Salvage. Study. Salvage.

I spent the entire night studying for my accounting final, completing inventory statements and  balance sheets, calculating the price of goods sold, and getting the hang of reverse closing entries.

While I’m pleased with all the salvageable materials I’ve managed to recover over the weekend, another day studying would have really helped me get all the chapters down pat.  However, the final turned out to be one of the simplest I’ve ever taken.  I expected problems that involved taking transactions all the way from inventory to closing journal entries.  But, hell, it was just simple addition and subtraction.  Instead of relief, I was disappointed–and sort of  insulted.

There were also 30 multiple choice questions, but we only had to answer 15.  And some were so easy that I refused to answer them and worked on the harder ones instead.  I only missed one multiple choice question, but since I got the extra credit right I ended up with a score of 103.  On one hand, I want a good grade, but I also don’t like things too easy, especially since I lost sleep studying for this.

Afterward, I was so tired that I almost fell asleep in line waiting for my next term’s textbooks.  On the way home, I noticed the wrecking crew was starting on another home.  So I took a nap, woke up and got to the house.  Not much to salvage, except for lumber.  There was a wooden step ladder that I thought about using as a support for flowering vines, but thought better of it and put it back.  There were two other abandoned homes that hadn’t been touched yet.  I got the window sill counter weights out of them.  I think I’ll use those for rigging hanging plants to pulleys.

I also found planting pots, a watering can and metal fencing reinforcing some sort of animal pen that I’ll use as a trellis for my clematis.  As I was loading my trunk, one of the scrap metal scavengers came over from the newly demolished house and warned me that this particular demolition company could have the cops arrest me for trespassing, which could result in one year’s probation.

It’s sad some of these homes will be demolished.  The studs in the second floor of the  home I recovered counter weights from were all exposed.  Someone long ago must have started renovating and later abandoned the project.  But all that nearly century-old timber—this durable, sturdy building material–could be saved and used to build another home.

It’s just sad thinking what all is wasted.

No reward for an effortless A

I won’t have to take my management final.  My instructor  has a rule that if you have perfect attendance, participate in class, turn in assignments on time and maintain an A average throughout the term then you earn an exemption.

I got a 98 for the class, but don’t feel like a star pupil.  These last two weeks I’ve had to force myself to sit down with my textbooks and finish homework.  I’m too easily distracted.  There’s something a little too ironic about putting off a written assignment describing my personal one, two and five year life plans until the last minute.  I get A’s, but question why I’m not approaching my assignments with a little more gusto and efficiency.

I’m doing enough; and sometimes, lately, just enough.  But more than enough is far more satisfying.