...to make statistics more interesting.



My ex boyfriend, who was six-foot-four used to tease me about being short.  All the time.  And unlike some of his teasing, this didn't particularly hurt my feelings, but it did annoy me because his assumptions about average heights were totally bogus. He thought six feet tall was average. I don't know why we didn't just look up average height statistics on the internet and settle the argument then, I guess it just never occurred to me.  But today's lesson about z-scores clarified and reinforced my position, which was that I was closer to average than he was and that I was not that abnormally short, he was just abnormally tall.  I suppose it was rude to call him a gigantic freak, but it was only in retaliation for his repeated proclamation that my "ass was built too close to the ground."



For the record:

The average height for men is 69.5 inches (5-foot-9+)

The standard deviation is 2.5

His z-score is 2.6

Which means he taller than over 99% of men



The average height for women is 64 inches (5-foot-4)

The standard deviation is 2.8

My z-score (I'm 5'3") is 0.21

Which means that I am taller than about 60% of women



Therefore, I am closer to the average height for my gender than he is, and I retrospectively claim victory in this really stupid argument. So ooo, moded!

Although in his defense, our social circle at the time included an unusual number of tall women. And actually, a number of tall men as well. So maybe they just grow them big in Sacramento or something.  And maybe I seemed extra short by comparison.

Anna is trying to pry the battery compartment of her camera open with a screwdriver, holding the camera between her thighs.



Me:  That looks like a one-way ticket to a puncture wound in your crotch.

Anna: Safety third!



Business as usual at the ART house folks.

So I've noticed a disturbing trend towards me doing jack shit pretty much all day after statistics class.  I haven't been getting enough sleep, and I use up all of my concentration and brain power in the morning, so I feel sort of brain-dead by afternoon when the tea wears off.  I suppose I could drink more caffeine to keep me going for the rest of the day, but I think that would just make me jittery and nuts.  I have been studying and doing homework, so it's not like I am completely useless, but I still feel like I have been wasting a lot of time.



Speaking of statistics, it was again an emotional roller coaster today.  I am convinced that my instructor likes to make up formulas with as many different letters as possible to explain things that would be much less confusing without them.  We were talking about

So I once again had that panicky moment of "OMG WTF is he talking about!!?"  and almost started crying.

But then, once he moved on from that bullshit, I started understanding what he was saying more.  And then we took a quiz, and I knew how to do everything on it, so I felt better about that.  I know it's not the best attitude, because I really should try to understand everything that's going on in the class, but to a certain extent, I am only concerned about knowing how to answer the questions on the tests and homework.  We have been using the "nCr" and "nPr" keys on the calculator. I have only a vague idea what they mean. But now I know when to use them to answer a specific kind of question. Since this will hopefully be the last math class I ever have to take, as long as I learn enough to get through the class, I don't have to worry too much about missing something foundational that will be built upon later. 

Despite the predictions of doom, I have gotten 80-90% on the homework and quizzes I have gotten back so far.  So even if I feel like I don't understand it, I guess I am doing okay.



Which is good, because I gave my learning disability paperwork to the Berkeley City College office today, and they said it might be several weeks before they can process me and hook me up with compensations.  I don't know why it would take so long- they look over my test scores and whatnot from American River, they talk to me a little bit to find out what I need- they give me a form to give to my teacher. Done. Why would that take weeks? Fucking bureaucracies.

So, my initial optimism about passing statistics this time around was damaged by today's class.

I'm not saying I'm giving up.  But I definitely had that moment of "WTF is he talking about!?" panic that is all-too-familiar for me in math classes.

I think part of the problem is that this instructor doesn't follow the curriculum pattern of the text book.  In the previous class, the teacher went through the book, chapter by chapter.  Which was sort of boring, but if I didn't get something in class I knew exactly where to study it in the book.  This guy seems to sort of jump around a lot, and so if I don't understand something, I have to try to hunt it down in a book, and then try to reconcile what he was talking about with what the book says.  It makes me feel like I am sort of floating around without the reassuring security of the text book as a life preserver.

But, I went to the library after class today and checked out "Statistics Demystified" which I am  hoping will help.  And tomorrow I am bringing in my learning disability documentation to the disabled students office, so they give me the paperwork to give to my teacher that will hook me up with "compensations."  I also am considering a tutor.



I have also started thinking about a plan B for if I don't pass.  It mainly involves getting a job, deferring my acceptance at SFSU, and taking it again next semester.  I really hope I don't have to do that, but it wouldn't be the end of the world.





Other than that, though, I am in a pretty good mood.

Occasionally, when I am loafing around, I like to look up pole dancing videos on youtube.  Just to see how different dancers do it, and learn from them. I have a new favorite pole dancer, youtube's RhiannenNichole.  She appears to have a huge ego, titling her videos things like "pole dancing the way it was meant to look"... but she's good.  I just really like her style.  She's very graceful and sensual, makes the tricks appear smooth and effortless, and segues between dancing and pole tricks very seamlessly.