Lizet's Place

491,040 minutes...give or take some seconds

simplyn2deep — Sat, 30 May 2026 06:37:17 GMT

Right to the point. I'm not going to do a deep dive into the 11 months. As ,uch as I can remember, I don't want to type it all out.

I'm still working at my university. It's been roughly 10 months and 8 days. Lots has changed, but I'll get to that later.

The fall semester was August 21-December 5, 2025. I took my usual 4 classes: 2 in session A and 2 in session B. Life was lifing, and I developed GAD (wasn't diagnosed until Feb of this year!) and suffered with a 16 day headache/migrain from September 30-October 15 or October 16! I also developed an outer ear infection in my right ear (I think it might have triggered the headache/migrain) and that lasted for about the same time.

But through it all, I got all As and made the Dean's List!

We had the annual end-of-year celebration for the graduates. There were 4 of them from the program. The event itself was really nice.

At the end of the semester, I got to participate in my first professional development event. There were 2 of them spread over 2 weeks. The first one was site/region specific for my location in Downtown LA and our "sister" location in Long Beach. That was held at my site. The second one was held at the Long Beach site, and we connected virtually with our 4 other sites (Chula Vista in San Diego County, Yuma, AZ, West Hawaii, and Washington, DC).

My CalFresh was discontinued. They said I made $20 over the limit because they based it on 2 jobs I no longer had. The same for my MediCAL. IDK what the IRS is going to do since I haven't been insured since February 1, 2026. TBH, I don't care. The State of California might penalize me around $1000, but again, I don't care. As long as they continue to base my eligibility on employment I no longer have, I'm going to continue to "make too much" and not qualify, but I don't make enough to afford the supposed "affordable health coverage."

Then the New Year! For church, I'm not as involved as I have been since 2013. I still work with the kid, but once or twice a month, rather than weekly like I had been. I'm also still in the choir.

I got new glasses in January. I went to see my PCP about the headaches and was told they weren't migraines, but stress/anxiety induced headaches because of the location and none of the other migraine symptoms. My doctor filled out some paperwork for me to turn in to the university so I could get accommodations for my classes. I was still getting headaches at least once a week after the one that I had for 16 days. Now I have them maybe twice a month, but they're more intense, especially if I'm not in a position to take ibuprofen and take a nap.

So, the spring semester just finished on May 5th. Between the LA and LB sites, there were 17 graduates. That's the largest of the program since it started in 2020. The end-of-year celebration was EPIC! We had a mariachi, a photobooth (we had that at the December celebration too), a roving photographer, and amazing Brazilian food (also had at the December celebration).

I only took 2 classes this semester. I kind of messed up in picking my classes and forgot about 2 classes I still had to take, so I'll be taking 3 classes in the fall rather than the 1 class I initially thought I would have to take. I passed my 2 classes with As as well. I'm sure if I had been full-time (12 units instead of 6 units), I would have made the Dean's List again. But I'm happy with the grades I got!

From February to April, I tutored 4th graders in reading with the Ignite Fellowship, which is a part of Teach for America. I've been accepted to continue in the fall semester with another group of kids. I won't know when and where until August.

In March, I was nominated for Student Employee of the Year. There are approximately 12,000 hourly student employees, so to be nominated and recognized is amazing!

Then, a few weeks later, I was recognized with a SUN Award! I don't know the process for that, but it appears that it's given amongst the staff and faculty to recognize their colleagues.

I think that at the end of April, I applied to a position with the university that would have taken me out of student worker status and into full university employee status. It was a good job too! It was for an Office Coordinator; they only required an AA degree, and the pay was $70,000 annually! I wasn't even offered a chance to interview. None of the students who applied were given the chance to interview. The reason given (to me at least)? The Office Manager wanted students to find employment in their degree field and not settle for this job because the location and people were familiar. But I was told, also by the Office Manager, that I had an excellent resume and cover letter, and that should I want or need a reference, she was more than happy to write one for me. That's great and all, but it sort of feels a little discriminatory? I don't know. Like, why say that it's open to student workers, but then not invite them to interview? Especially if they had a "great resume and cover letter"? Whatever. I applied to another position at another college. Hopefully, I hear back soon. The job listing closes on August 30th, so it's going to be a LONG summer of waiting.

A new site manager was hired, as well as a new success coach. The program itself is changing quite a bit come the start of the fall 2026 semester. We're moving locations, but we'll still be in Downtown LA. The new building has other students from other programs, so I'm sure it will make the students in my program really feel like they're on a university campus by being around other students. Plus, I hear the new building has a cafeteria, a game/relax room, a bookstore, and a little park to hang out and exercise in.

I was told that at the new building, I would be the "face" of ASU Local, as my desk would be visible first when students or guests come into our suite. Cool. I like being able to have more responsibilities. I handle a lot of the purchase requests and purchase reimbursements for the LA and LB programs. Plus, I'm on the events team with 5 other students. We work to create engaging activities for the students in the program. Back in March, we went to the California Science Center for the Mummies of the World Exhibit. That was a lot of fun and a very successful event.

Now, for the program, this is a change that's happening with all of the 6 sites. It's going to be more like a class...actually, it is going to be a "class". We will still meet on Mondays, but instead of 10-2, it will be 10-12. I feel sorry for the group that meets Wednesday nights. When that cohort started, they were told once a month on Wednesdays from 5-7pm. Then in the fall semester, it was sprung on them that they would be meeting 2 a month. Now, because we are becoming a "class", the Wednesday cohort has to meet weekly from 5-7pm. The Wednesday cohort is comprised mostly of working parents or students who have full-time jobs. I don't know that they're going to handle weekly sessions because they struggled BIG TIME with twice a month.

The most recent life thing is that I got a car! I got a 2014 Hyundai Elantra. The license plates came today, which prompted me to do this update. It's kind of a sucky time to be getting a car because of how gas prices are, but with a car, I can be more active at school and have more regular work hours because I won't have to leave work early to make sure I'm not walking home in the dark in the winter months.

Oh damn! I forgot about sorority life! I've done 2 years in the chapter executive council, so I'll be spending my last 1 or 2 semesters as a regular sister. Plus, I hold a position in our National Council, so I can't hold a position within the Chapter EC. I'm okay with that, but I will miss being in the know about what's going on within the chapter. There's been a crap ton of stuff going on within the Organization on a National level

And that reminded me that I've been inducted into TWO SOCIETIES! The National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS) through the university (sort of scammy, but I'm using it for potential scholarship, networking, and improving my public speaking) and the Order of Omega. The Order of Omega is a prestigious leadership honor society specifically for fraternity and sorority members. It is an exclusive Greek organization that recognizes the top 3% to 5% of upperclassmen who have excelled in scholarship, leadership, and service to their community.

So yeah, I think that's everything. See you in a year, or something like that! LOL

it's been a minute, no?

simplyn2deep — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 06:23:37 GMT

Quick and dirty.

I was let go from Walmart on May 10. No biggie. They'd been giving me crappy hours. Like two weeks in April, I wasn't scheduled at all despite being free Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday between my trips at the end of April. So I looked for other work. They let me go because when I was actually scheduled, I called out 2 days because of orientation for my new job. *shrug* I just wish they would have let me work my full shift on May 10, but whatever.

On April 28, I started working with a company that does before and after-school programming at various elementary schools around California. I'm scheduled for 3 days a week, the days don't matter, but I HAVE to do 3 days. They're on summer vacation right now. Supposedly, they have summer school options, but not at as many schools, so I'm not penalized for not working 3 days. I've been checking the app that has our schedule just in case, but I haven't seen anything.

During all of this, around May 22, the school that I attend posted job listings for 3 or 4 student leader positions. During the spring semester, ASU had a hiring freeze, and my success coaches said, "If we get funding to open more student leader positions, we will." When they did, I applied to one of the jobs...then promptly forgot about it. LOL On June 10, I was offered an interview, June 16 was my interview, and June 18, I was told I got the position! I haven't received my official offer letter yet. I think they are waiting until I return from my vacation on July 7. For the position I was hired for, I'd be working with my fellow peers as well as working behind the scenes for the program itself, helping set up for events, putting together slide decks for our weekly sessions, printing out any needed handouts, boosting activity on Slack...just trying to get the students involved again.

School-wise...I made the Dean's List again! Just barely, though. A+, A-, B+, and B, if I remember correctly. I was elected Secretary for my Sorority. DS has taken up more of my summertime than I expected, and I know once the school year starts, it will be even busier.

For the church, VBS starts this coming week. Wednesday and Friday are for the whole family, and Saturday morning is just for the kids. And again, the person in charge waited until the last minute to prepare. Last Sunday, she used the supplies to make the decorations, and on Saturday, we decorated. We couldn't put much out because the room that we will be using is also used for the adults on Sunday.

It's also election time again. I've been the Children's Sunday School Ministry leader for 6 years. While I do enjoy it, no one wants to be a teacher or helper, so I do it all every Sunday, and during the week, I'm putting together the lesson. Actually, I put the lessons together in 6-month increments, so I just have to print them out monthly for the nursery and weekly for the elementary level, since that's what I cover. All that to say, I'd like to continue on, and will if no one else steps forward, but I need to ask the Pastor to ask the parents to step in and help me. The reason I have to ask the Pastor to ask the parents is because for a lot of them, there's a language barrier, and I'm not about to put their children in the position to be my translator. Elections happen in August.

Saving the best for last. VACATION!!!!!! My niece and I will be flying to Baltimore on Saturday for a cruise on Sunday. We'll be in the Bahamas for a week and return on July 6. I haven't been able to spend as much extra as I wanted (new clothes, hair, and nails done). As it is, I'm struggling to find the needed money to cover anything NOT covered in the cruise fare (pictures, eating at other restaurants, soda/alcohol, and souvenirs). Still, I'll make it work, and when I return, I'll have a new job, just in time for the start of the new school year, and I'll be saving for a car.

I think I covered everything. If not, I'll catch it in the next update.

Since I last updated

simplyn2deep — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 06:57:04 GMT

I'm still at Walmart! According to them, I've been an associate for almost 5 months! In that time, I've gotten a $0.18 pay increase due to cost of living adjustment...and my hours have decreased. I know it's not just me as I've heard co-workers talking about having 2 or 3 days a week (or in one case 4 hours!) I don't know if it makes them as anxious as it makes me, but when the most recent schedule was released, April 5-11, I was only scheduled for 1 day! That's 7 hours! I won't know my schedule for April 12-18 until this coming Saturday and on top of that, April 18, 19 20 and 21 I'll be in Detroit with my family (more on that later). We should be gearing up for Mother's Day (May 11), Labor Day (May 31), Father's Day (June 15) and Independence Day (July 4) and just general summer madness. I'm trying not to think negatively, but it's so hard. Thankfully I already put in my request for time off at the end of June/beginning of July for the cruise I'll be taking with my niece.

Did my taxes and got a nice little refund. I hate that about 1/3 of it went to paying the tax person who did my taxes, but I know that if I would have done them on my own, I probably wouldn't have gotten anything back and would have owed. Apparently there were education credits could have been claiming to off-set my education expenses. I also learned that because I've been making more money, that was the reason for no longer qualifying for the Earned Income Credit. All this time I've been blaming the Orange Menace and the stupid crap he did his first term, but the EIC is for people who make below a certain amount...but I'm still considered "below poverty". Make it make sense!

School-wise, We started the second term of the Spring semester. I don't know if I mentioned it last time, but I made the Dean's list for Fall 2024. That's 2 semesters in a row! From the first term of spring 2025, I got an A+ and A-. I'm on track to make Dean's List for this semester.

ALSO, I was able to register for Fall 2025 classes (and eventually Spring 2026 classes) because money was found somewhere and I haven't reached the end of my student federal loans amount like I was previously told! I submitted my financial information to the school, and boom! They tell me I have about $17,000 to split between Fall 2025 and Spring 2026...and wouldn't you know, that just about covers my tuition for those two semesters and BTW, I'll be graduating May 2026!

I still haven't fully comprehended that I'm nearly done. TWO MORE SEMESTERS AND I'LL BE DONE! I'm waiting to tell my family until I'm 100% sure, so like around Thanksgiving or Christmas.

In Sorority news...we are electing the new Executive Council for the 2025/2026 academic school year. I threw my hat into the race for Chapter Secretary. March 4-11 was when sisters could apply to run for a position, March 12-19 was campaigning, March 20-22 was for speeches and q&a sessions. Voting started today, March 23 and ends on March 25. The results won't be given until March 30th at the next Chapter meeting. The thing is, I'll be working when the meeting is going on (too afraid to ask to swap days, plus I need the money). Thankfully, the winners are told beforehand, but the general sisterhood doesn't find out until March 30. So I'll find out on March 29 as I'm currently on the Executive Council and we have a meeting that day. So yeah. I'm nervous and excited. Nervous because there are 2 other candidates so I'm not a "shoe in" for the position and excited because being a secretary is something I did for 12 years at my church. I know my shit. Excited because being the Secretary is more responsibility and looks amazing on my resume (so does Sisterhood Director, but I felt like I did a lot of nothing until there were conflicts).

Now for the reason I'll be in Detroit (again). My mom's birthday is on April 20. That also happens to be Easter. I've been wanting to surprise my mom for her birthday, like those videos on social media, but work never allowed for it. I mentioned it to my sister and niece and my sister took over the idea and extended an invite to my brother. I get it. The more the merrier to surprise mom on her birthday but I also feel like it's no longer my idea and has become more than I can participate in. Specifically staying longer than Easter weekend. But yeah, that's happening.

The weekend after that I'll be going to Las Vegas for my (Sorority) Sister's wedding. This will be my second time to Vegas. I'm excited and nervous (again). I have my hotel booked, but I need to book my transportation; Greyhound was the cheapest.

I can't think of anything else and I have to be up early for school, so ending this here.

Bit of random

simplyn2deep — Sun, 12 Jan 2025 01:41:49 GMT

I love quora and reddit.

Today's digest from quora gave me some fic ideas and im itching to get home from work and at least type the idea out.

In the meantime, thank goodness for voice notes!

40 Days

simplyn2deep — Sun, 22 Sep 2024 07:20:18 GMT

That's how long it's been since my last update.

I don't know what I planned to journal about that I didn't cover in my last entry, but... whatever.

On 9-9, I turned 42. The day before that, I went to an Argentine Steakhouse with my niece (who turned 28 on 9-6) and a couple of friends from church. It was nice and fun. I forgot to get a group picture, but one of my friends got a picture of my niece and me. I really liked it.

My actual birthday was on a Monday, and I went to school. I was all jazzed about it and had planned to take cupcakes, which turned into donuts, which I ended up not getting because I'm broker than a joke. Again, that was okay, too. One of the success coaches brought cake bites, and there was red velvet! So I got a chocolate bite and a red velvet bite!

I got some gifts. Money, a couple of Amazon gift cards, a wireless mouse, a book (The Client by John Grisham), a travel charm bracelet, a giant pineapple squishmallow (I have no idea who sent that one), a purse with my name on it (that arrived last night). The one free birthday item I took advantage of was a free drink from Starbucks, and then I also got another discounted item, which was two items for $4.25!

I have pictures, but I don't know what's going on with my laptop. I've been getting these error messages and "out of memory" messages for a little bit of time now. It is interesting (NOT!) that it started happening after I got an email from Lenovo that said it's been about 45 days since my warranty for my laptop expired, and I should really renew it. You know, Lenovo, I'd like to, but I don't have an extra $70-$100 lying around. If I did, I'd use it for groceries or to pay for my classes.

Anyway, I'll have to find a way to upload or sync my pictures from my phone to my laptop and share them in a separate entry...maybe before Christmas.

I still haven't found a job. I nearly lost my unemployment. I don't know what the hold up was, but I'd been looking for work 3-4 times a day and applying to at least 1 job a week (but I was actually applying to 2-3 jobs...it would be more if I had a car and could apply to jobs that are further away, but I'm not about to take, as required by UE. I called the office and waited on hold for about 40 minutes to talk with someone, only for them to ask me all these questions that they asked several weeks ago. Once that was sorted, I was told I needed to look for work and apply to 2 jobs a week.

School-wise, I'm doing well in my two classes this quarter. I have an A+ in both of them. The next quarter begins on October 14, and I will have two more classes. I'm getting more involved with ASU Local. Rather, the program is adding more ways for students to be more involved to make it feel like we're in school, I guess. A Black Student Union is forming. ASU and the different physical campuses already have a Black Student Union. I'm a part of the one on the main campus, even though I'm an online student. So, I think it would be great for ASU Local to create this organization. I don't know yet if it's just for my location or if it will encompass multiple locations. I will find out on Monday. We will also have a Dean Advisory Board. I don't know what it's about, but I was asked to join, and this is the first meeting...so I joined. The first meeting is on Tuesday. Wednesday is Crochet Connection. This is self-explanatory, lol. It's held with fashion and design students, but it is open to other ASU Local students. Thankfully, these meetings are being offered virtually and in person. I could go to downtown Los Angeles and participate in them in person, but 2.5 hours there and 2.5 hours back eats up too much time...time that I could spend doing homework.

There's a lot going on with Delta Sigma, too. I know I'm slacking there in both my Chapter and my National Position. But other people have stuff to do that directly affects my work. If they aren't doing their part, I can't do mine. I'm not going to stress about it too much. I'm waiting for Big/Little Week. I believe we have it scheduled for September 30-October 4. I'm hoping for a Little or two. I didn't take one last semester, but this semester, there are a couple of new Sisters I feel like I've clicked with, and I'm actually excited to bring one or both of them into my Unicorn Family House. LOL. There's other stuff with the Sorority that I've taken the mantle on (of?), but it's still in the planning or dreaming stage as I'm not sure I actually want to commit to it because it's a lot of added work...but my other EC members think I should. I'm thinking about it.

It's 12:20 am. I need to go to sleep. My alarm for church goes off in 7 hours and 41 minutes.

In a month's time

simplyn2deep — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 04:37:57 GMT

I've lost some of my hair due to anxiety (it wasn't noticeable, but LOTS was coming out when I did my hair).

I applied for unemployment, and it was granted.

I updated my CalFresh (food stamps) and was given a recertification interview date.

I've moved, and I'm slowly getting settled.

I've applied for jobs as a condition of getting unemployment benefits.

I've possibly lost of food stamps because I was honest in my application (it asked if I was in school and I said yes, they then denied my benefits because I didn't meet the qualification as a student receiving benefits. going to school shoudn't disqualify me from getting benefits. I'M UNEMPLOYED AND CAN'T FEED MYSELF OFF 740/MONTH WITH THE BILLS THAT I HAVE!) but I put in an appeal to the denial.

I signed up for CPR/First Aid certification. a lot of jobs I'm looking at wants someone with that certification, and it's something I should have done years ago while I was caring for KW.

Online classes start in 10 days. In person programming starts in 14 days. I still don't think I've talked about changing my major. It's not really a change, so much as it's combining my major and minor into what's called Interdisciplinary Studies. Interdisciplinary study is an academic program that combines two or more areas of study, such as scientific, artistic, or academic disciplines. I combined my Health Care Coordination major with my Counseling and Applied Psychology minor and if I'm able to continue funding (I find a job that allows me to pay out of pocket) I will be done in 2026 (May or December), otherwise I will be done, for the time being, when Spring 2025 semester ends.

That's about everything that's been going on with me.

In 28 days, I get to to see if 42 really is the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything 🤷🏾‍♀️

Happy Birthday, KW!

simplyn2deep — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 00:24:15 GMT

My client, well former, is still in the hospital, but I heard from the case manager that a permanent, skilled nursing facility has been found!

Good thing because I gave her apartment manager a 30-day notice. She wasn't going to be released back to her apartment anyway because I couldn't safely care for her, and she really needed to be somewhere where she could be properly cared for.

I have someplace to go. I've had someplace to go for the last 6 months. However, as long as KW was still in her apartment (we didn't have the resources to find the proper facility for her despite knowing exactly the type of facility she needed), I continued living with her and caring for her.

Up next, besides packing to move, is finding a job. I'd like to be in a healthcare-type job because that's what I'm going to school for (I changed my major, but that's for a different entry), but I need something that will pay for my education in the meantime. Enter Starbucks! They have a partnership with ASU, which will cover the tuition of the barista as long as they work 20 hours a week. I applied to a few locations near where I'll be living...fingers crossed I hear something positive back from them. I also applied to some office jobs (I did that for almost 13 years).

I don't even remember the last time I updated.

simplyn2deep — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 02:30:27 GMT

The Spring 2024 semester ended. Financial aid has been up in the air for students across the country. Universities are getting things under control because my cousins' and friends' kids are sharing their university acceptance news. I will be able to continue at ASU through Spring 2025, and then my federal financial aid will be maxed out. Even for the 2024-2025 terms, my aid is reduced, but there are scholarships I've been applying to, and ASU Local has a lot of need-based scholarships.

Opening even more doors to resources for me is that I found out that I'm a first-generation college student! Yes, my sister has her Master's degree, and my brother has his degrees through the Air Force, but our parents never got 4-year degrees (Bachelor's degree or higher). My mom has an AA degree, and my dad had/has various technical certificates. I will likely find more scholarships and opportunities out there now that I have this extra bit of information.

Also, I finished out this semester with a GPA of 3.75, earning me a spot on the Dean's List for the Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation.

Fall 2024 starts on August 22 for online learning, and ASU Local starts in-person programming on August 26. I still have a nice bit of vacation ahead of me.

From May 15-31, I was in Detroit and Ohio, visiting family and scoping out the area in case I needed to move there (Detroit) to care for my mom (but I'm also looking at Arizona for other reasons [I can't afford to live in California on my own]). That was a nice time.

Then I get back to California, and oh boy! My client had been staying with her sister, and just as she got used to being with her sister, she was back in her own home when I returned. She had to get used to being back home. Well, we were also invaded by ants! During the day, not to be seen, but as soon as I put my client to bed, they swarmed! By the morning, she was fucking covered in them! It didn't start right away like that. June first, they were on her arms, legs, and chest, which, in my opinion, is too far. Over the week, more and more ants came. Bug spray didn't deter them. Windex and cinnamon at the front door where they were coming in didn't deter them. Nothing. My client was suffering, and I couldn't figure out what to do. Things came to a head early Sunday morning, that's yesterday Sunday morning, when my client's sister sent me a text at 1 am (I was away at a friend's wedding) that the ants were all on her face, specifically around her eyes! My client's sister put her in a wheelchair, and they went to sleep. When I got back later on Sunday (around 7:30 am), I didn't see any ants on my client or where she slept (before the wheelchair). Now, my client is okay for a few hours by herself as she sleeps, so we moved the client to the air mattress her sister was sleeping on and went to church. I get back from church, and YA'LL! THOSE FUCKERS WERE BACK ON HER! HER EYES, CHEST AND ARMS WERE COVERED IN ANTS! I rush to the bathroom, drop my stuff in my room, get a washcloth, wet it, and go back to my client to clean her off. I startled her, and she was yelling to stop touching her and was generally not making sense. My client's sister arrived and saw what I was doing. She said, "They're attracted to her," to which I agree. We get her cleaned off and back in her wheelchair...but now she's lethargic and incoherent, and her eyes and chest are red. I told my client's sister she needed to be somewhere safe, and the only place I could think of was the hospital. I ask my client's sister for input, but she's just sitting there on her phone looking up shit about ants. I kept demanding she give me some direction before I finally called 911 because there was no way we'd be able to get the client cleaned up, into the car from the wheelchair, to the hospital, and inside safely. The fire department arrives (they're at the end of the block), checks her out, and agrees that she needs to go to the hospital.

So my client is in the hospital, and I'm working with the management to clean up any areas I think the ants could be coming into the apartment, but since she's been gone, I haven't seen any ants. I also haven't spent much time in the living room, so there's also that.

This weekend one of my friend's got married. Actually she had the ceremony and reception as she and her hubby went to vegas last year and we were legally married. This weekend was so that she could experience all the parts of the wedding and celebrate with friends/family.

That's the highly abridged version of the last 10 days.

oh.

simplyn2deep — Sun, 07 Apr 2024 07:16:51 GMT

It's been 4 months. I should probably update. Will do that after I get some sleep, go to church and come back home. Lots has happened.

Some good. Some not so good (but not bad?). Some things are still in the air.

semester's done

simplyn2deep — Fri, 08 Dec 2023 06:50:27 GMT

The semester is done! The Spring semester starts on January 8th.

my grades are as follows
BIO 201 Human Anatomy/Physiology I D
HCR 221 Foundational Concepts for Health Care Coordination A
CDE 232 Human Development B
HCR 230 Culture and Health B

That D messed up my GPA, but I'm not stressing about it. I'm going to make it up later...once I finish my other classes. So far as I can tell, BIO 201 and 202 and the other science classes I have to take aren't prerequisites for my upper division classes, so it's okay to leave them until sort of the end.

Classes for Spring 2024
HCI 311 Health Innovation: Foundational Concepts
HCR 303 Assessing Needs, Assets and Capacity for Health Education
NTR 241 Human Nutrition
TWC 347 Written Communication for Managers

I feel like Spring semester is going to be A LOT of writing. and possibly (hopefully) group work to make it easier.

doctor kine things

simplyn2deep — Fri, 08 Dec 2023 06:25:28 GMT

I went to the doctor today for my annual physical. Since 2020, I've shuffled through so many doctors, but each one of them gives me more information than the previous ones.

Today was the 6th doctor (I think she might become my new PCP?) and she referred me to a new gynecologist who is going to be my 7th doctor.

Why? I don't know. But the new gynecologist said that if I were her patient she'd be monitoring me every 3 months because I have this "new" diagnosis (from 2021) Complex endometrial hyperplasia without Atypia that increases my odds of getting cancer if left untreated.

So there's that. Since the appt was for a physical, I had blood work done and possible follow-up appts made. Initially, I was going to get the results of my blood work on the 19th, but because the gynecologist recommended an increased check of my uterus and all of that, the appointment was moved to the 20th and I'll have the results of my blood work then.

My close Sorority sisters asked me how I felt about all of this. It's like, on the one hand, every 3 months seems excessive, but on the other hand, I don't want to have cancer. I also have a few notes of other things to mention to the doctor. They have that there's no history of breast cancer in my family, but my dad's mom died from breast cancer and I have dense fibrous breast tissue so I need to have them checked. The last time I did I was in my late 20s/early 30s.

Oh, I also have a new dentist. I saw her on Monday. There's additional work that needs to be done and she wants me to see some sort of specialist because of an abnormal spot in my jawbone next to the root of other teeth. On the 11th I go back to have my teeth cleaned and then whenever insurance approves it, I'll be seeing the other specialist. I hope it's not anything bad.

NaNoWriMo...only not really

simplyn2deep — Wed, 08 Nov 2023 11:37:03 GMT

**Backing this entry**

I am keeping track of my writing for November.

The first 10 days (or so) of the month are for keeping track of a Familial Assessment paper for my Health and Culture class.

Sporadically there will be discussion post entries for either Health and Culture or Human Development.

Also, other random posts.

Then the rest of the month will be fanfic of some sort.

19253 / 27000 (71.31%)

Daily Writing Count
11-01: 900
11-02: 900
11-03: 900
11-04: 900
11-05: 900
11-06: 1,166
11-07: 1,251
11-08: 0
11-09: 1,004
11-10: 0
11-11: 0
11-12: 251
11-13: 350
11-14: 350
11-15: 458
11-16: 0
11-17: 0
11-18: 1,050
11-19: 1,050
11-20: 506
11-21: 564
11-22: 500
11-23: 126+774=900
11-24: 900
11-25: 900
11-26: 900
11-27: 1,000
11-28: 950
11-29: 703
11-30: 0

Total for November: 19,253

Hi!!! did you miss me?

simplyn2deep — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 04:35:43 GMT

It's been like 64 days since my last update. That was about 5 days into the new semester/quarter.

I wouldn't say I completely failed the quarter, but I didn't pass biology. I knew that wasn't going to happen when I couldn't break 50 points on the exams. Toward the end of the quarter, I figured that I'd have to pull 70 and 80 points on the 4th exam and final (which was optional). And because I never broke 50 points on previous exams, to pull off 20-30 points on the last 2 exams...yeah, they would definitel have questions about what happened.

I messaged my academic advisor and asked if I could take human anatomy and physiology at a community college in a full 16-week or 18-week course if the passing grade could be transferred over. I was told yes, only if it was compatible between the community college and ASU. So now I'm looking for community colleges that offer it, preferably only but so far it's all in person, and once I find the ones I'm looking at, I can email my academic advisor with the school name and course name/number. Either way, I'm keeping Bio 201/202 Human Anatomy and Physiology and MIC 205/206 Microbiology for later in my education. I've been told (and foolishly didn't believe) that it's best for Bio 201/202 to be the only classes taken in the quarter because it's like 40+ hours of work/studying a week. So...yeah. Those classes will be for the end.

For my HCR class, I got an A. Towards the end, there was a breakdown in communication, on my part, that caused a bit of unnecessary conflict between myself and the 3 other people in my group. I hate that the conflict caused the rift at the end. We were close, not friends, but friendly enough...and that was messed up. I apologized to the other members and owned up to what happened when we filled out the team contribution forms that we had to do for each assignment.

That was all for Fall 2023 Quarter A. I finished with a D and an A. My gpa averaged to 2.29 and dropped my cumulative gpa down to 2.75. I think if I get As in my current 2 classes, I'll be at 3.25 or something for the term and hopefully closer to the 3.0 like I had at the end of Spring 2023.

Now for my current 2 classes. Human development and culture and health. These seem to be more about reading and discussion board assignments than other type of assignments. I'm sort of okay with that.

My Human Development class uses the ridiculous "respondus browser lock" for exams. We had to download a whole other browser that basically locked down our computer while we took the exams. Our discussion posts are divided into 2 parts. Part 1 is our initial post and that's due on Wednesdays. Part 2 is a reply to another classmate that's due on Friday. Then we have an exam on Friday.

For my Culture and Health class, the discussion posts are also broken up but what's not helpful is the near ambiguous "initial post due the day before the deadline and response to 2 classmates due by the deadline". Talk about causing someone to procrastinate. So what I've been trying to do is my initial post as soon as it's open and then the next day I do my replies (if there are other posts to reply to). Right now we are at the part in the quarter where there isn't another discussion post due until November 14 so we can work on a Familial Assessment paper (talk about that in a bit). Yesterday we had a quiz and next Tuesday we have another quiz.

For the Familial Assessment paper...not many people know their family background. I can say that my grandparents and great-grandparents were born in the South, probably Alabama on my mom's side and Florida on my dad's side. At some point, my grandparents (on both sides) moved to Michigan because my parents were born there. My Sister was born there and my brother was born in South Carolina...then they moved to California when my dad got out of the Marines and many many years later I was born. But no one talked about the family before my grandparents. They either don't know or forgot. Somehow I'm hoping my mom has enough information so that I can answer the interview questions and type up a 2-3 page paper before November 10.

For ASU Local...on Monday of last week, I was interviewed for a video promotion that would be available for prospective students/their parents about ASU Local and the benefits of the program. For all that we are spreading fast to other locations (in August ASU Local paired up with my community college, LBCC, to open a location on the campus) the program is still new - it just started in 2019 and there are locations in Lake Havasu, Long Beach, Washington, D.C., West Hawai'i, Yuma and more locations in the works. At some point, there's going to be this ASU Local video. I can't wait to see it. From the BTS videos, I giggle at how I look/sound. There were also pictures taken around the campus (Herald Examiner building in Downtown Los Angeles) and I was present for those. Whether they actually use shots I'm in, I won't know until they're released.

Also from Monday of last week and Monday of this week, there were a couple of video meetings with an advisor with the graduate and professional schools department. Just informing those who were curious about what they'd need to do to apply for their master's or other professional degrees. So, I guess I'm going to think more seriously about getting my Master's degree. I'll probably wait and see if my future employer has any kind of tuition reimbursement program or if they'll pay for it all (not as likely?) but it will be good to know what I want to do, the cost, and the amount of time it will require.

Next Monday is going to be "Halloween Came Early" on campus. Halloween crafts, probably snacks, and a movie. Also, a costume contest but I'm not apart of that. I'm in charge of the bulk of the crafts and I'm super excited.

simplyn2deep — Tue, 22 Aug 2023 22:53:45 GMT

Spring semester lulled me into a false sense of security for the Fall semester 🤣

The classes in the Spring semester were just the right level of difficulty, but for the Fall semester term A classes (BIO 201 Human Anatomy/Physiology 1 and HCR 221: Foundational Concepts of Health Care Coordination) I feel like I've been thrown into the deep end.

For BIO, we are completing anywhere from 2-4 chapters A WEEK! That includes reading the text, doing various worksheets and labs. There are also chapter quizzes and exams every week or two. Speaking of exams. This professor is out of her mind. When we do the exam, we have to be in a room, by ourselves with no talking (not even to read the question out loud!), we have to scan the room using the camera on our laptop so that the virtual proctor can see we are alone and that we don't have anything around us except for our laptop/computer and clear water bottle. It's such a freaking hassle. I won't be able to do them in the apartment bc it's 1 bedroom and I can't be in the bed taking the exam - I have to be a desk and sitting in a chair...also there's the matter of what do I do about Kim?! So I'll have to ask Colleen to come back down to stay with Kim so I can go to campus to take the exam in one of the single study rooms.

For HCR, all of the assignments are done in teams. The professor made the teams before the semester started (I think they were available to us the day before classes started), so it was just a matter of creating a meet schedule that worked for everyone spread out across the country/in different time zones. With our team, we have a presentation or a paper do every week (each week alternates between presentation and paper) so we had to pick assignment captains (I picked the last assignment bc I wanted to see how the others would do lol). Right now we are in the thick of things for a presentation that's due on Sunday, but scheduled to be turned in on Saturday or Sunday afternoon at the latest. And I'm finding that some of the team members are prone to worry and/or make things harder for themselves. I keep telling them to not add more the assignment than what the professor asked for. That's creating more work for us and we only have a week to research, put the presentation together, write our "script" and list our sources.

And then yesterday was supposed to have been the first day of in person programming for ASU Local, but the site director made the decision to do it via zoom because of TS Hilary. I was glad for that but at the same time I wasn't. I was looking forward to get back to my school schedule of meeting in person weekly on Mondays so that Kim could get back to the same schedule. Oh well. For sure we are meeting next Monday in person. Thank goodness!

Fall semester is coming

simplyn2deep — Thu, 10 Aug 2023 05:01:12 GMT

During the Spring semester (April/May-ish), ASU announced that tuition was being raised. I don't remember the exact percentage, but at the time I thought I would have to pay a couple of hundred out of pocket AND I was expecting/hoping to get a refund. I don't know what I was thinking back then. Between a scholarship from my program and student loans, I wouldn't have to pay out of pocket if I was getting a refund.

I registered for Fall 2023 semester in February, but I knew I wouldn't know how much my tuition would be until June at the earliest and I wouldn't know about financial aid until July at the earliest.

So I waited. And it turns out my math was very wrong. No refund for me. With the tuition increase, the total for my classes came to a little over $8,100. My financial aid (student loans) was $6250 and the only scholarship I managed to get gave me $1464.

If I remember correctly, I was going to have to pay $1800-something out of pocket PLUS a $200 fee for setting up a payment plan PLUS a $50 late fee for every month that the balance wasn't going to be paid off.

Again, somehow my math was wrong because now my account is showing that I have a small amount due at the end of the month, then the rest due at the end of October.

August 25 $100 due
October 25 $533 due
Plus I will have the amount of some course material applied to my account for my Biology class at the end of October too.

I can pay the first amount with no problem. The remainder (excluding course material) will be split over 4 pay periods, so I won't incur any late fees!

Heck yes! I haven't factored in materials/textbooks for my other courses because they haven't been released by the professors yet. Classes start on August 17, so I will likely be able to update my budget as early as next Monday, the 14th.

testing

simplyn2deep — Sun, 18 Jun 2023 03:00:24 GMT

just testing how this embedded google form looks on LJ

Books

simplyn2deep — Sat, 29 Apr 2023 20:22:23 GMT

Going on a trip in about 25 days. Need a couple of books to keep me busy during the flight and layover.

I like thriller, adventure, mystery, conspiracy, murder mystery, detective crime, suspense.

Just like recommend a book or author for me to check out.

11 days until the end of the semester!

simplyn2deep — Tue, 18 Apr 2023 06:09:50 GMT

I worked up field day to be something annoying that "I didn't agree to" by starting this program with ASU Local, but I did have a somewhat good time.

Basically, field day is a few physical activities and a healthy bit of competition between cohorts. The event took place at Los Angeles State Historic Park...its about 15 minutes from campus in Chinatown. We had lunch from Alonti Catering Kitchen (various sandwiches to pick from, cup of fresh fruit, a big cookie and a bag of chips...plus lots and lots of water).

Games that were played were relay race (walking with an egg on a spoon and then potato sack race), water balloon toss, another relay race (this time with cohort leaders and they did a 3 legged race with 1 student and then the potato sack race) and a tie breaker game of capture the flag.

My cohort was the smallest group present (6 students 1 leader) and we came in 2 place after participating in the tie breaker game.

I am sufficiently tired and this was the most active I've been since high school! Like, no joke!

Pictures to come! Waiting for them to be shared in our slack groups.

Next Monday is the end of the semester. There's going to be a graduation luncheon where about 10 students from the ASU Local program are graduating. I'm looking forward to this as it will give me some idea of what to expect when it's my time to graduate in a few years.

It is time...part 1B

simplyn2deep — Thu, 05 Jan 2023 05:40:11 GMT

It is time...part 1A

That 9:45am sharp was BS. I mean, I ended up getting there at 9:15am, then around 9:30am, 1 person came. By 9:35, I was wondering where everyone else was.

We were checked in around 9:40 and led to the classroom where the orientation was to take place.

We started at like 10:10 or something. There were 11 incoming students. I believe all of us were transferring in. I don't remember. There were 3 student leader-type people, and 3 or 4 success coaches. I probably butchered these titles because it's like everyone has one. So confusing.

This in-person session was just a review of the online orientation that had to be completed by today. Good thing I completed mine back in November because I was tired of the messages "reminding" me that I needed to take it before the start of the semester. There was a tour (that I did last summer), that also doubled as a scavenger hunt.

We went back to the classroom, talked about what we learned on the tour/scavenger hunt, then went to another floor and had lunch.

Group picture thanks to Site Director Anthony Ferreria. We had Chipotle for lunch.

After lunch, back to the classroom. We went over how the Monday schedule would go (actually, I think that happened just after the tour/scavenger hunt...but anyway. We talked about the schedule.

Every Monday. 10am-4pm (this is the estimated breakdown as I don't remember exactly how it was and what each section was called)
930-10am is check-in
10-1030 is cohort time
1030-12pm learning time
12pm-1pm lunch (not provided by the school, but there are lots of restaurants around campus, plus food trucks)
1-3pm Upskilling (basically meeting with advisors and networking)
3-4 activity time

There could have been 1 other section called Ticketing or something. It's basically where your cohort leader or success coach checks that you've accomplished all your goals for the day.

They said they were going to email us a lot of the information that was covered and I hope the Monday schedule is a part of that. I'm fairly certain that we will be given the schedule when we check in on Monday.

The goodies we were given.

The shirt is 2xl and I was surprised and pleased that it fit me decently. I'm undecided if I will wear it on Monday or wear the shirt I bought last week (it's supposed to arrive on Friday or Saturday).

Overall, I'm really excited about the start of the term on January 9.

It is time...part 1A

simplyn2deep — Wed, 04 Jan 2023 16:37:35 GMT

Today is the mandatory in-person orientation for the ASU Local program I'm in for my Bachelor's degree. My campus location is at the Los Angeles Herald Examiner Building in Downtown Los Angeles.

Check-in is at 9:45am sharp and orientation starts at 10am. It goes on until 3 or 4 pm. I'm not sure as different people I have been in contact with have said 2pm, 3pm, and even 4 pm. *sighs*

Thankfully Colleen agreed to come and stay with her sister while I did this. She previously (back in June or July) decided to stay Sunday night to Monday evening so that I could do my weekly Monday attendance once the semester starts on January 9.

Anyway...my ride will be here to get me soon and I'm only partly dressed. Originally I was going to take the bus, but I've been checking the weather and the rain is just too unpredictable for my liking...so I'll be taking a lyft and getting to campus with plenty of time to check in and get my student ID card that I paid for last semester.

More to come after orientation...or maybe during our lunch break. Yeah. They're providing lunch for us today. Nice.

life

simplyn2deep — Mon, 19 Dec 2022 07:36:12 GMT

so...I came here thinking that it's been weeks/months since the last time I posted and that I had put down about John's passing, but I did.

This past Saturday Colleen began working with the Pastor about the service. It's going to be in January and our Pastor said he handles everything dealing with the service.

That's news to me. I guess maybe because when it came time for my dad's passing, I'd already been working on the service and left the eulogy up to my mom and siblings. Then my brother paid for the program/booklet thing to be printed...then we told the Pastor when we wanted the service and I think he got things arranged at the church with the help of the Deacons.

So yeah...that's that.

Saturday we had the leader's planning meeting at church. in 4 hours, we had breakfast and planned out the events we wanted to have for 2023. Now that's not to say that things won't be dropped or added, but the basics are in place and then if something else comes up, we know which days the church is available for use (if needed).

Today was the Christmas party for the children's ministry. We had pizza, chips, cookies, juice, and water...they played some games and then passed out gifts. It was fun, but with 20 kids and 7 adults, I was tired of wrangling them.

The annual food donation from the Hispanic Convention our church is a part of happened too. I'm glad they're still able to do it, but I really wonder about the bulk food items they receive to pass out amongst the churches.

ASU is soon! January 9. 22 more days! I'm so excited.

And Christmas is on Sunday! woo!

simplyn2deep — Wed, 16 Nov 2022 05:26:37 GMT

I've been putting this off all day.

Colleen's husband died in his sleep.

Yesterday he was complaining about not feeling well.

When Colleen woke up this morning at 6:30, she saw him in bed still and figured that he was going to take a sick day so she went back to sleep.

She woke several hours later at 10am and he was still in bed. When she looked closer at him, she noticed his eyes were open but wasn't responding. She said she touched him and his body was stiff and cold-ish and that one of his legs was hanging out of the bed.

She called 9-1-1, then called me because she had to tell someone.

Let me tell you...that was a shock to hear in my voicemail, then a secondary shock when I called Colleen back for clarification.

I told her that if she needed help with anything to let me know. I told her to make a list of all the people/companies she needed to contact to make it easier for her in making sure she gets everything done.

John will be cremated and at a later date, a memorial service for him. I'm still thinking about the smaller things they're involved with and what will change or be the same...but there's time to deal with that.

She feels she needs to keep things as usual/normal as possible. If that's going to work for her, I'm going to keep that up.

Saturday is our Church Thanksgiving dinner. She's going to stay the night and we will leave for church on Sunday and then she will go home.

She still plans to come down for us to go to Lora's for Thanksgiving. Might suggest she stay the night so that she doesn't have to drive home in the dark. That's what she said she's going to do this weekend.

Again, just playing this all by ear and remaining flexible to accommodate her and how she feels on any given day.

OMG ya'll!

simplyn2deep — Sun, 13 Nov 2022 05:31:06 GMT

On Thursday I spoke with my doctor and he said the results from the emb biopsy came back negative! There is no trace of the endometrial hyperplasia without atypia that I was diagnosed with last year! He said the IUD helped with that.

Then he said that the IUD could remain in or be taken out. It all depended on when I wanted to have children.

Umm yeah, we're not ready for that right now, so let's keep the IUD in place. It's good to remain in for 5-8 years to help prevent pregnancy. Whenever I'm ready to have kids, it can be removed, and then we can check if I'm even able to have children.

I don't even know what my current insurance will cover in regards to checking whether my eggs/ovaries are functional or whatever. I know that the older I get the more my fertility decreases...and that by 45 (which is the cut-off I was giving myself) my fertility would have decreased so much that getting pregnant naturally would be even more unlikely.

My doctor still wants to check on the IUD yearly.

Friday Five

simplyn2deep — Fri, 11 Nov 2022 18:05:09 GMT

I think I missed this a couple of weeks.

1. Do you play any sports on a regular basis? Which?
No, I am not sports-inclined, but I like watching/listening to sports.

2. What professional sports do you follow?
Hockey (Anaheim Ducks and sometimes Vegas Golden Knights), Baseball (Los Angeles Angels [eww I loath that name]), (American) Football (Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams)

3. Do you get enough exercise?
I don't exercise at all.

4. What sport would you like to learn?
I don't think there is one that I'd like to learn.

5. Are there sports activities you used to participate in but stopped?
I was never into participating unless I had to for PE in school. In college, I took a semester of tennis. I enjoyed it and I passed the class.

Also, my dad passed away 8 years ago today. Too easy of a bet to place that my sister or niece is going to call/text asking if I'm having Chinese food - specifically orange chicken - as that's what he liked.

simplyn2deep — Fri, 11 Nov 2022 17:29:21 GMT

I had hoped it wouldn't come to this. I made a gofundme. My mom's been helping me with little things, but this one is too big for me to ask her for help with. My sister is already helping me get to FL next year to be able to go to our nieces' graduation, so she's out...and my brother has helped me LOADS with my education over the years.

Now...I've been working since 2017 (actually been working since 2000, but in this case, I mean my current job) as a live-in caregiver. I'm paid for my work and this has allowed me to take online classes to finally get my bachelor's degree and pay for my other bills.

Then the pandemic hit. I continued to work and take online classes and managed to keep on top of paying my bills, but then my storage rental increased for the second time this year and it was too much. It was nearly all of my paycheck and I had other bills I still needed to pay.

All of my possessions from when I lived with my parents are in this storage unit that I'm going to lose. I don't too much care about 90% of the things in the unit, but there are important family documents and pictures in there that I would absolutely hate to have taken away because I lost the unit.

There's a lien on my unit, that I've had since at least 2016 and it will be auctioned off within the first 10 days of December if I don't get the rent paid up (October, November, December).

If that wasn't enough, the laptop I bought last year for school is going to need to be replaced because the battery is swelling and I still have another 2 or 3 years before I graduate.

I have been looking for supplemental work that I can do from home, but because of the nature of my main job, it has been really hard finding actual remote employment that doesn't sound like a scam.

Please help me out if you are able to.

Thank you!

https://gofund.me/9d486b2d