It's almost over.

 The class is almost over and I sit here wondering if I can power through the next two to three weeks. It has been a long time since I was in school and I am definitely older. My drive is different and my energy level is WAY different. I used to love going to school an learning different things. I never loved being tested on the subjects I was learning nor the feeling of competing with other students. I just wanted hear and learn about the different topics. I see other students in my class who are aiming to go beyond what is required and I think, that used to be me. What has changed? Is my age or has it been my life experiences. I don't know. All I can think about now is, it's almost over, thank God. 

Soon, I'll be on to the next subjects that are required for my certification and I'm sure I be just like I am now towards the end... Thank God it is almost over.

PowerPoint...I have avoided you all these years. And For What? Media Formatting.

Back in the day, I had to present a topic using PowerPoint. This intimidated me beyond anything I had to do in school. I guess the combination of speaking in front of my peers coupled with using a program I had never used before sent my anxiety into high gear. When need be, in my younger days, I had the uncanny ability to get someone (usually of the male persuasion) to maybe to do things for me. Now let me be clear, I did the research and the paper, I just didn't come up with the slides and arrange them. I felt at the time it was too challenging for me.

Let us fast forward some years and my dad asked me to help him with PowerPoint for his presentation he had to do for a class. I was no help to him because I just had people do it for me. So, he just sat down with the program and figured it out himself. He, like my husband, is ambitious and curious that way, unlike me.

The coolest portion during this process of learning and what I had always wondered about, was how people inserted videos, pictures, audio, and recordings. Media formatting located in the Insert tab on the ribbon. If I had bothered all those years ago to explore PowerPoint instead of giving up (because I was not confident in my ability to learn it) I would have noticed this section. Maybe then, my curiosity would have gotten the best of me, and I might have explored PowerPoint. Microsoft really has made this software program user friendly.  If I hadn't let myself get in the way I could have known and used this program for years. Don't get me wrong, I would rather not speak or present but at least I can, for the most part, do the slide presentation portion on my own or with little to no help.

Where to Put the Garden?

Taking a pause from IS101 and thinking about a garden, the question is, "Where to put it?" It is kind of like the "IF" function. If you are looking for a certain outcome (True), then this, if not (False), then that.

For fruits and vegetables, you want to pick a spot that receives at least eight to ten hours of sunlight. Apparently, gardens that face south tend to get more sunlight than the north counterpart. Also to consider, is the morning sunlight. That means east facing gardens. Now my backyard faces north-west ( I used a compass) so I picked an area that aesthetically looked good. I also spent a day from morning to end of day observing which area got the most sunlight and for how long. I truly thought one could pick a spot and go garden. I guess one could, but for all the effort I believe it takes to garden, especially ones first year doing it, a little research might be a smart idea.

So If you want a a successful garden (it does take more that just sunlight) make sure you pick an area that receives the most sunlight.