Adding it all up

Well the school year is over, which means for me, my first quarter is finished, and it is summer vacation.  Odd, every time I've started school at a college (3 different ones now), I've always started in the Spring.  Anywho... I'm now taking a break for the summer not because I want to, but because there are no classes being offered that I can take.  So with that in mind, this summer I plan to do a few things I've been needing to do, and prepare for my next quarter in the fall.
Today, I officially got back my grades for the quarter as well.  My drawing teacher, Mr. Carl Linstrum, was very generous and very awesome.  We gave me an A for my final, which, combined with my 100% on my final exam, got me an A for the class (but only just).  He admitted I needed to do more work on my final drawing, which I am planning to do, since I want to submit it to the student exhibition, Beyond the Dot, next year, once it is completed.  It shouldn't take too long, but now I don't have to feel pressured for time to get it done.  I do have to make sure it is presentable, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there.  It was an Awesome class, and I'm glad I didn't try to transfer out of it.
My Public Speaking teacher, Dr. Todd Wirth, was great!  He was really fun, and liked to tell jokes at the beginning of each class (most of them groaners).  This teaching method involved a more hands-on approach, getting the class up and moving on the first day of class, and getting us used to the idea of standing in front of an audience and giving a speech.  While it still only feels like we gave 2 actual speeches, he actually made us give 7 in the class, most of which he snuck in to show us what it is like to give a speech of some sort.  The hardest part of the class wasn't actually the speech, but rather the final test.  I ran out of energy studying, and there was so much to cover, with things you never thought about regarding speeches, that I ended up with my lowest grade for the class, a B.  (I know, I know... I'm such a lazy bum for not staying up after 4 am studying after not sleeping the night before and only getting 3 hours the night before that).  Regardless, I ended up finishing the class with an A!  And if you haven't yet seen my last speech (which got an A), I'll post it at the bottom of this part.
Finally, there was my Color Theory class, with Ms. Marcia Cohen (easily recognized by her signature black and white checkered glasses).  She was a very tough but fair teacher.  She made sure we were professional in the classroom, and our projects were presented in a professional manner.  She was not the easiest teacher, but she was nice, and I liked her.  I consider her teaching style a type of tough love.  Now this was totally my fault.  I just couldn't get into this assignment, so I kept putting it off, and I ended up racing the clock to get it done.  That pointillism thing I kept talking about was finished about 5 minutes before class, not my best idea.  I really didn't want it to get that far, but I have no one but myself to blame.  I was just starting to get burned out from all the work I had been doing and didn't apply myself enough.  I ended up with a B on the project, which brought my final grade from a B... to a B.  Yes, I didn't get an A.  Oh well, it was still a B.  And like I said, I could have had an A if I just applied myself on that last project.
So that leaves me with 2 A's and a B for my first quarter, not bad.  Next I'll shoot for 3 A's.  It has been a difficult quarter, but combining opening a Disney Store with a full schedule at college has been a challenge.  I should be able to handle anything they throw at me, but for now, I get to work on some projects of my own.  Later this summer, I will be taking some photography classes and a portraiture class, for fun.  No grades involved, just a community education class to get in some practice and a little more know-how.  I will also get to see my wife, and hopefully get in more hours at work.  In the meantime, I have some books, games, and art projects that I want to work on.
I will of course continue to post here throughout the summer, with movie reviews, cool things I heard about, and just whatever else I feel like posting.  To all my fellow SCAD students and classmates, congrats on finishing up the quarter, I hope you all did well.
So till next time, enjoy my persuasive speech on why you should get your kids vaccinated.  (If you want to see the slideshow... just Google search the diseases in question).

TA TA