Dang Distractions

Today I visited sparknotes.com to get a better handle on a Shakespeare play that I need to write a huge paper on in a few weeks. The content of the website was pretty helpful, I must say.

Want to know what wasn't helpful? All of the tantalizing links up and down the side of the page that were begging me to click on them instead of remaining studious and focused.

"The 5 All-Time grossest Bug Stories"
"What's Your English Gentry Name?"
"2 Pairs of shoes for the Price of 1"
"Top 5 Most Bad-A Presidents"

I mean, seriously, how is a girl supposed to get any work done around here?

I know, I know, websites like this have to use advertising to off-set the costs of providing free information to students who can't get through Shakespeare without a quick little cheat sheet....a.k.a. Me. But really? Is tempting someone with a quick way to find out their English Gentry name really the way to get people to concentrate on their homework?

The answer is no.

And it's Lady Guinevere Wood of Longford, in case you were wondering.

Invisible Me

Have you noticed that I like to disappear completely from the blogosphere every few weeks, and then show back up, rattle off some excuses, post a few times and then go back into hiding? Well, even if you haven't noticed, now you know. It's my M.O.

Last time, my excuse was that I was totally stressed about  life-changing events: moving, in particular. (Which is only one word, but really stands for so many handfuls of stress and exhaustion that they don't even all fit into the largest Uhaul box you can buy.)

This time, I am still stressed out (though slightly less so since most of our stuff is already packed) because we are supposed to be moving (again). And I'm still tired from the last time. (Don't worry, this is veryveryvery good news. If everything goes as planned, it will resolve more than many concerns that I have had since we started this grand adventure. But sometimes good news makes my head spin, too).

Oh, and also because of a little something called English 450: Shakespeare. (The closest thing to the Achilles heel of my college career since the much dreaded grammar class.) So much Shakespeare, in fact, that my head hurts from the mere task of having to read and understand a Shakespeare play in approximately 3 days (in order to answer the discussion questions) and then write a comprehensive paper on said play by day 7. All told, we are reading and/or watching 11 Shakespeare plays and writing 10 substantial papers in 8 weeks. Does that sound excessive to you? It sure does to me. I think even William himself might think so. Maybe I should ask him to talk to the curriculum development folks at GCU.

So, there you have it: my July 2012 Justification for Not Blogging. I know that this, too, shall pass, but by then I will have come up with a whole new reason for not blogging to take its place. In the meantime, I am still lurking in blog space and keeping up with everyone else's blogs while lamenting the fact that I have neither the time nor the brain power to post anything of substance...besides my monthly excuse, of course.

{Exeunt}.

Starving Child

In an effort to get Savanna to eat a little bit more at meals, I am trying something new today. Instead of giving her a snack 15 minutes after lunch (which is pretty much the norm because she never eats enough at mealtime) I am having her wait a couple hours.

So far, it's gone this well:

"Mommy when can I eat?"
"Can I eat yet because I'm so starving!"
"My mouth is so super dry because I need something to eat!"
"Is it time for me to eat yet?"

...accompanied by lots and lots (and lots) of whining.

I figure two things will come of this.

1. She'll remember, in the future, that she needs to eat more at meals because she won't get a snack right away afterwards anymore.

2. She'll remember how mean I am.

Not to be a pessimist, but I'm banking on number 2.