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Following Jovan Hutton Pulitzer and he passed this on to his followers.  Very useful if you want to take courses at no cost.  Who would have thought you have to have hundreds of thousands of dollars to take college level courses?  This is fabulous.  It’s never too late to learn!

MOOC!!!!

It means Massive Open Online Courses…..and the list is huge!  So, if it’s learning you want to do, this is great!  If you have to have a piece of paper to qualify for a job, that’s another story, but there’s probably source material for that as well.

Check it out!

Had an interesting discussion over on Nextdoor which I seldom use.  But I did join the book club, thinking I’d meet some of my neighbors who are possibly interested in reading similar things.

I decided to read Gulag Archipelago which I finally found in kindle format, and not the mashed up junk I had downloaded from internet archive.  Well, it’s three volumes, around 700 pages each!  And once I started, I couldn’t stop, couldn’t put it down.  So, I mentioned it in the book club in our local nextdoor neighborhood app.  One nice guy said he though it should be required reading, as we could see some similarities in our culture today.  And then another guy butted in to put him down and call him a racist.

Well, so, I had to engage.  The discussion on my part was reasonable and civil.  On his part, put downs and calling me names.  After a bit, with the first guy engaging as well, the guy went back and deleted several of his rude message.

I mentioned that, and wondered if he had more to contribute other than ad hominems.  Long story short, after a while, he posted a link to an WaPo article, which I couldn’t read because I don’t subscribe.  We discussed the election lawsuits which he poopooed, and I said he should be looking forward to them, especially since he’s so certain his side won.  And he again called me insane, and sick, and said he is blocking me.

Wow.  I’m blocked, by a guy who was insulting, rude, name calling, and I’m really thrilled about it!  I told someone else of Nextdoor who was being insulted by him to keep engaging, and he would get blocked too!  Celebrations all around!  Some people are just plain trolls.  No question.

Funny thing happened with my new health insurance coverage, and the local CVS where we usually get our prescriptions.  I had a prescription renewal last month, and when I got the call it was ready, I was told it was going to be $352 and I asked why so much!  I was told the insurance company said I couldn’t have it covered again until February.

Well, we have new coverage, effective January 1.  So, I decided to see if I could get it paid for by the new insurance.

Went to the pharmacy, and asked the youngster who waited on me about the prescription.  He got it, and I told him, about the price being $352 and I didn’t have the money, and wondered if the new insurance would pay for it.

He said, “Let me see,” and pulled it out.  It was actually $3.52!  He said, “Well, the old insurance must have paid for it!”

Surprise!  So, I asked him should he take the new insurance card now, and he looked at it carefully.

“Next time.”

I asked, ” Why?”

“It was from last month and billed to the old insurance company.  If I redo it, it will cost more under the new plan.”  🙂

God is good.  CVS is as well!  Or at least our pharmicists over there are, and Santa may have played a roll!  God is good!  🙂

 

For me, I was just a kid when I decided I wanted to be an artist. Of course, the impossibility was obvious, and I changed that to wanting to be a nun. The convent across the street from one of our early residences so often burst forth with beautiful singing, and I deduced nuns just taught school, did art work, and sang beautiful music. The also got to only wear one thing, no worries about fashion, or what everyone else was wearing. They were all wearing the same thing.

But that was then. When I grew up and married and had kids, I never thought I’d have the opportunity to do the type of thing I liked, because actually staying home and raising kids is hard work.

But, then, they go to school! And my wonderful husband said that I, too, could go to school while they were in school. So, my local community college was my favorite hangout!

First, I studied painting, and drawing, and later discovered design and sculpture. My instructors were community college type teachers who didn’t think too much would ever come from their classes, and some admitted they were really teaching appreciation, as once folks realized art is hard work, they just appreciate others that much more.

Others thought they were teaching hobbyists. Our classes were filled with curious youngsters and retired government and military folk. A few housewives, I suppose, like me.  Here’s a few of my early drawing class efforts.  

 

I cannot find any Christmas spirit, and even the Christmas lights neighbors have lighted the neighborhood with don’t really help.  COVID restrictions and lockdown have limited church services so much they have

 

n’t even posted a notice as to when mass will be on Christmas eve.  That’s depressing.  Usually the most attended mass all year, and we have a limit on how many can occupy the church at one time.

We’ve been signing up for weekly Sunday masses, and it’s worked out pretty ok, but the church seems so empty and drab with no singing, no hymnals, no greetings to each other, and everyone having to stand on a round spot to keep from crowding neighbors….ugh.

May God be with and bless you all, and keep our country safe from the encroaching globalists who want to take over.  Once this nation falls, there will be no where folks can go looking for freedom!  And those on the left just won’t get it, until it’s too late, and they become victims themselves.

May the Spirit of Christmas be with each and every one of you.