I'm feeling almost philosophical
Nov. 7th, 2006 03:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
starrylitesIf my brain allowed my thoughts to go any deeper, or allowed said thoughts to be put into words, I suppose I could be philosophical, but my brain's not very cooperative that way. It likes surface layer types of subjects, and therefore only gives me the ability to voice surface layer types of ideas.
Anyway, in British Lit we were supposed to read Great Expectations. Believe it or not, this was the first piece of Dickens ever assigned to me. I'm sorry to say that due to circumstances beyond my control from Thursday through last night I just wasn't able to get it finished, but what I've started I've thoroughly enjoyed and SparkNoted the rest to make sure I knew the whole story for class today. Most of our talk in class today was devoted to the modern person being a Victorian and relating it to Great Expectations and just how "great" expectations really are. Our society expects so much of us, and we ourselves expect to do well in it...have a nice computer, not drive a crap car, have a decent standard of living, buy anything that we feel we 'need,' etc. But say in the book, are the expectations really that great, or are they just great in their size and their end aim? What good is an expectation if you think it's what you are handed as a citizen of the world? An expectation becomes nothing without any work or desire or motive or end goal. Expectations are dangerous because more often than not they are what get us in trouble, not the act of getting where we're shooting to be getting. Dickens was writing about this problem among the Victorians, that with the increase in capital wealth their lifestyle made a huge jump, and even now our society is doing the same thing. I'm guilty of it, but it's just something interesting to think about...
...and there are days that I don't think I'm meant to be an English. Gah...I've turned analytical.
Oh yes, Grandma's cancer was developed enough that Chemo was necessary. She had her first treatment last week and has been on an emotional roller coaster ever since. My Aunt Elaine has been going through the same procedures and is feeling healthier than she has in years, so that's cheered Grandma up some. But at the same time, she's really feeling the Chemo and her body just isn't active enough anymore that's it's really taking its toll on her, even after only one treatment. Let's just say I'm not looking forward to calling them on Monday to wish them a Happy Anniversary...but I love them to death so I will, and do my best to put on a good face and cheer Grandma up; I mean, she didn't even want the fam to come up for the usual Sunday visit this last weekend...and that always cheers her up.
Oh yes, speaking of health problems, the little sister's wisdom teeth are no longer being pulled on Thursday. Two years we've been trying to get this appointment, but because of the seizure disorder and the amount of medication she's on it's considered full blown surgery and must be done at the hospital. It took us over six months to get approval from the insurance company, then we had to switch dentists, and Mom got a phone call yesterday morning that he was sick and wouldn't be back in for at least two weeks. Well...Court's tests are good through the 25th of this month, otherwise she'll have to got the three preliminary tests again (which, she assured me on the phone yesterday, she did not want to do under any circumstances). If we can't get it done in that window, then we'll have to go through the testing and scheduling processes all over again. It shouldn't take two years to pull 3 teeth (3 because one of them is just missing). Anyway, it was very obvious yesterday that she'd incredibly frustrated by it.
On a good note, though, Court's speech is getting better again. After we started to drop her Zarotin levels (one pill off every month), her speech became incredibly slurred, nearly impossible to understand, and her thoughts totally jumbled. We were afraid it was a side effect of lowering her intake of a drug that she'd been practically overdosed on to keep her seizures under control. But, Mom started to crack down on her about her Dr. Pepper intake...she's staying put, talking better, and actually wanting to know what's going on in the world around her. SUCCESS! So, other than the fact that it sounds like I will be home to witness her joyful mood while her entire mouth hurts, it looks like the tests were right and the traces of seizures in her body are diminished to almost nothing, or nothing at all. So far no petite mal seizures (and, obviously, no grand mal either), no staring spells, no nothing like what her neurologist raised her levels for in the first place. They took off another one last week, and so far so good! *is very happy about that* =) I haven't seen her since they started to drop the meds off, so I can't wait to see her and talk to her in a couple of weeks. I mean, dude, she actually approached one of her professors about a question last week and did so on her own accord without being prompted...that is probably a first.
7 Days to Lois and Clark Season 4!
14 Days to my b-day and flight home to CALI!
P.S. Thanks to everybody who voted for my posters. I think I know what I'm going to put up now...I think.
Anyway, in British Lit we were supposed to read Great Expectations. Believe it or not, this was the first piece of Dickens ever assigned to me. I'm sorry to say that due to circumstances beyond my control from Thursday through last night I just wasn't able to get it finished, but what I've started I've thoroughly enjoyed and SparkNoted the rest to make sure I knew the whole story for class today. Most of our talk in class today was devoted to the modern person being a Victorian and relating it to Great Expectations and just how "great" expectations really are. Our society expects so much of us, and we ourselves expect to do well in it...have a nice computer, not drive a crap car, have a decent standard of living, buy anything that we feel we 'need,' etc. But say in the book, are the expectations really that great, or are they just great in their size and their end aim? What good is an expectation if you think it's what you are handed as a citizen of the world? An expectation becomes nothing without any work or desire or motive or end goal. Expectations are dangerous because more often than not they are what get us in trouble, not the act of getting where we're shooting to be getting. Dickens was writing about this problem among the Victorians, that with the increase in capital wealth their lifestyle made a huge jump, and even now our society is doing the same thing. I'm guilty of it, but it's just something interesting to think about...
...and there are days that I don't think I'm meant to be an English. Gah...I've turned analytical.
Oh yes, Grandma's cancer was developed enough that Chemo was necessary. She had her first treatment last week and has been on an emotional roller coaster ever since. My Aunt Elaine has been going through the same procedures and is feeling healthier than she has in years, so that's cheered Grandma up some. But at the same time, she's really feeling the Chemo and her body just isn't active enough anymore that's it's really taking its toll on her, even after only one treatment. Let's just say I'm not looking forward to calling them on Monday to wish them a Happy Anniversary...but I love them to death so I will, and do my best to put on a good face and cheer Grandma up; I mean, she didn't even want the fam to come up for the usual Sunday visit this last weekend...and that always cheers her up.
Oh yes, speaking of health problems, the little sister's wisdom teeth are no longer being pulled on Thursday. Two years we've been trying to get this appointment, but because of the seizure disorder and the amount of medication she's on it's considered full blown surgery and must be done at the hospital. It took us over six months to get approval from the insurance company, then we had to switch dentists, and Mom got a phone call yesterday morning that he was sick and wouldn't be back in for at least two weeks. Well...Court's tests are good through the 25th of this month, otherwise she'll have to got the three preliminary tests again (which, she assured me on the phone yesterday, she did not want to do under any circumstances). If we can't get it done in that window, then we'll have to go through the testing and scheduling processes all over again. It shouldn't take two years to pull 3 teeth (3 because one of them is just missing). Anyway, it was very obvious yesterday that she'd incredibly frustrated by it.
On a good note, though, Court's speech is getting better again. After we started to drop her Zarotin levels (one pill off every month), her speech became incredibly slurred, nearly impossible to understand, and her thoughts totally jumbled. We were afraid it was a side effect of lowering her intake of a drug that she'd been practically overdosed on to keep her seizures under control. But, Mom started to crack down on her about her Dr. Pepper intake...she's staying put, talking better, and actually wanting to know what's going on in the world around her. SUCCESS! So, other than the fact that it sounds like I will be home to witness her joyful mood while her entire mouth hurts, it looks like the tests were right and the traces of seizures in her body are diminished to almost nothing, or nothing at all. So far no petite mal seizures (and, obviously, no grand mal either), no staring spells, no nothing like what her neurologist raised her levels for in the first place. They took off another one last week, and so far so good! *is very happy about that* =) I haven't seen her since they started to drop the meds off, so I can't wait to see her and talk to her in a couple of weeks. I mean, dude, she actually approached one of her professors about a question last week and did so on her own accord without being prompted...that is probably a first.
14 Days to my b-day and flight home to CALI!
P.S. Thanks to everybody who voted for my posters. I think I know what I'm going to put up now...I think.