What's that you say?

Until recently, I could have sworn that I was actually quite intelligent.  That was until I started to plumb the depths of academia.

I know realise that I have the comprehension skills of a two year old.

Why can't academics just ASK a question?  Why do they have to make the question so long that by the time you have managed to read all of the words on the way to the end of it....you have either lost concentration or have completely forgotten all of the words at the BEGINNING of the question?

And why all the big words?  For goodness sakes, the "short and sharp" principle works best for children (and men), or should that be men (and children) so why is it so darned hard for academics?

I am really very quickly forming a thesis and that is that if you cannot dazzle them with brilliance, you simply MUST baffle them with bullshit!

Apparently my whole world DOES revolve around the internet.....

Or...how the heck do I function when I cannot get on the interwebs?

It has been a fun 12 days that's for sure.  Not only have I rediscovered the somewhat dubious joys of evening television, but I have uncovered the equally dubious joy of FREE wifi internet at that fine dining establishment, signified by the very large Golden Arches.

This was a necessary evil due to an assignment becoming due in my internet downtime.  I've used the free wifi in the past but hadn't taken a lot of notice of my fellow "diners".

I do have to say though that it was quite surprising the number of parents who are apparently quite ok with the idea of their offspring "fuelling" themselves, their physical activities and apparently, their brains (??) on fast food for breakfast.  Granted, it was school holidays, but to be really honest, I didn't notice a lot of difference between then and the other occasions I've dropped in before school hours for a coffee and some internet.

No wonder my own children considered me some kind of alien for actually getting out of bed early on freezing winter mornings to cook them porridge!!!!

...of books and boxes and sealing wax......

My mind is filled with moving boxes and grandiose plans which somehow never seem to come to fruition.  Same old, same old really.

This time, I swear I will NEVER move again.  I'm so over packing, unpacking, decorating and making new spaces feel like "home"!!!

What IS home really?  Is it a place where you feel safe?  Is it a place where you are warm and comfortable?  Is it a place which has all of the furniture matching and not a thing out of place?  Or is it a place where you eat and sleep and gravitate from?  I'm sure I don't know and I can't say that I've ever really experienced any of the above with the exception of the latter.  Will that change with this last  house move?  Watch this space....

I know that now that I have come to my last day at the farm here at Hamilton, that I am sad.  I had hoped things could have worked out better but clearly it wasn't to be.  When I look back over the past 3 years here, as much as I love the place, there really has been a lot of bad luck so maybe a change isn't overdue after all.  I've experienced many bad things, serious fires, animals being stolen, upheaval in my personal life, illness, injuries and a lot of sadness and for a while, a dangerous increase in my depression.  But then, on the good side, I've also done a lot of growing within myself, learned how to wear "big girl panties" without them pinching TOO hard, met some lovely people, experienced some lovely things; the birth of a foal, the amazing whispering noise as the snow falls down outside your windows, beautiful scenery, an increased love for photography and of course, the birth of my absolutely incredible best friend and constant companion, Roger!!

Tomorrow sees the departure of the horses.  I will miss not being able to walk out my back door and get horsey snuggles.  When your hands are cold there is NOTHING like sticking them under a horse rug and cuddling into a lovely warm neck and breathing in that pure, horse scent.  If I could work out how to bottle "horse" and "puppy breath" (not together of course), I'd be a millionaire!!!  I'll miss the horses, but I know that Dewey will be just fine with his new owner and Tia will still be mine, just not living with me.  At least that's how it will be for the time being.  Long term...I don't know.  I may still sell her.  Or I may not.  I'll see........

And now it is time to go and battle those books, boxes and sealing wax.  Moving day is tomorrow and I need to start deciding what I'm taking with me.......

Getting the toes wet......

I really cannot describe the excitement and also trepidation that I felt when I accessed the WEB101 Blackboard site for the zillionth time since signing up for University and finally found people THERE!!!!

Everybody seems so literate and well-studied and many have fabulous jobs and I am really feeling quite out of my depth materially, educationally and socially. I wonder if I have bitten off more than I can chew?

Reading the course notes was interesting. First thought was that it shouldn't be too difficult given the countless hours that I have spent on the internet since first discovering it back in 1997. Upon re-reading however, whilst I don't think it will be difficult, I have come to the conclusion that many of the tasks will be somewhat confronting. I don't want to get into issues on discussion boards that may upset me (or other people for that matter), but the discussion board is an essential part of the marking requirements so I will have to get in and suck it up.

Found the information about the internet, the WWW and the way it is set up with the trace routes very interesting. Funny that supposedly Australian-based ISPs are still heavily based in places like China. I wonder why this is? Probably come back to economics. Everything else in the world does.

Was a tad disturbed to find my “Ellz” identity already taken in so many places as per Namechk.com. And so many of them NOT me! Ah well, have registered “Ellzintaz” in as many places as I could be bothered that day and will go back and add some more as I find them. I guess Ellzintaz is as good as any, I'm still Ellz and I'm still in Taz! Hahaha

Delicious is interesting, Twitter is weird, photobucket I am already a user of but will maintain my new identity for this course....probably time for a change there anyway. Blogging...weeeeellllll....that will take some getting used to I think. That's all about letting people into my world and will take more than a little bit of adjusting.

The biggest challenge with the first activities is going to be remembering to actually USE the lovely new identity and many new accounts for different media that I have set up!