Thankful Thursday | and one un-thankful
This week, I am thankful:
that our power went out overnight, not during the day
We had a big storm roll through, and the power went out just as I was going to bed. That's much more convenient than losing power during the day.
And fortunately, the storm brought some cooler air, which meant the house did not get miserably hot overnight. Whew.
I also am grateful nothing fell on our house; many branches and trees in the area came down during this storm!
for the flowers that other people grow
I can appreciate them, and they are zero work for me. 😉
for beautiful skies
I looked up and noticed this one on my way out of the gym!
that this class is over halfway done
Every week is one week closer to graduating! So I celebrate.
This is week ⅝, and I'm mostly done with this week's assignments. Sooooo, there are really only three weeks of work left, and then this class can be tied up with a bow and deposited neatly in my little Classes I Have Completed box.
(This is an imaginary box.)
that next summer, I won't have classes
If all goes according to plan, I will be entirely done with my BSN degree by next summer, which means I will have the summer off, plus the fall and the next spring, and so on. 😉
It's hard to even imagine a life with no schoolwork! It will feel too good to be true.
for air conditioning
I am especially grateful for A/C at night! I hate sleeping in the heat, so I actually turn mine down two degrees at night. 🙂
for budgetary wiggle room
I am very thankful to not be just scraping by anymore. If I want to turn my A/C down a little at night, I can!
for my healthy body
Every day at work, I take care of people whose bodies are struggling in one way or another, and I am reminded to appreciate my health.
I'm glad my body is healthy enough for me to take care of others.
My unthankful: group projects
I am currently in a group project, which is frustrating on several levels.
For one, the instructions are supremely unclear, and the rubrics are unhelpful as well (for instance, the rubric for an outline assignment will say that to get an A grade, you need to "include cutting edge technology", and that makes absolutely no sense for an outline! What even does that mean?? Outlines do not have cutting-edge technology.)
I also am unappreciative of this: I have never been in a group where someone other than me takes the initiative. I would be thrilled to pieces to let someone else lead and move things forward. I would love for a group member to completely outshine me. I would love to merely be a supporting player. JUST ONCE. Sigh.
Thank you for listening to my complaining.
First, Kristen, I dislike group projects for the same reasons you do. Even now, everyone on my street thinks that reviving the street's block party would be a good idea, but (except for the Bestest Neighbors) no one's offering to help--and I no longer have the get-up-and-go or the stalwart DH I used to have. Argh. I'm going to have to get out there and twist some arms.
But here's what I'm thankful for: NDN1's CF and I had a most productive meeting Wednesday morning with a realtor friend of CF's, who took a good look around the house and grounds, and gave us his honest opinion of how much he thinks we should list it for "as is" (which is what CF, I, and NDN1's nephew all want to do). He also texted CF the contact info for his preferred estate sale folks, junk removal service, etc., which she will forward to me.
And it turned out that the realtor had various dealings with my DH over the years in DH's various avatars as remodeling contractor, home inspector, home energy consultant, and university-area landlord, and spoke of him warmly and respectfully. So he really made my day.
I hear you on the group projects - same boat over here. Each class in my grad program has a significant group project, and so far I have been providing much oomph and communication to make the projects successful. I've tried sitting back and hoping others will step up, but the metaphorical game of academic chicken is stressful when deadlines loom.
Could the cutting edge technology be something AI related for the outline? Like maybe ask AI to take your existing outline and generate an additional relevant topic of interest or find a current event to include, or something similar? Just brainstorming...
Or maybe the outline is meant to discuss/include relevant cutting edge medical technology? I also commiserate with vague instructions for assignments, lol.
I really hate group work. I understand why it's used but I generally find it frustrating and, at least when I was in high school, one person would take over (in a bossy way, not simply in taking the initiative) and at least one person wouldn't do anything. I probably was that second person a couple of times but at university I was often the person who took the initiative and wound up doing everything (perhaps that was karma lol). So yeah, I hate group work.
Regarding your imaginary box, maybe you could make a real box and fill it with treats to enjoy once the class is over!
Thankfuls:
1. I went to the dentist last week and had no cavities!
2. I'm thankful that I mostly had a relaxing week after getting back from my trip.
3. I finally got round to cleaning out my fridge and I'm really thankful it's done. I took out all the shelves, washed them and scrubbed out the inside. I'm also thankful that I was able to store the food which hadn't gone bad in a coolbag. I did a deep clean of the bathroom after that.
4. I'm looking forward to going to the cinema with a friend later (we're going to see Project Hail Mary).
4. I enjoyed going for a run the other evening; the sky was very dramatic as it was warming up for a thunderstorm and I could see areas where it was starting to rain but the sunset was still coming through the clouds. I had a refreshing swim afterwards.
Unthankful: Hayfever! I hate that whenever I go out I start sneezing. I woke up at 4 AM with a sneezing fit this morning. I didn't even have hayfever as a kid! I am very thankful for antihistamines but hayfever really, really sucks.
Not sure why 4 was put twice! The last one should be number 5 haha.