying a coney from the place on the other end of the block. However, I’ve heard their sauce is different. Someone told me once it had beans in it. I’m not sure. I have had a great BLT and fries, and service with a bigger smile than I sometimes get at Virginia (some waitstaff there know how to make you feel at home,) yet that is as far as I’m willing to go with Jackson Coney Island.
Pausing for traffic before I could get back into my car, I thought of a four for four from Wendy’s and headed that way. I ended up driving right by realizing instead when I pulled in behind the movie theater. Briefly thought of turning around, then considered PotBelly on the other side of the parking lot. That solved the lunch problem perfectly, a Wreck and Oreo Shake.
Next to over to the Plaza for a massage. Another twenty minutes of heaven on my left rear side. After the timer went off, she went a few extra minutes to for a quick once over on the over leg, and my back and neck. Another tip. I walked out feeling much better, walking just a bit taller as the knots get worked out of my muscles.
Home after that I again considered a nap, rather though I want to get back onto a good schedule. That was really nice for a week or so with eight hours a night- I’m going to take the Vyvanse off my daily list (and naps too,) until I can get back to a good nightly schedule.
I watched another good movie today, “Tomorrows War”. Another unique idea for a film with a false yet novel to me, idea for two way time travel that “didn’t break” the rules (no space/time continuum tropes here.) Rather an unlikely team of a father and his same aged daughter killing aliens with a toxin. Add in some pretty ridiculous hand to hand fight scenes in the end (with the queen mother alien, strongest of the bunch) when the aliens were clearly dominant over humans for the duration of the film.
It was investing and action filled and kept me from taking a nap. Now I’ve come to the end of my writing for the day, not much Facebook or anything else, so all the words came here. Eighteen hundred thirty three now.
Tomorrow is Official Citizen Comments, as I have not attended a Council meeting for some time, I think I may go and make a comment tomorrow. In fact, I was thinking of taking the time to write and prepare a comment- I do think it might be more effective (on some measure,) if I had an intended idea to communicate, rather than just standing up and speaking like I usually do.
I’ve been thinking about my own contribution for the group I have created. Though I could post my own thoughts and feelings with impunity in the group, as I am the sole admin, what good is that? Another place to hear myself speak? I’ve found a just fine outlet for my voice, I do not need another platform. Rather I want this to exist for Jackson. I know there are other citizens like me that just want to know what is going on with their local government if nothing else.
How can this group be different? I wonder, with myself as absent as I can make myself. I’m deciding on a few routine ‘housekeeping’ posts and other wise do not intend to post my own opinions as I can always put my words here. I did create a new “logo” for the group- rather, I snagged the nice photo from the Cities official Facebook page and added the text. For what it is, I think that will work great for the group. I do want to make clear that this is “unofficial” and the actions of only myself to create and maintain it (legalese.)
Browsing through the admin section controls- as this is the first time I’ve administrated a Facebook group in six years- it is all new. I’ve found the banning and restrictions settings- it seems there are a few good options there for rate limiting people (no more than one comment every five minutes, etc,) and the ability to “suspend” a person, whereby they cannot post or comment, yet may still view the entire conversations. Badges and chats, a whole section of “Features” that can be added. Gladly, I don’t think much is required for this.
Okay, tomorrow this college list… another FAFSA.
Time to rest.