We’re going to pump *CLAP* you up!

I don’t want to say I’m lacking in inspiration, but for lack of a better subject, I’m going to provide a history lesson about what led up to my impending surgery. In a way, I’m glad it’s happening two weeks from now, because the back story could take several entries. Whether that’s because I want to provide a natural break between topics or because I’m lazy… I ain’t gonna tell you.

Suffice it to say that if you want to read the whole epic saga in one sitting, you may want to wait for a few days, then drop by the blog with some popcorn and a Coke. It may not last as long as Titanic and the soundtrack isn’t as good, but at least this story was cheaper to produce. Plus my acting isn’t as overrated.

The most likely beginning of the story spans back to last summer. That’s right, last summer. Ooh, the plot is thickening already…

Last summer was when I registered to take some classes at Normandale Community College in Bloomington, MN. I’d already taken a semester of classes during the winter which fulfilled some prerequisites for Mankato State’s MBA program, but being habitually slow on the draw, I missed the application date to register for upper-level prereqs that fall (classes that were only available at four-year universities).

Thus, I decided to take another semester of classes and earn an AA with an emphasis in Accounting. Now I have two BAs (four-year degrees), a JD (three years of law school) and an AA from a community college. Hold on a sec while I pat myself on the back for that last piece of wallpaper… oh yeah, that’s the good stuff. Earning an AA typically takes two years, but I had enough credits from aaaaaall my previous years of college courses, so I fulfilled all the school’s general requirements for a degree in the fall.

General requirements, you might ask? Yeah, Normandale has about ten categories of classes that need to be fulfilled to graduate and I was missing three of them. (According to their books, I was missing more, but when my “Race and the Law” seminar didn’t translate to a course they provide, I had to fill out a “GIMME THE CREDIT!” form and added “I already have two BAs and a JD” in the comment section.)

Which three, you might ask? I needed a second science class in a subject other than biology (I took Environmental Biology in the winter)—given that they don’t have a Psychology department, that year-long class I took at Kenyon was worthless at Normandale. Sad… They also require credits from a Health class and a Fitness class. You can take a moment to wonder why they didn’t offer any fitness-related classes at William Mitchell, but when you consider how many of the students might become personal injury attorneys… even badminton could take a chunk out of their endowment fund.

After whittling down my choices according to what was available, what would fit into my schedule and what would let me sleep in a little later, I ended up with four classes:

* Principles of Accounting 2
* Physics Health Technologies
* Wilderness Medicine
* Fitness for Life

As you would expect, the class that was the best for me was probably my downfall. … Wait, what?!