Classes old, classes new

We've started a new semester, but the last one won't let go.

I ended up taking an incomplete in NLP after the realization that I just wasn't going to finish some homework assignments on time.  I actually showed up and took the final for that class after finding out that I had received A's on the two previous finals, but decided to take it a second time after an offer from the professor.  I didn't get to read the final chapter of the text for the class because my husbands health had taken another twist.

After he went off the prednisone in late April, he developed stomach ulcers, and then started to break out with severe acne on his face.  His gastroenterologist wasn't able to get him in for several weeks to confirm the stomach ulcers, leading to us worrying for that time that it could be something much more sinister (thanks again, Doc).  His dermatologist is currently trying to figure out what, if anything, can be done for the acne--antibiotics are assumed out because my husband is still immunosuppressed, and peels or other chemicals could just do more damage by exposing more delicate skin that isn't protected by an immune system.  For the time being, my husband has been put back on the pred to control the swelling, and has had to start percocet just to sleep through the pain from the acne and ulcers.  There were quite a few sleepless nights when he was getting back up with nausea, and he has now reverted to having night terrors some nights--he hasn't had this problem since he was ten.  It's a very frightening experience for your spouse to wake up in the middle of the night, suddenly babbling nonsense and screaming your name.

So, for NLP I still need to retake the final and turn in some homeworks.  I made and A- in my MLS management class, and an A in database design.

My professor for database design actually paid me a huge compliment by asking to keep my database case study analysis paper as an example for the summer class.  She commented that it was one of the best papers she had encountered for that particular assignment because I had made a connection between a discussion in 801 about the Patriot Act and how it directly affected the design of library databases (some libraries have deliberately removed the ability of their databases to store patron records, thereby permanently preserving patrons' privacy for better or worse).  This compliment was huge for me, because it solidified my belief that I am very good at understanding and developing databases.  I felt like I breezed through the curriculum for that class, but I know that some classmates struggled; I'm feeling very secure in my belief that I am meant to build these systems better than they are now.

Starting the new semester, I'm taking classes this summer on digital collections, government documents, metadata, and project management.  Most of the classes are looking pretty good--I'm just hoping I can keep up with 4 different discussion boards.

Emotionally, I guess I'm feeling a little broken lately.  I can keep going with things, but I feel worn down, like I've burst my seems from swallowing so much stress, and I can't hold anything else now because it all just runs out of me.  When I got in for my physical this year (usually I do them in January, but this year not until May for having to take care of my husband), my doctor told me that my blood pressure is high.  I'm fighting the good fight to get my weight back in line and my blood pressure down, and even though I feel numb on the inside, I know that everything I have worked so hard for up to this point is very important to me.  Even if I don't feel it now, I know I will once things have recovered.