in case you were wondering...

Eleven years after graduating high school I am a student again. Classes began this week and over the past five days much uncertainty has washed over me. At times I am confident about my abilities and the vision I have for my future, and other times I am apprehensive about those very things.

I am a student but not in the traditional sense. Basic Algebra is the only class I am taking on the _______ campus; I am taking English Composition and Introduction to Psychology online. Luckily my work schedule will allow sufficient time to complete my work. I am packing 36 work hours into three days, Monday – Wednesday, which allows four consecutive days for my school work. And work there will be, especially in English Composition, which, fortunately for me, is my strongest subject, but this class will require much grunt work, work in which I must dot every i and cross every t – literally.

Two weeks from Sunday a rough draft of my explanatory writing paper is due. In this paper I must "explain the career [I] plan to pursue upon graduation as clearly as possible for [my] audience by analyzing, showing relationships, and demonstrating with examples and facts." I am still planning to pursue a career in registered nursing; however, in recent weeks I have given some thought to radiology. After researching this field though, I remain drawn to nursing because of the degree of patient contact. After I complete research for the explanatory writing I will have a clearer picture of the nursing profession and any misconceptions will have been eliminated. If I determine that nursing is not for me and choose to change my major to radiologic technology, I will have lost nothing, as the classes I am currently taking are prerequisites for that program as well.

That is all for now. My beloved New York Giants lost last week, so I don't have a rooting interest in the NFL's final four, which will battle Sunday. Here is my prediction, however: Arizona will beat Philadelphia and Baltimore will triumph over Pittsburgh. And on Sunday, 1 February 2009, the Arizona Cardinals will win Super Bowl XLIII; final score Arizona 17, Baltimore 10.

(I just read the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fired coach Jon Gruden – what's up with that? Gruden coached the Bucs for seven years, won three division titles and a Super Bowl, and compiled a .509 winning percentage. Not bad for an organization that gave him the following quarterbacks over those seven years: Brad Johnson, Brian Griese, Chris Simms and Jeff Garcia.)

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