Day Three

Grrr.

I started the day in a foul mood: We've a temporary preponderance of poopy puppies these days, and one of the permanent poodles pissed me off. The day was fairly busy as well, with an hour or two of work, kids coming for dinner, and having a meeting uptown at my youngest's school.

Anyway, I worked in my Calculus book for a little while, mostly long enough to realize I'm going to have to go back and read some more, maybe even from a book targeted at a wider audience, Teach Yourself Calculus or something. It's not that I've forgotten the big concepts—and my algebra and arithmetic will take care of themselves as I get back into practice—but some of what I would expect to be fundamentals seem to have slipped. The product and quotient rules for derivatives, for example, I don't even remember, much being able to apply them without thought. Odd, that. I'll continue with what I have for the time being, but I'm definitely in the market for a better refresher approach.

My Spanish comprehension turned out to be a little lower than I thought, but that's not a roadblock. It just means I'll need to read more actively, and I'll start keeping a list of new vocabulary until it becomes unnecessary or too cumbersome to help. (Excellent penmanship practice, too.) I'm only two full paragraphs in, but I'm pleased with the book I'm using. "I had never imagined that my name was the least of my troubles, nor that I would live up to my last name." The "live up to" phrase was unabashedly idiomatic and the literal translation spoke of reaching heights. Nice.

The irritation and grumpiness just wouldn't go away, so when my Penmanship Ms seemed to echo despondence, I quit for the day on that.

Drawing is still not happening. Now I need a hand mirror and maybe a drawing board. Dammit.

Day Four will have my first (and last?) "class" at the gym. Spanish, Penmanship, and—if I can find a mirror—maybe Drawing, although I'm not hopeful I'll actually be able to find the quiet time for that kind of concentration. I'd probably better take my History reading to help avoid unplanned idleness. I have a buddy in town, too, so an extended lunch is probably part of the equation.