All change!

Drugs and the Brain is now finished and (I think!) I somehow managed to end up with >90%! I await certificate! I dumped two courses last week. The nutrition course wanted too much work - all sorts of food diaries and mind maps, as well as quizzes etc. I took me 3 hours on day 1 to figure out the food diary website and find an American equivalent to a Cadbury's Mini Roll! The other course was the 'Science - superhero' one, which I think would have bored me silly as it was concerned with how we see science from the outside in - ie for people who have never really studied science at all. So now I am enrolled on the 'The Modern World: Global History since 1760' and 'Introduction to Philosophy'. Husband is most amused about the history, because he knows it's the subject I've spent a lifetime avoiding! But I am enjoying it!

That's it :(

Today was the last day possible to register for an OU course which would keep my Transitional Arrangement payments alive. I've lapsed. So I will no longer be studying with the OU. This was a decision I didn't take lightly. But WHY would I need a third bachelor's degree, so why would I pay to take courses I didn't need? Gone are the old days of dabbling around with courses when you felt like it - the pressure with TA fees was too constricting, and I didn't like it. Fees for students are now ridiculous, especially now, with the OU as they have decided that courses will now be online only. WHAT NO WONDERFUL OU BOOKS? Forget it! Also, there's a load of kerfluffle on applying for OUSBA loans. It's all become far too 'business' orientated and, quite frankly, it doesn't taste all that good. I shall miss the OU a great deal, but it is time to move on.

So, what have I been doing and what do I intend to spend my time doing in the future? Well, I'm studying free courses with Coursera. OK, no books (apart from those you choose to buy) - but who minds that if the course is free? And, so far, the courses have been brilliant. I didn't complete the Fantasy course (forget why!), but intend to retake it another time. But I did complete the Greek and Roman Mytholody course, presented by Penn University - and it was amazingly good, with a wonderful tutor, Peter Struck, and fabulous video lectures. I never thought I would read the Odyssey! I got a certificate - and I received 97.5% and a distinction!!

I'm currently finishing off CalTech's 'Drugs and the Brain', which is REALLY HARD - all that neuroscience! But it is interesting, and I am managing to get half decent scores with the quizzes, so I might yet get a certificate! I will update this blog when I start the next course.

Apart from the Coursera courses, I have been planning a holiday to Crete (and, hopefully, Santorini) and also have written another novel (NaNo again!).



I wrote a fairly unsensible kind of sci fi thingie, called 'The Blips', which I might change to simply 'Blips' when I get it published for real - lol! I did get a few copies of the first draft printed and sent to friends and relatives, and have received little feedback (apart from that one friend said she loved it!), but will carry on editing regardless.

Oh, and I am dabbling with mapping Mars!

All for now. HAPPY NEW YEAR to one and all.