Back in Pflugerville

Jeeze, that is a long drive, especially when the sun is beating down.

Well, Emily is all signed for the beginning of the next 4 yrs of hard slog. She nearly didn't get to sign up for classes as the computer wasn't allowing her to do drawing and design classes. It turns out she had been accepted for the college of Art and Sciences to do Mathematics, even though she had applied for Photography and maths. Anyway, I would be have ranting if I had been her, as all of yesterday was spend with advisers on which courses she should take. You would have thought that they would have done the basics and checked that she was actually accepted as a Maths Student,not Art and that she needed to change her major. Still, she calmly told her Dad (I had to disappear for a minute), told him she was going the Art Building to sort things out and she did.

I must admit the art programme at UNT seems very structured and aiming to get the best out of their students. Wish my degree programme had been so organised.

It was a frantic 3 days for Emily and not so frantic for us. As I stated in my previous post, I got a little drunk on Monday night. It doesn't take that much these to be honest but I enjoyed it at the time. Not so good for getting up at 7.30 am and listening to round of people telling you what a great place UNT is and oh, by the way, this is where you pay! Actually the presentations were very good and informative.

I think the worse aspect about the whole thing were the insects- Gordon and I were covered in bites.

Here are some photos from the last few days

ART. this was outside the art building so I am assuming was a project of some sort.I thought it was great, especially all the wild flowers.

The dorm where where we were staying. Apart from looking newer, dormshaven't changed much over the years. Still cramped for space.

Map of UNT Campus

The clock tower and the symbol for the Mean Greens - an eagle

Gordon


His leg showing the bites. Just hope the mossies don't have West Nile now.




Downtown Dallas as we were driving on the I35 west.

orientation UNT

Well,I am slightly pissed and using a strange keyboard, one of those
ones that help with wrist problems, which to me me being slightly pissed is
completely strange!

Anyway, I am here,at 11.35pm attending my youngest daughter's orientation and I must admit the last is the best! They are very boring to be honest but to the new parent of a student,
full of useful information,but to the third timer, mostly a repeat of
previous years.

Emily surprised herself by completely surpassing her
fellow students in the math placement test - which is good news because
that means she doesn't have to do freshman algebra- which if I am
right, actually saves us some money!

Anyway the reason I am slightly pissed is because the campus is near a few
bars
that are actually in walking distance which is a complete novelty. Less
than $6.00 a jug for shiner which is brilliant! Actually staying the
night is a novelty as normally we only attended
the day which is important which is normally the last day which is when we
pay the fees----parting with a few thousand dollars is such sweet joy!

Anyway. its been an ok day as on the way up I actually started my latest TAST project - chevron stitch and Algerian eye stitch. Even at 8.00 am stitching was preferable to staring at the I-35!

Emily seems to be enjoying herself which is the important thing and making acquaintances
with her fellow 2011 graduates. In fact she seem to be enjoying herself
a little too much as she nearly missed us at dinner time which is the
allotted time for parents and future students to meet up. The next time
we will see her is lunchtime tomorrow.

At moment we undecided as to whether we will stay on campus tomorrow
or go into to Dallas. Unfortunately, there are no big art shows on but
I am sure there is plenty in Dallas to see.

The Weekend was a blur

On Saturday, we were up at 5.00am to travel up to Denton which is northwest of Dallas. We left about 5.45 and arrived in Denton about 9.45, with short coffee break, just outside Forth Worth.

The reason for our trip, is that Emily has applied to the University of North Texas, starting next August, so she was attending the preview day. Next on the agenda, if she is successful, will be a three day orientation in the early spring. At the moment, she toying between doing photography or mathematics as a major. It's a very nice looking university having been established in the late 1800's, so is mix of traditional looking older buildings and the new buildings as it is like all American Universities, expanding rapidly.

We started with a general welcome from 5 members of the University faculty, then various faculty depts were called out and depending on the major you wanted to studied, you followed a student to where the academic advising session was being held. We went to the Science one where they had a very informed session on what to expect if you were planning on doing Pre-med, health Professions or Mathematics.

After that we toured one of the housing units which wasn't really Emily's cup of tea as it meant sharing a very, very small room with one other student and sharing a shower with the adjoining room. I can imagine most modern kids being taken totally aback sharing such a small area with a total stranger.

We followed that with a brief visit to the academics fair where Emily managed to get more detailed information on doing a math or photography major and then we were heading back to Austin, arriving back just after 6pm.

After cooking dinner, which Elisabeth, who had come home for the day to look after the cats and dog, had started for us, I had to make a decision whether to sleep or tough it out. Why, you may ask, because I had to be at work by 2 am. I tried to sleep but as usual failed miserably.

It was weird leaving the house at 1.30am in the morning, with Gordon and Emily asleep. Working was a tedious as I thought it would be. There is no art in the practice of taking down 'sale' signs only to put up more 'sale' signs. Safe to say it was long,long night and I was only too glad to be out of there at 9.21am. I was very tire by then and felt sure I would sleep but all I managed was a miserable hour or so before I was up again, despite the house being very quite, as Gordon had thoughtfully removed himself to other parts of the house and Emily was working.

So I have today off which so far I have totally wasted and then tomorrow I am in again from 7am, a much more sensible time. Apart from the Thursday, rest of the week is 1pm - 10pm as there are 3 ads coming out this week! All this for a paltry $8 an hour, still its better than the nothing I was getting.

At least my Mum should be happy, I have fulfilled her dreams. When I was at my last school, I mentioned I was considering going to teacher's training college and her reply was "I would rather you worked at a Woolworth's than become a teacher. No daughter of mine is becoming a teacher!" and she promptly withdrew me from school. Well, its not "Woolies" but its near enough. I don't actually think she meant me to fulfil her 'dream' it just she saw all the possibilities that lay in private companies and to become a teacher wasn't ambitious enough, she just had an unfortunate way of saying it.