- Perhaps the biggest story in the world, up until a few hours ago, is the mass exodus of Syrians from their homeland, and the acceptance and rejections that they are facing in various parts of the Middle East and Europe. In the U.S., President Obama laid out his plan for the refugees. Meanwhile, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is blaming the West for the crisis. It’s kind of sad that this story is being buried behind a Kentucky clerk not doing her job and the Presidential race.
I don’t know what can be done about the refugees that are being turned away by countries that can’t or won’t take them in. Perhaps help them get to a neighboring country that can take them in? - The story that supplanted the Syrian crisis is of the Chilean earthquake. A Tsunami warning has been issued. Would be worth it to keep an eye on this story.
- Apple announced its iPad Pro – complete with the Apple Pencil stylus – a few days ago. There are some interesting reactions and reviews about it, including:
Digital Trends
Digital trends: Why Artists Will Flock To The iPad Pro
Endgadget
I have avoided most Apple products over the years, mainly because I cannot afford the prices of their products; I can go with Windows (or Linux) and Android for much cheaper, and at least at the same quality. However, I would not mind taking a look at their latest iPhone and this iPad Pro. There’s some potential in both to sway my opinion. We’ll see. - No, I’m not watching the Republican Debate. Until Kentucky elects a Governor, I’m not thinking about, or worrying about, picking a candidate that I may vote for. Besides, as an Independent, I can’t vote in Kentucky’s presidential primaries, so picking a candidate at this time – 14 months before the General Election – is silly, at best.
- “Plus” sized model Ashley Graham showed off her new lingerie line in NYC. It annoys me that she, and other models and women of her body type and size, are somehow deemed “less attractive” than the “typical” model or supermodel body type. News flash, Hollywood: Ashley is extremely attractive! Also, she’s a model, not a plus-sized model.
– I talked with my school Advisor back in late April; I had just one class left to take before I earned an Associate in Arts degree: a Public Speaking class, which I am taking this semester. I applied for graduation at the start of the semester, about a month ago. I got a letter in the mail on Friday, saying that I was denied – I was missing credits. After talking with my Advisor, the Registrar’s Office, and with the Records office this past Monday, I found that I actually needed 2 classes: the Public Speaking class and a “Heritage” class. So now, I have a few options:
1) JCTC offers an 8-week class, starting on October 16th, that I can take
2) I can take the class at JCTC in January
3) I can take a lower-level History at Western KY in January and transfer the credits back to JCC
Option 1 would be the quickest. I have to find out when this class meets. The drawback is that I probably won’t have the money to pay for it out-of-pocket, unless something drastic changes at work between now and October 15 (I would get paid on October 20th – just enough time to pay for the class). Option 2 would be the easiest but it might mean putting off WKU plans for a 2nd straight semester. Option 3 would be the most convenient: I’m already accepted into the CIT program at WKU (which is completely online). If there’s a draw back with this option, it’s possibly having 5 classes – between 15 and 19 hours – while trying to work. Can I balance work, school, and little social life I have left? I plan on talking with my adivsor in the next few days to see what the best course is and if there are other options.
– Speaking of school, part I: is it wrong to want a professor to upload their weekly assignments before Thursday nights, especially if said professor makes the HW due as early as Saturday nights?
– Speaking of school, Part II: the workload has been insane, compared to the past 2 semesters, but I’m doing well, through the first 5 weeks: no grade recorded yet in Game Design (he hasn’t graded 7 assignments, including 2 projects; you now can probably guess who the above question was about), a 100% in Public Speaking (with the 1st speech still to be graded), a 96.10% in Python, and a 90.4% in C# (with one assignment still to be graded) – 2 A’s, a B+ (C#), and a no grade.
– No net weight change since the end of July; I dropped about 3 pounds in August, gained them back in September (as of last Friday night). Admittedly, I haven’t worked out or walked nearly as consistently the last 6 weeks as I did before.
– There are about 6 weeks until Halloween! This holiday has changed a lot for me since my childhood days. Growing up, I liked it; I didn’t go Trick-or-Treating much (I remember going once, maybe twice) but there was candy, some scary movies and TV shows, and “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” and “Garfield’s Halloween Adventure”. As I went through High School and my 20’s, the candy part faded away (not completely, though! I AM human!) – mainly because I was around it almost daily, working at Target – but the Horror movies kick stuck around. I didn’t party much during that time, either. However, as I hit my 30s, Halloween has moved up to arguably my 2nd favorite holiday, next to Christmas. I’ve actually dressed up in costumes more in the last 5-6 years than I did my entire childhood, whether it was at work or at parties. I’ve enjoyed the parties that I’ve been invited to, also… when I don’t screw up a costume or have to leave early (grrr, 2014). Between those, adding themed music playlists to my phone, and listening to scary stories on Spotify, it’s usually a fun time. With Halloween falling on a Saturday, and with the absurd amount of things I’ve missed out on because of money this year, I’m hoping for a fun, spooky, long night of revelry on October 31st!! Sitting at home, or getting home at 10:00, simply can’t be an option again this year! 😉
The Nexus 