I'm almost through the semester! I will be sooo glad when Business Calculus is over. 6 more classes. Statistics has actually been a fun class. I've enjoyed it. Still no Marketing classes in the spring- more leveling courses. After leveling courses again in the summer, I'll get to start on Marketing classes in the Fall.

Work is good. Lots of new projects that I get to be involved in. This time last year, I was desperately looking for any other job- and getting nowhere. Now, I'm actually building some experience that can transfer to other areas, if I so choose. That's a nice feeling. Having years of worthless experience really is a bummer. Haha. Does anybody still say "bummer" or am I stuck in the last millenium?

On a serious note, can I ask y'all to pray for my grandmother and great-aunt (my grandmother's sister who has always just been like a 3rd grandmother to me). They are both in their 90's and living in a run-down nursing home cuz that's what Medicare pays for, and they both are suffering from Alzheimer's. It's heart-breaking to watch. They aren't in good shape physically either, but they don't know what's going on anymore and they don't usually know who I am. Honestly, I've been praying that God would just take them home to be with Him. And I don't think that I am wrong to pray that. Can I ask that you would pray that God would ease their suffering? Thanks.

Well, "The Grounding" is going pretty well. I haven't felt totally overwhelmed by homework or life-in-general from wasting valuable time watching TV. We do need to get some games though.

Have you ever had a reality check that changed the way you view people? I used to believe that people who are financially-challenged only needed a little bit of help to get on their feet and they would take the initiative from then on. Well- I've witnessed the ugly side of humanity in my own relatives. Stuck on welfare with no desire to get off- unemployed and enjoying it- trashing the house and cars that have been pratically given to them by people hoping to "give them a chance". They don't want to work to make their lives any better.

My question is: how do you deal with this in your worldview? Unfortunately, my previous belief that financially-challenged people just need a little help is totally shredded. I'm prejudiced now, assuming that people are broke because they are too lazy to get a job and because they tear up anything that is given to them.

How do you keep a "reality-check" like this from tainting your view of people in general?

I'm grounding myself. I am not going to let myself watch more than 1 hour of TV each evening. (Weekends may be a little more negotiable, I haven't decided yet- maybe 2 hours on Saturday and Sunday.) I spend ENTIRELY too much time in front of the tube, when I need to be doing homework, housework or any number of things.

Jeff and I need an evening activity other than TV. We use the excuse that we "are spending time with each other" when we are watching TV. In reality, other than sitting by each other, we are not paying any attention to each other.

Any suggestions for getting out of the TV rut? What are your favorite non-TV-related methods of entertainment? Don't tell me reading- I have enough homework to read as it is.