I Did Pass After All

Class this morning at 8 am was pretty good. We started on a photoshop project on turning images into paintings - it's pretty cool. Next week we have to bring in 5 images of our own and then we'll play around with them - I'll definitely post my creation. I think we need to bring in 5 images so that atleast we have a selection incase something doesn't work out - we have back up. We started on an exercise with an image that she gave us, and we used functions that allowed us to make the image to look like a painting. I think Photoshop 2 is going to be easy for me, but I can't use any more exemptions, or I won't really learn anything. Plus we may go over stuff in Photoshop this semester that I didn't learn while in Photography School. And anyhow, Photoshop for Graphic Design and Photoshop for a Photographer are used in different ways, so I will probably learn a whole other side to Photoshop that maybe I didn't already know.

While we were working on our exercise, Kathleen brought my last semester final assignment from our Illustrator course, and popped in my CD to show me that it didn't work at all and well - guess what? It worked! And she swears it didn't work in the teacher's lounge computer (oh so now there's a teacher's lounge? I had no idea? Does that mean they have a phone for us to reach them on? NO! Does that mean they have office hours? NO!) and it didn't work at her house either. Oh well, it works now, and I think she feels like an idiot.

The final project is worth 40% of my final mark, the class that I have 48% out of 60% already. So out of the 40% it's marked on 2 parts. Part 1 is worth 25% and Part 2 is worth 15% totallying 40%. She was able to mark Part 1 while in class, and I think if I saw correctly I got a 23.5/25. (Which now brings up my 48% out of 60% to a 71.5% out of 85%, and I'm still missing 15% of my final mark. But - I passed (60% is a passing grade out of 100%) so whatever I get more than 71.5% I don't care - because I passed. I WOULD like to see my mark in the 80's, seeing as though in my other 3 classes I got 94%, 94% and 95% so I would like to maintain an above 90% average to get a certificate of excellence upon graduation. I am going to work my butt off this semester to maintain that! Even if I don't get a full 15/15% on the second part of the assignment which she hasn't finished marking yet - I will still be able to maintain my above 90% average if I get 8/15 and above on the 2nd part of my project. Which I know I will get above that! She said she will finish marking the rest of my assignment on Thursday during my other class with her. Why she can't mark it on her own time? I don't know - but anyhow.

She also told me that I won't have to pay the 50$ fee to appeal my mark - since it was her mistake and not mine. The school has changed a lot of it's policies over winter break and now if you want to appeal a mark it will cost you. Apparently if the mark is better for you, then you get your money refunded, but if it turns out you're wrong, you lose the money. Kathleen told me NOT to worry about this.

Another rule that has been changed is EVERY class you miss - you will now automaticlaly lose 3% of your final grade. HARSH! Kathleen was the one who told us about this and she said that she thinks it's bullshit and if she sees that we're a good student and we're responsable for missed work, she will not count 1 or maybe even 2 absenses only if that's all we missed out on the entire semeseter.

Phew. I knew I didn't fail. There was no way that I would fail... No way. I know the kind of work that I do and I know I don't fail. Especially now that I am in a field that totally suits me and is creative and allows me to be creative.

In our afternoon class we had Web Site Design and we started on the basics of HTML which are easy for me, since I have a background in this subject already. I don't think I ever was taught how to do this properly, so it'll probably be a breeze for me, I am sure. I am really interested in how to do make a website from scratch just using Notepad the free software that Windows comes with! I can see it being a fun class. Today we learned how to change the background colour, how to change font size and type, and make rows of invisible boxes were information can be placed. It was a fun and easy class. I liked it. And I like our new teacher Sebastien.

Came home after school for a bit, and then met Jamie at the gym for about 6pm. I worked out in cardio for about half an hour and then that's all I felt like doing today. I was being lazy before even going to the gym, but it was Jamie this time who convinced me to go to the gym, so that was cute. I am really glad that I went though. Felt great.

Came home, showered and then made myself a really good salad. I threw in chick peas and baby corn and red pepper, onion, yellow cauliflower and shredded cheese. Made a mixed dressing with oil and vinegar as well as some pepper and it was actually really good!

Had a nice conversation with Miriam tonight on the phone, it has been a while since we've spoken on the phone - usually it's via MSN, email or letters. I miss her - didn't really get a chance to hang out with her the weekend of my wedding, but did meet her down at the bar of the hotel the night before my wedding for dinner, that was fun. But still - didn't really get to hang out with her. I would love to find some time to get down to Toronto - maybe for a weekend or something, sometime soon. I don't even care if it's with or without Jamie - I just don't really want to drive alone - that's the only problem.

My dad went over the slideshow today with Jamie and there were a few changes to be made - so I will work on those tomorrow. Small things like adding in more text, changing around a few fonts so they are all the same instead of all different, slowing down the pace of the images, that sort of thing. Nothing an hour or two can't fix! I definitely have the time tomorrow - day off from school. I think I may go check out one or 2 more stores to see if they have any of my favourite earrings left! I may just have to!

I watched a few episodes of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and that was fun. I poured myself a glass of wine, and watched some TV. I think I'm going to go now, straighten my hair with the new hair straightner from my sister, and then crawl into bed with Jamie. That's the plan.