PIE!!!!

Yeah, for Thanksgiving this year, my family that I live at home with (mom, dad, and little bro) pretended that they were in St. George so that they wouldn't have to deal with the rest of my family! So much fun! Lol it really was, and my mom went experitmental with the cooking and made some amazingly delicious pies! That has been my main staple for the past few days. If you've never had a Creamcheese-toffee-apple pie before, you're seriously missing out!

Turkey Day!!!

Yeah... pretty sure this is about what I look like this weekend. I'm going to be horribly busy with school and many other activities. So wish me luck.


Thanksgiving has now come and gone away now that I've actually gotten around to posting this. However, I can tell you what I have done and what I am planning on doing.

The 24th was my mother's birthday, so I made sure to spend time with her all day. I included a fun present of perfume and an epic Hoops and YoYo card.

Thanksgiving is always a huge event with my family. The reason being is because my Montgomery side of the family is HUGE. All of us could barely fit in my aunt's basement where we held our delectable Thanksgiving feast. It was noisy, kids were running everywhere, cranberry juice was spilled more than once on white carpet, and everyone was too full of food to move. Yet, it was still wonderful to be together and laughing with everyone.

Later, I also went to see Tangled with a family member. Oh. My. Gosh. Insta fan girl! I don't care if it is supposed to be a kid show. Best! Movie! EVER! I'm going to see it again on Saturday too! I won't spoil the plot on here for those who haven't seen it yet, but I do recommend it. Tangled is up on my list with Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. For me, that's saying a lot. Those movies are nigh impossible to top.

Today, the day after Thanksgiving, I've been cleaning and attempting to get a bit of homework done. Yeah... it's not working. The family and I are trying to take down all of the thanksgiving decorations and put up some Christmas decorations for fear of falling behind. I'm just trying to keep my life in order for all of my finals. I have two tests to study for in my worst subjects (math and science), I have two huge papers due, an art project that remains unfinished (I also have a test I need to study for in that class as well), and then I have a reflections final that I need to finish as well. I'm also busy with a lot of family because everyone is up for the Holidays. That's distracting. So, I'm rather nervous about getting things done and I'm feeling very scatter brained.

O__o;; I Don't Understand!!!

The subjects I have found to be the most difficult to tutor in are the science classes. I can understand the writing process, what the object of the paper is supposed t be about, and how one should generally be formatted. However, I have a hard time with scientific papers because I usually don't know what they're talking about. Usually, they're all about explaining some scientific experiment, and they use huge scientific words that I can't pronounce, let alone know the meaning of. It makes it hard to understand what the paper is about when I don't know what the formulas mean or are for or what some chemical does to another and why it's important. I usually end up feeling foolish coming out of those sessions because I feel like the student was spending more time explaining what pneumonottramieroscopiesillicouoleano is rather than focusing on how to correctly format the paper in an APA style.
Another subject that I have a hard time with is ESL. I have a hard time being sure I know the real meaning of something or trying to translate what the student was trying to say. I have come to love the question "Now, what did you mean by this sentence?" in a session with an ESL student because the meaning can then be explained to me, and more often than not, the student is able to explain the sentence more precisely than he or she did in the paper.
I feel like I still have a lot more to learn by means of tutoring in both subjects, but I also feel like I have come a long way. I know more of what to look for in these papers and I don't get quite so hung up on all the little details.

Plans? What Plans?

Currently, my plans consist of piles of homework, buying a new printer ink cartridge, and getting all of my homework done this weekend. This includes 4 finals, 2 are 4-7 pages, 1 is 8 to 10 pages, and the last will be at least 15-30 pages, depending on how much time I allow for that final. Additionally, I have 8 short essay papers. This should be a very interesting time as I lock myself into the confines of my room, only to emerge to eat dinner with my family, then go spend the night outside a store, to find a cheap gift for my little monster.

Happy Thanksgiving! Here is smallpox!

Oh the pilgrims. What a gift. I am actually just going home. Originally I was going to go skiing, but the Canyons has postponed their opening date to the 10th of December, but I am ok with that, because they are opening over 300-acres of new terrain that they acquired last year! I already have my skis tuned up. I am riding on a sweet pair of Salomon X-Screams, and they ride like a dream. Float like a bumblebee in the powder, and sting like a bee on those moguls! But since there is no skiing, I'll probably go sledding and exploring, and if I can get access, maybe drop into some back country bowls on the backside of Big Cottonwood. Should be good. I am also going to... WRITE MY PAPERS THAT ARE DUE! oy. Procrastination, thy cruel hand has gripped me once again. Luckily, I am not that bad off. All of my research is done. I just have to organize my ideas, so I'm not too worried. Anywho. I plan on eating many many mounds of mashed taters and gravy as well. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

La Difficolta!

To tell you the truth, I have felt very comfortable consulting papers from all subjects. One that requires more patience than most is when I tutor ESL students though. I don't say that in any derogatory way, but sometimes after I work with an ESL student, I feel really drained. This is because it seems that I am constantly hitting dead ends in understanding in communicating, having to back up, and try another avenue in order to ensure that I have understood correctly, and that I have been understood. I would rather have a student going away with a firm grasp on just a few concepts as opposed to leaving with their hands full with too many half-developed and weakly understood ones. I admire the patience and tenacity that I see from Laikwan and Kristen in the Writing Center almost daily as they seek to work at the same pace as the students that come to see them, whether it is at a slow saunter, or an all out sprint.

Heading down to Orem for some traditional Thanksgiving food, then maybe some homework. Um...probably some homework. Actually... a ton of homework!! And hopefully some sleep!