I decided to go back to school during this pandemic. I'm taking a Physical Geography class to fulfill some degree requirements and we just had our midterm yesterday. While a great distraction, I am so glad to be on the other side of that. So much studying!

I can now tell you all about insolation, subsolar point, how the equinox and solstices relate to solar radiation at different parts of the world.

I now refer to equinoxes and solstices by month vs season, since in the southern hemisphere, the June Solstice is their winter, and in the northern hemisphere its summer solstice - and it's just easier when writing out answers to questions to do it by month.

Prime meridian? I know that bitch. Trade winds and anti trade winds? We go way back. Tropiic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn? Not just a books by Henry Miller.

Cyclones and anticyclones, the coriolis effect/force, troposphere, stratosphere, and other components of the atmosphere. Way more info than I ever thought I'd need about Earth systems and ... yeah I will most likely forget it all after the class is over.

hahha, same way I felt when I took astro biology my first term after I transferred

Misha : that sounds awesome. I wanted to take astro to fulfill this requirement, but it was not being offered in the Spring.

Well done! I signed up for a class in how to do Excel, which I've forgotten. I seem to keep forgetting to work on it, however. I need a more structured environment... and someone with a whip and a chair

The distraction factor is huge, also

it was fascinating, it was a mix of geology, chemistry, biology and so on... all out in space

Gingo! : hahah I am not a competitive person, except when it comes to being competitive with myself. For some reason, academics make me fiercely focused and determined to get all the credit plus the extra credit. It's been hard to adjust to a schedule and discipline, but my pride pushes me through

Misha : yes! I wanted to focus on space but ended up with earth. Earth is pretty cool too though. It's kind of unreal that all these system work together to sustain life.

yes, I am also competitive, but self-paced learning doesn't do it for me. I'm maxed out of the cheap credits you can earn in our state university system, and really can't think of anything that would inspire me anyway. I need a classroom environment for the competitiveness to kick in, I fear

Gingo! : i am loving distance learning, but I can see how a classroom environment would be nice too. it's been too long for me, I'd feel like an old person in a classroom lol. If the last class I need for this degree is not offered this year, I might take a certification program or something like that. I just feel the need to keep learning

Gingo! : even if i can't retain it all lol

That's the beauty of it! when I returned to school for my advanced degree in nursing I was 30 years older than the average student, and I stayed at the top of the class throughout. as far as retaining it goes, 20 weeks is sufficient

and yes, keeping learning is huge. That was why I signed up for the stupid Excel course