Awake at Stupid O'Clock . . . .

I'm awake at stupid O'clock again, and am too fibro-fogged to be able to study, but I thought I'd look in on the various forums for my course, just to see if anything's new.


What I did come across is the following, and it tickled me so much, I thought I'd share it:

A linguistics professor was lecturing to his class one day. 

"In English," he said, "a double negative forms a positive. In some languages though, such as Russian, a double negative is still a negative. 

However," he pointed out, "there is no language wherein a double positive can form a negative." 

A voice from the back of the room piped up, "Yeah. Right." 


I know, I know - but it's funny, you've got to admit that? {grin}

I guess I will try, try, try again!

It's been a bad few days for me since I got my results, I have to admit. 


I haven't felt this down about my health, and how my ailments affect me, for quite some time, so this depression hit me hard.


But I am so very fortunate in having a loving spouse and daughter, and also a huge adopted family of brothers and sisters in faith, who have helped me to adjust a little to this latest set-back :)


There is also the fact that, after 6 years with the OU, I learned yesterday that there is a Learner Support number I could call, to talk over my problems - and, boy! was I glad I phoned them :)


When I explained my situation to them, they couldn't have been more helpful. I'd originally phoned them to give up the course but, after listening to my various options, and the help I can get to keep carrying on, I decided that I would keep on going, and at least submit something for the next 2 tutor-marked-assignments! 


With extra help agreed to by my tutor, I'll be doing what I can to prepare for the end-of-module-assessment too, so that, after days of having no hope, I feel there is at last a glimmer there in front of me once more :)


I know that, in the great order of things, not getting the honours part of my degree isn't the most world-shaking of events, but I have to admit that, with all the effort I've put in to it already, it does make sense to at least submit something, to have a chance of a pass, than just abandoning the whole thing half-way through.


So, once again, and like the famed tortoise in the race with the hare, I'm going to be plodding my way along the rest of this course, until I reach the finish line :)

And the results are in . . .

For the first time in my 6 year history with the Open University, I've got a mark below the 60% level :(


I went onto the OU Studenthome, and saw that my tutor had posted my mark this morning and, although I hadn't expected a great mark, to get the one I had was a real shock - I got 58%!


I sat and read the summary my tutor wrote, and then all the comments on my TMA itself, and then I have to admit that I sat there and just cried.


It wasn't so much the mark itself, but the fact that the comments made me see just how badly my health has deteriorated. Even a year ago, I wouldn't have had the type of comments my tutor made about my work. I've forgotten so much of what I've learned, and I have made mistakes in my formatting, sentence structure, and various other things that make up the basic knowledge of how to write the English language. I had missed out too many criteria, hadn't explained what I had mentioned in enough detail, and had generally made a complete hash of my work!


It has made me think seriously about giving up the course, as the next TMA is a double one, with 3,500 words to find, and then there's another TMA, and the dreaded End-of-Course-Assessment, with each one getting progressively harder :(


As I haven't been able to rely on my tutor for any help, as she's having to cope with a family bereavement, I can't think of any other recourse than to give up the module, and just accept my BA, without the Honours I was hoping to achieve.


If I had been able to continue on with another module later on this year to get my Honours, I would have done but, as I'm in my last year of financial help towards my learning, there's no help to be had!


It's definitely not the way I foresaw the ending of my Uni life. 


I didn't expect to go out with a bang, but I certainly didn't expect it to end on a whimper, either :(

Procrastination is the name of the game . . .

Well, I've managed to hit the 1,400 word mark, so only another 600 words to go, and I'll be done!


Oh dear :~(


I've never in all my OU years struggled as much as I am at the moment, with both the course work, and my poor state of health, and I have to admit to getting pretty fed up with both!


I've got pretty good at procrastination recently, which doesn't help, but, at times, it's the only way I can cope with everything, and so it reduces stress in me, and so the migraines don't come at such close intervals.


While going through a period of procrastination, I went onto Facebook (as you do), and looked through the various sites shown. Through a link with one of my student friends, I came across this quote, which I thought very relevant to our government at the moment:


The morality, or lack of, in our government today, is only a reflection of the world at large, and so we shouldn't be surprised at its grasping and greedy mentality, where there is more concern over filling their own, and their fat-cat friend's pockets is the first concern, and the role of taking care of those in need, the ill, the disabled, the elderly, the needy, are their last concern.

Quote by Pierre Joseph Proudhon (introduction to book by 'the Lioness.'

To be governed is to be watched over, inspected, spied on, directed, legislated at, regulated, docketed, indoctrinated, preached at, controlled, assessed, weighed, censored, ordered about, by men who have neither the right, nor the knowledge, nor the virtue. ...

To be governed is to be at every operation, at every transaction, noted, registered, enrolled, taxed, stamped, measured, numbered, assessed, licensed, authorized, admonished, forbidden, reformed, corrected, punished.

It is, under the pretext of public utility, and in the name of the general interest, to be placed under contribution, trained, ransomed, exploited, monopolized, extorted, squeezed, mystified, robbed; then, at the slightest resistance, the first word of complaint, to be repressed, fined, despised, harassed, tracked, abused, clubbed, disarmed, choked, imprisoned, judged, condemned, shot, deported, sacrificed, sold, betrayed; and, to crown all, mocked, ridiculed, outraged, dishonoured.

That is government; that is its justice; that is its morality.

It actually says in the bible, at Revelation, just how the world orders will behave - and we can see it in action today!