GRE Insanity

Source- this is the cover of my favorite book at the moment.

This week, I have begun my study prep to take the GRE on April 28th. I have purchased all of the necessary study guides and downloaded the practice test programs from ETS. I've even set up study schedule for myself gauging approximately how many hours per day I will need to study to get the score that I want.

Standardized, scantrony tests have never been my strongest area. I am one of those weirdos who would rather write a short essay than try to ace the fill in the blank questions. Luckily, the GRE does include essay-style questions. However, it also includes some "sentence completion" questions as well. But,I'm not scared of the verbal section, the math is really what makes me worried.

I graduated college in 2005. I completed my math requirements my freshman year, with the exception of a finance and accounting classes for my business minor. This means I have had NO algebra or arithmetic instruction since 2002. Yikes! I now am trying to dig all of that high school algebra (and back even further, we're talking division of fractions) out of my brain and pretend like I remember this stuff. In actuality, the concepts are simple, it's just remembering all of the little rules that helped me through the first time that's the challenge.

Sadly, I am not mathematically inclined. I spent long hours in the Math tutoring center in college getting help from a gifted Indian girl named Krishna. She was able to teach me a lot, but I would liken it to beating a sharp, square peg into a tiny, round hole. Painful!

My lack of math skills is not due to genetics. My father is an engineer and possesses a brilliant, scientific and logical mind. Mathematics makes sense to him and I remember him telling me as a very little girl that understanding Calculus can help you understand the world more clearly. For him, the concepts of Math are the building blocks on which the world is understood. We spent many nights at the kitchen table with me crying out of frustration and him unable to simplify a concept further to teach it to me.

Thus, to say that learning math has always been difficult to me is sort of an understatement. I am attempting, once again to fill my mind with these concepts, rules, shortcuts, rhymes, limericks - anything to help me through. And speaking of studying, it is now time (according to my schedule) to work on my antonyms and (gag) a little algebra.

Wish me luck, please! And for anyone out there who has been through this whole Grad School admissions process and wants to shed a little light on the experience, please leave a comment!

Thanks and I'm off....

Are we so weak?

I recently saw a story on the news about a woman is Seattle who is participating in a "no-heat" challenge this Winter. She is keeping her theromostat set at 55 during the day and 50 at night in an effort to save some money and be more environmentally conscious. Some of the people taking part in the challenge with her had vowed to keep their heat turned off all together through the Winter months!



This got me thinking, "Are we so weak that we can't turn our thermostat down a few degrees?" The benefits are two-fold. We save money and use less of the petroleum heating oil (yuck) that our old furnace requires.

I was feeling great about this! We'd bundle up, dress in layers, wear socks and a robe in the house. Afterall, the centrally heated house is a modern convenience. I grew up in a house that was heated for several Winters on a wood-burning stove alone! So Monday night, I turned the thermostat down to approximately 64 and left it there (which in our house means the house will stay at about 62 or 60).



All in all, we're doing pretty well with it. The heat is running signifigantly less, which is a good thing! Though my husband acts as though we're suffering a pain worse than death every morning when he gets out of bed. There is moaning, growling, running for the bathroom to get the shower started, it's a pretty great show.



I haven't been as affected by the little change as hubby. Although I have resorted to putting our dog in the bed, under the covers and snuggling up to him for warmth. I did this for an entire Winter in college when the house I lived in stayed between 55-60 degrees ALL the time because it was 100 years old and had no insulation. He's like a furry heater, who doesn't love to sleep with that?



Being a little chilly in the mornings and evening makes you appreciate your cup of coffee or tea. A warm shower is the most fabulous treat around, and it puts your blanket collection back in steady use! And we're in Pennsylvania! It's not the arctic circle! We can tough this one out!



I know that hubby is going to reach a breaking point in being cold and unhappy and turn up the heat to 72, which is his optimal temp for our house. But, I plan on being sneaky and turning it right back down and continually bribing him with warm food for dinner.



I'll keep you posted on any change we see in our energy bills.



Are you willing to take a challenge like this? If so, would you turn the thermostat down a few degress or off all together?