First of all, we went to the free lunch on Tuesday: spaghetti, bread, green beans, large salad, cookies, unsweetened iced tea . I also got two to-go boxes.
Let's skip the complaints for right now. No complaints about lunch or church, just later occurrence.
You may remember that I planned to study another language to keep my brain nimble in an increasingly less nimble body. Well, the only course taught at the local community college is Spanish. I studied Spanish for two years in hs and two semesters in college. Back then, college had more stringent requirements, but language requirements no longer exist except for a PhD.
I was thinking back to things I have wanted to study. Statistics is at the top of the list now. Since exbf is an engineer, I talked to him about this today for the first time.
(Oh, I was struggling with algebra when I decided to learn statistics.)
He said that even though he took four quarters of statistics, he could not remember anything. He did not take the Lord's name in vain, but there was a bit of profanity when I cheerfully said he could help me....lol. I kept cheerfully and insincerely and relentlessly begging him to help me. I teased him until I could barely breathe because I laughed so hard and long.
It seems he and a team of two other guys took three weeks to figure out the correct answer to a problem they were given to solve. Remember, he was in an engineering program in a prestigious school. I will not be taking a full year of statistics if I do this.
Okay, maybe it was not a funny story. Maybe you had to be here to hear all that was said. He only told me "no" once. The rest of the time his objections were telling me horror stories of statistics classes and courses and about the location of classes.
I wonder if I could learn this from a book. No, I am not going to try to learn it from a video.
Life got in the way yesterday, and we ended up making a flying run to Kirklin clinic. He drove me there and back and had another 65 miles to drive home, arriving there about 8 pm.
My two g-daughters have May birthdays. Yesterday, I was going to mail their gifts, but did not, so I need to get onto that today.
Your turn
Is there anything you have wanted to learn that never happened? Do you love teasing about something until you are laughing and breathless? Did you ever study statistics?
I wanted to learn to play the piano. When I was attending community college they offered a summer course to learn. I was working at a daycare during that summer and got sick from every germ those kids had and ended up having to quit my job (I had strep twice) and give up the piano class (after only a few classes) so I never did get to learn. I doubt I would have picked it up well. I don't think I am musically inclined. LOL
ReplyDeleteOne,
DeleteWOW, strep twice? That is terrible. Sorry you never got a chance to learn to play the piano. I did want to learn and took classes in college. I can still play Beautiful Dreame rwith one hand, I think.
I have never met anyone who actually wanted to take statistics and I have a lot of medical and science types in my family. It's that class you put off for as long as you can and suffer through. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteMy list to learn is long, but I velo g to the great courses andcraftsy unlimited so man of the are streaming video.
Barbara,
DeleteJust call me crazy...lol. Algebra was the last course I took before I graduated, so I know about putting things off.
Will you retype that last sentence/paragraph. I cannot make heads or tails of it, and I think it might be interesting. Thanks.
My mother was a statician.
ReplyDeleteHer numeric and analytical skills blew me away.
I have so much I would like to learn that I will never succeed. I am happy to keep trying though.
EC,
DeleteThat is great about your mother's skills. I have lots I want to learn that will never happen. However, trying and enjoying it is what counts--the journey.
I actually got excused from doing statistics ! I had gone back as a mature student to finish a history degree and requirements were now that statistics classes had to be completed as part of the foundations section - but - I successfully argued that I had completed all prior foundations requirements and managed to get an exemption!
ReplyDeleteI study a second language - Scottish Gaelic - and I volunteer as an ESL teacher.
I would one day like to learn how to play the piano.
Margie,
DeleteIf you had completed prerequisites from a previous catalog, they cannot force you to complete newly added prerequisites. Exemption sounds like they did you a favor. They just followed their own rules.
Why do you study Gaelic? From there? Hopefully, you will learn how to play the piano!
Actually, they could have imposed the new requirements - I had to make a strong case to the Chair of the dept. to be excused.
DeleteI was born in Scotland and there are still strong links and Gaelic was spoken in Canada (for many years in Ontario) and still today in Nova Scotia. It is a difficult language to learn so helps to keep the brain cells working!
It seems statistics has taken the place of calculus as a requirement for a BA in most U.S. colleges. I never took it in college--I took two lab sciences, and a non-lab, lecture science to fulfill my math/science requirement.
ReplyDeleteI have always wanted to learn to play the drums, but wasn't allowed to as a kid. I was forced to play an instrument, but not allowed to play the drums. I stopped playing an instrument altogether come high school as I hated my instrument so much.
As a rule, I don't tease people. It's the rare person who can tease in an utterly good natured, well timed manner, making even the object of the teasing find it funny. In my experience, teasing leads to somebody getting annoyed, or their feelings hurt, so I don't do it, or allow it in my house.
My BA required only algebra and physical science with a lab. Whew!
DeleteWhat instrument did you play? Trombone? I don't think parents always understand how badly children want to do something.
You are correct about teasing. It can get cruel. But, mostly I was saying, "But, you can help me, teach me." I would never mean tease.
I was not required to take stats so I didn't,(thankful for Liberal Arts) but TheHub had to take 2 semesters of it. His last semester was in an auditorium class and his instructor was with a teaching exchange program and spoke English with an extremely pronounced accent. He still swears to this day he never understood a single word in the lectures so his grade was strictly by the book.
ReplyDeleteWe laugh at lot in my home, and teasing is part of everyday. not mean spirited teasing but funny things. I have a gooby knee which pops out of joint and when it does I buckle. If anyone in the family is near me they always ask the same thing "You Ok Grace?" . It is teasing but lighthearted and does address the issue while giving us something to laugh about
Anne,
ReplyDeleteI liked science, but could not get the math...I thought. Neither of my BAs required it.
There was a math professor that I dropped because I had to work too hard to understand him and math. He told us we could remember quadratic equations because "quad means two."
Mean spirited teasing is awful. I don't go for that and do not participate. That is funny about your knee and the comment.
I have business undergrad and statistics "emphasis" and don't remember much! I really did like the correlation/sampling part of marketing statistics.
ReplyDelete