Just a ramble...

all set up outside with my laptop... plan was to work on my YA novel and I do have it open but finding it hard to get going ....

kids are at their Dad's ... seems to be going well; Tamara has a place to live for the end of the month, and just heard that she is going to get OSAP after all ... that's a relief. Jess is fussed about work, money, going back to school for the placement and one course she needs (without OSAP at this point) - but she is officially 'in a relationship' (as per her facebook profile, so its not all bad news. Says I get to meet him even - IF I am willing to drive down and take them out for dinner... kid will do anything to get me to drive down there, eh? LOL

Been trying to get there on a Monday so I can go do the soccer thing, anyway ...so maybe next week. I seem to be off for a few weeks! Well ... mostly, anyway ... I do still have the Shakespeare course to work on ... I'm through a months worth (according to their schedule) and only just started it this week, so hopefully can keep that up and get it done.

Haven't sorted out courses for Sept yet - everyone I need to talk to is away until the 19th, 20th or 27th .... registration is the 23rd.. hopefully SOMEONE that has a clue will come back before then ... Good thing I took extra courses over the summer though - at least I don't have to worry too much. In addition to the 2 that I'm already signed up for (in Sudbury), I only need three others over the course of the entire 8 months... was hoping to get them all out of the way in the first term so that I wouldn't have any that I had to take in the second but if that doesn't work oh well. Biggest reason for doing that is that I've already been told that I'll have work in the Winter 08 semester and at this point I have next to nothing for Fall ... so might as well focus on school for one semester.

Will be teaching some part time studies stuff - if they fill - but not enough to get the higher rate of pay, or the benefits, which sucks. This year, I was a full time student so had benefits through that as well, which has helped a lot - but starting in the Fall, because my courses are being split between the 2 campuses, it's unclear where I fall in terms of them. Although LU Sudbury did make me pay all the full time fees on top of the 2 courses I've signed up for with them, so maybe .... will sort it all out.

Right now I'm stressing about the lack of job/benefits though - mostly because Ross' sisters seem intent on wiping us out financially. Was bad enough that we're going into debt to pay them money they are not entitled to - they finally accepted the offer - but then they started calling the lawyer with additional demands .... they want both TV's (which WE bought to replace ma's when they gave up the ghost), some of the furniture, and and and.... worst of all, in MY opinion, is that they have demanded the tin boat.

That feels like a direct kind of thing - they know full well that I am not comfortable using the other boat, don't like it, don't use it, etc.... they don't want that one - they want MY boat. Which is not technically my boat of course, its Ross' ... but I am the one that uses it.

After D. died, they came over and supposedly took everything they wanted except for the hutch, which we agreed she could get later. But now, because they're unhappy with the settlement amount, they have decided to take a whole bunch more just to be spiteful, I think.

Oh well ...as Ross says, it's just ~stuff~ and it can all be replaced. But given that the store is doing so badly and I have nothing much for September and now we're looking at a mortgage as well .... *sigh* Can't see the sense of replacing ~luxuries~ like the boat right off...

And besides, by this time next year, we could well be packing up to move...somewhere.... assuming ~somewhere~ wants me .... can't do a Master's here... don't know where I am going to end up, but ....

Most of my profs, when asked, suggest that I should be looking at the University of New Brunswick .... there are other creative writing master's programs - or tons of non-creative writing focused MA programs... but NB is apparently the best. Guelph has one in TO at Humber College campus - it's fairly new.... might look at that one too but my profs are not enthusiastic - I was underwhelmed by the one writer/prof that I met from there and I am a ~tad~ not thrilled about the fact that it's held at another college rather than at the actual University.

Seems to me that if I want to someday teach at the University level, I would do well to at some point in my academic career, actually study at one. Even though I'm going up to Sudbury in the Fall, that'll only be part-time... just Mondays at this point...

Anyway ...we'll see... if I'm not going to actually be at a University campus though, I might as well just do correspondence through either UBC or Athabasca - also possible. My concern about doing that is that it would not allow me classroom/TA experience.... and besides I like SCHOOL - not schoolWORK LOL

Doing the Shakespeare class at home is a lot more work than taking an actual class where you get to discuss things and hear what other people think about stuff and so on.... it's basically just tons & tons of reading. Which I can do. But classes are way more fun.

Ross says he's willing to go to NB or wherever I want... in fact is a lot more enthusiastic about the idea than I am ... I want to do the masters thing - but don't want to leave the kids and the grandkids (Coltan should be making his appearance shortly - she's started dilating already) and the lake and the kingfisher and the crane and.....


*sigh* Time to quit whining and get to work... hope all's well with everyone :)