Take Away this Ball and Chain

Friday. Yeah! Not only is it Friday, it's also the last work day before xmas. This means that there will probably be very little done today workwise. I'm personally crossing my fingers that we get let go early, but we'll see...

I am dead tired today. I pulled another late night working on my final paper. That pretty much makes it every night this week, and the cumulative effects are really starting to get to me. The good news is... I AM DONE! At this point in time I have completed all of my necessary school work in my final required classed to graduate. I'm just a few formalities away from (finally) receiving my Master's of Science in Organization Management. I honestly can't believe I have actually finished. You see, I've been going to school forever. I know people say things like that, but I mean it. It has not been an easy road, my friends. For those of you just tuning in, I will give you a brief academic history of darthjohn42:

Sometime in early 1993: Senior year in high school. Big fight with parents over me not applying to college. I advise parents that going to college would be a waste of time and money. Parents strongly disagree. I lose argument, apply to schools Spring 1993.
Summer 1993. Graduate high school. Declined, accepted, declined, then re-accepted at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire.
Fall 1993. Begin classes at UWEC. As predicted, do not take school seriously, follow other non-academic pursuits.
Winter 1994. After three sub-par semesters at UWEC, kicked out for poor academic progress. I appeal decision and I am allowed to return on probationary status. With a slight modicum of effort, better class load, and actual class attendance, I earn a 3.0 or higher for the next three semesters and avoid getting kicked out again. Still pursue plenty of non-academic pursuits.
Early 1996. In a bout of winter depression, girlfriend and I decide we will just pick up and move somewhere new to break downward spiral and start somewhere fresh.
March 1996. Visit Fort Collins, CO. Decide this is the place.
June 1996. Girlfriend and I drop out of school and move to small studio apartment in Fort Collins, CO. I work in a factory for next year and a half. Of all things listed, this was the most educational experience of my life.
Summer 1997. Marry girlfriend. Decide to get serious, get back into school, and move on with life.
January 1998. Accepted at Colorado State University to finish undergrad as an English major. Registrar at last minute decides to not grant me residency. Due to month-long fight I cannot get financial aid, books, or other necessary items for academic success. Needless to say, first semester did not go well.
Fall 1998. Realize being English major means having to read Jane Austen books. Change majors to History. Begin "Golden Age" of darthjohn's academic history. Decide I find my academic calling. During time as history major, I only made less than an A once in history courses, I made the dean's list three times, I earned a small scholarship, and served as a for-credit teaching assistant. Loved every class in my major I took.
Thanksgiving 1998. Wife and I discover that we are nine months away from being parents to our first child. I start a new full-time job while still attending classes.
August 1999. Daughter is born. Amazing wife attended classes throughout pregnancy.
March 2001. Economic recession in full swing. Laid off from job but luckily get new one since baby no. 2 is on its way. Consider career as History professor, make plans to attend graduate school.
May 2001. Take GRE to get into History grad school. Make acceptable score for admission.
September 2001. Buy house to make room for baby no. 2. Graduation nears.
December 2001. Second daughter is born. Amazing wife delivers child, then takes finals two weeks later and graduates with a degree in Psychology. I graduate with a degree in History. I am accepted into graduate school at Colorado State to study History.
Spring 2002. History grad school begins. Reading lots and lots of history books. Recession hitting Colorado hard. I have to take wage cut at job. Layoffs begin.
Summer 2002. Scared to death of losing job, I make one of the biggest decisions in my life: Continue grad school and follow dream and calling of studying history, or completely sell-out, drop out of grad school and seek second bachelor's in business instead. With a young family and a mortgage, I chose the latter. Apply to business school at CSU as Finance major. Take twelve credits of business courses over summer with moderate success. Wife declines acceptance to psychology grad school to also pursue second bachelor's in Finance.
December 2002. Wife laid off two weeks before Christmas.
Spring 2003. Employer declares wage freeze five days before my anniversary date. More layoffs. See the end is nearing. Unsuccessfully try to find other employment. Half of the houses on my street are for sale.
Summer 2003. Make another huge decision. Wife and I decide to leave our beloved Colorado and relocate close to family in Twin Cities area. Effects of recession are much lighter, and I am able to land job in the Accounts Receivable department of a wholesale supplier. Since purpose of second bachelor's was to land job, and I did so, I drop out with only six months left. Consider finishing at the University of Minnesota. Recruiter calls me and tells me I should consider applying to their #9 ranked MBA program. I laugh. She says that all I need is a certain score on the GMAT and they will let me in. I take GMAT, get the necessary score. I am accepted as a MBA learner in the U of M Carlson School of Business.
December 2003. House in Colorado still hasn't sold. We are renting a two bedroom apartment while still paying mortgage on empty house in Colorado. Job is going well but everything else is terrible. Reminded by Minnesota winter why we moved away. Wife and I decide over Christmas to move back to Colorado ASAP.
Spring 2004. Announce to work and family we are moving back to Colorado. In surprising twist, work takes it well and family reacts angrily. Employer advises they have branch in Denver and they will try to transfer me. Since recession is still going strong in CO, I take them up on this offer.
Summer 2004. Drop out of MBA program at U of M after two semesters and move back into our house in beautiful Fort Collins, CO. Still no business degree. Colorado State will not take any transfer credits into their MBA program. Seek alternative solution. Accepted by Capella University into their MBA program. Begin job in Denver branch.
Fall 2004. Decide Capella's Master's of Science in Organization Management is better fit, so I change programs. Big Boss Lady invites me to join her corporate receivables group running unpaid receivables website and compiling vendor database. I accept. Employer picks up percentage of my tuition and I get a raise. Things are looking up.
Summer 2005. Amazing wife graduates from Capella with a MBA. With still six months to go, I am very jealous.
August 2005. Big Boss Lady asks me to go back into collections to help clean up the oldest, nastiest accounts. I accept since the path to the next level lay in proven receivables results.
This week 2005. Finish last two term papers in last courses needed to graduate. Wait for grades and diploma.

So, as you can see, this has been a long, wild ride. And this was just the (somewhat) abbreviated version. You would expect that I would have slept well last night knowing this was all finally over. However, I tossed and turned all night dreaming about failing my paper or Capella making a last minute decision not to let me graduate. Or it could have been the distress of watching CSU lose to Navy 51-30 in the Poinsettia Bowl last night. Eeek! Oh, I listened to Social Distortion this morning on the way to work. It definitely seemed like a Social D day.

I won't be around next week because I am taking a much needed vacation. I'm not going anywhere, but with no work and no school it will be just perfect. Happy holidays everybody!