University life as a mature aged student.
Squish and I went to the Macquarie University open day yesterday. He volunteered to help the chemists doing the “Chemistry Magic Show”. I was cool with that until they set him on fire, that made both of us a little nervous.
The show was awesome though!
I handed in an assignment almost two days early!
Stats is still kicking my arse, but the massive amount of work I am pitting in seems like it is reaping results. I actually understand most of the procedures, if not the way the lecturer speaks.
Unfortunately, we also have an exam on Thursday night, and I still don’t understand Eugene. It’s like he is deliberately obscure 😦
At least I now have a fighting chance!
I was rather pissed off at my unit convener for knocking back my application for special consideration for last semester, but after talking with a psychologist from campus well-being, I feel much better about the decision. Apparently, you no longer get bumped up a few marks, all you get is the opportunity to sit another exam – which in my case was the last thing I wanted. And getting 78% for the unit as a whole was a great result, especially since the way Macquarie works out GPA is to give 1 point for a CP* (will have to look up what this means), 2 points for a pass, 3 for a credit, and 4 for a distinction or a high distinction. So a distinction is every bit as good as a high distinction in terms of keeping my GPA high (which I need to do to transfer into Psych, and to be admitted to honours).
Secondly, I talked to her about how high my stress levels are this semester (I have already gained back 2 of the 10 kilos I lost while I was sick), and how seeing formulae on the lecture slides makes me feel like crying, and I have been diagnosed as having perfectionist tendencies that go a little beyond what is strictly considered adaptive. She has offered me counseling, and (hooray!) a free tutor for 2 hours a week to help me get through this unit.
Tutoring is reliant on there being one available, so I have to keep everything crossed, but I am feeling a lot better about the switch to MQ after that meeting.
*Apparently a CP is just like a fail, but they recognise that you were pretty close to a pass, and they let you through.
So that would probably be a logical next disaster – I’m looking on todays sprain as good fortune 🙂
Between the hurry leg and a last minute opportunity to do a stats refresher course on the weekend, we won’t be heading up to Pearl Beach as planned. But at least I’m not sick (just a throat tickle and a cough), and I have a chance to learn some of the 100 level stats I am supposed to know before I start 200 level stats (my major source of anxiety this semester).
Even after my request for special consideration was knocked back (bastards), I still scraped through with 78/100. Enough to hopefully allow me to switch degrees. Unless they want me to do another few subjects first…
I can swallow without painkillers, I can breathe, I can stay awake for more than an hour, and I can eat! I’m not feeling 100%, but after the past few months, 80% feels pretty damn good 🙂
Inigo and I took his paperwork up to school on Wednesday morning, and he is now on the road to being enrolled in big school. His school transition program starts next month, so we are gearing up for a big end of the year, and hopefully he is looking forward to the exciting elements of school rather than the scary ones. We’ve chosen a school that is just a bit further away than our local school, it’s just a bit smaller, a bit more diverse, and it has a school garden program, and no canteen. It’s still in easy cycling distance from home, and we’ve been attending playgroup and other activities there since before Inigo could walk, so he is very familiar with the environment.
I am trying super hard to be upbeat and positive, and not give in to the “he was only born about a week ago, and now I have to give his care over to the state, and he’s still my tiny baby” panic. He is sooo ready for the academic side of school life, and we are doing our best (with the help of his new preschool) to support his social interactions with kids his own age. He has no trouble holding long conversations with adults, but tends to find his peers pretty boring. Since that reminds me so much of me, I do worry, but I also know that we have made good choices for him, and that he will be well supported. And school for him will be worlds away from what I experienced in the mid 1970’s!
Uni is on a break for another week, so all I have to do is look after myself (and avoid getting sick again), and look after my lovely family. A new development that I would like to record for my own recollection is that in the past couple of weeks, bedtime has (touch wood) ceased to be a drama. After my very low point a few weeks ago, I’ve managed to institute a new routine that involves reading a long form story (starting with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and now James and the Giant Peach), after a few chapters of which he now snuggles in for a cuddle and drifts off to sleep in my arms. I hesitate to say that we have cracked the sleep problem, because it has been the bane of our existence for four and a half years, but the last two weeks have been great. Sleep time is now a time of loving connection and joy rather than a two hour screaming match that leaves everyone emotionally traumatised. Long may it last.
And tomorrow I am having friends over for a crafty morning. Mark has been going out on a Monday evening to follow his crazy hobbies, so I am co-opting Saturday mornings for mine. There is an open invitation to all, so if you are up for a bit of cake nibbling and yarn fondling, do pop over!
The hospital has a handy little card that they give to parents of kids with head injuries – symptoms to look out for in the 24-48 hours after the accident.
This morning, he was fine, but this afternoon, he was complaining of a severe headache, nausea, and sleepiness. three of the symptoms they want you to watch for. He also had a fever.
I rang health direct, who told me to take him back to emergency straight away.
So we spent another 4 hours at Hornsby Hospital casualty, he had a much more thorough neurological assessment, (and a urine test to rule out another bladder infection), and we were sent home. I’m confident that he doesn’t have any brain damage, but possibly concussion combined with a virus which is causing the nausea and fever.
We’re home now, he’s asleep, and I’m looking forward to a good long time before we have to reset the “Days Since Squish has Been in Hospital” counter.
And I got the results for my mid semester exam today, a Distinction, so I am very relieved!
No news from the land of reproductive disasters, but I am still here, still breathing, and still waiting.
I’ve come to the conclusion that PSY246 (Cognition) and I will be on much better terms next year than this, and that I am nowhere near prepared for an exam next week. So I have withdrawn from that subject. And if I don’t get a massive amount of work done between now and Sunday night, I may have to withdraw from my other subject as well. Thanks to my new friend Wendy for setting me straight about each lecture recording covering two sets of lecture notes – that was really doing my head in!
So it’s head down and bum up for the next couple of weeks if I want to see decent results. Time to put the wallowing on hold for just another little while.
And in Squishy news, he’s been super good at pre-school nap time, and doing his piano practice without too much complaint, and he filled up his massive sticker chart, so I caved to his request to get sparkly light up shoes. $70 sparkly light up shoes, but that is my issue, not his. He is exquisitely joyful to own a pair of such outrageously splendid shoes. And I love to see him happy!
No tutorials or pracs this week, but thanks to Bev and Mum I am able to attend the first lectures of each of my two subjects (Social and Personality Psychology, and Cognition 1). So today all I had to do was get my student card, and try to borrow a book from the library.
After the walk from the carpark, I was already sweaty and lightheaded. I found the line for the student card, and quickly decided that I would either pass out or vomit if I had to stand there for more than a bout 5 minutes, so I gave up. The school leavers around me in the queue were outraged that I was planning on staying on campus without a valid student card. I thought one of them was going to hyperventilate because of the wild and unbuttoned anarchy. And that is clearly the problem with mature age students on campus 😉
I found myself some water, and joined the Dr Who society, the Greens, the Psychological Society, the Womens Collective, the LGBTI group (poor chap wasn’t quite ready for me), and the atheists. By which point I was ready to take to my chaise. I then came across the Campus Wellbeing stall, and it occurred to me that I might as well go and make friends with them, being that if this year goes well I’ll have a baby, and I may need extra support, and if things go badly, I won’t have a baby, and I will very shortly afterwards be certifiably insane…
So I staggered upstairs, explained my history to the lovely Jackie, and made an appointment to see a disability support officer in a few weeks time. She then offered to help me get my student card by taking me to the head of the queue. I almost protested, but better sense prevailed, and I gratefully accepted. And then, once I got it, I had another sit down for an hour to recover my strength to get back to the car.
So I spent about 3 hours in total, and managed to get 1 student card, drink about 2 litres of water, and book in to the wellbeing centre.
But I appear to have completely bypassed all of the promised O Week craziness.
Should I go back tomorrow? I still have a book to find!
But because this has all taken so freaking long – all the tute, lecture and prac places are filled, and I have been forced to enrol in classes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays that are on after I have to pick up Inigo from preschool.
I’ll have to try begging to get into some of the classes that are already full.
Oh, UNE, how I miss you!
Oh, and I finally had contact from the hospital. I’ll see the high risk team on the first of March. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that I make it that far.
Disco Knitter 