For random reasons, I was surfing around my old community college website. The college I began classes at like, when was it? Going on 20 years ago. A non-traditional student. I was thinking I could find photos of that experience but OF COURSE they don’t exist. I had an old-fashioned flip phone then. I’m not even sure it took photos and I didn’t take my digital cam to class. So you get an artifact from around that time instead, which is The Indefatigable in its last years of life.

My program was called Internet Professional and it was pretty darn rigorous. One of my first classes was Web User Experience I and guess what? I had to write papers! Mostly little 1- or 3-page papers but a lot of them! But guess what? Mr. Pfifer taught me how to write a 3-page paper in Soo High 12th grade honors English. Best lesson ever. Say what you’re going to say, say it, and say what you said. Other people in my classes struggled. Heck, some other people struggled to READ. I couldn’t believe how many people came in with their first assigned paper and HADN’T PRINTED IT BEFORE CLASS!

I am not one of those warm fuzzy maternal types but I do care about people who may have less than I do in any way. I didn’t take people under my “wing” or “help” them with their classwork but I tried my best to support and encourage others who didn’t already have a college education and/or a whole bunch of life experience under their belt. If I was working with them on something anyway. I did not seek these folks out.

On the other hand, certain people I didn’t really suffer. Like the arrogant php guy in a javascript class who took every opportunity to discuss how great php was vs. javascript and tout his vast experience. One night he was going on and on and I turned around in my seat in the front row (he was also in the front row) and flashed my brother’s old shit-eatin’ trombone grin at the folks behind me. The one he used when he was in community band situations and had to play second fiddle to some crapola player*. Later that night a woman (who DID struggle with the class) came up to me and said (and meant it), “You are soooo funny!”

We’ll talk some other day about the time the guy with the stars ‘n’ stripes hat came in halfway through class apparently higher than a kite, passed out peanut M&Ms to all the WOMEN in the class, then proceeded to tell the guy next to him that he had been Excalibur (yes, the sword) in a previous life. The prof called him out to the hall and he did not return. If he’s still alive, I can only guess he’s a huge MAGAt and yes I ate the M&Ms.

I think I finished one certificate. Before I could finish any others, I got dumped into Corporate America and here I still am, still pinching myself.

Anyway I was looking around at today’s programs and classes and my two main teachers are STILL THERE! They are great teachers who don’t put up with any crapola and I LOVE them! Cheers!

*My brother was a GOOD trombone player although his career was auto engineer.

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