A word about the title of this blog, and how I did ok with setting it up.

Well, if anyone on this planet read my first blog (and truly in all likelihood only my brother and my cousin read it) then you will know that I had some anxiety and doubts about how I would do setting it up. So far, I am doing fine. I even managed to post a picture of myself. The image was squished a bit to make it fit, and I am wondering if I shorten the text that appears under it, will the image elongate some? If anybody out there has an answer to that, then please let me know. I am certain there is a ton I don't know/haven't figured out yet about customizing this site and blogging, but I suppose I'll learn in time.
Now, a little bit on why I chose "The Order of Operations" as the title for this blog...Anyone who is a math person will recognize that my title is what is used in Algebra to evaluate expressions and such (Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally helps us to remember Parenthesis first, then exponents, multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction). I did poorly in math all through elementary school right up until high school. When I first set off to college, I avoided math all together. Long story short, I took many, many years off from college before returning to eventually at least get my 2 year degree (when I'll ever be able to get my bachelor's remains to be seen). Before returning to obtain my Associate of Science I braced myself for the fact that I would have to take lots of math. I told myself there was nothing to be afraid of and the only person that would ever hold me back would only be myself. I assured myself that I could do the math this time around. I began at the most rudimentary of levels (in fact the class didn't even count as a credit), because I told myself if I was going to really learn math this time I had to start at the beginning. So, it was very humbling to initially be doing the same things that 5th graders were doing; who am I kidding, 2nd graders. But it paid off. I sailed through that (it was self-paced). I went on to a high school equivalent algebra class (that once again didn't even count as a credit, but that I needed all the same). I got an A. Then, the real challenge, College Algebra. I got an A in that, too! Then, Statistics, that rogue math course that it is...I got an A, also. Then college Pre-Calc. And I got another A. By-the-time I completed the college algebra course I had bought myself a t-shirt that declared for all the world to see that I am a "Math Geek". I am proud to wear it. Pre-Calc. is where I left off and some day I hope I can continue on. I don't think that my IQ grew by leaps and bounds, and really I am no Einstein (I have my fair share of dumb-ass moments). What I think happened for me is that my brain just worked differently by the time I went back to school. I also had done a tremendous amount of growing-up. I used real life experiences to help myself reason through or figure out some things. Here is the kicker, I always got nervous before each test/exam. One thing I could always do though, was remember the order of operations. They never failed me back in the beginning of Algebra, nor did they fail me in Pre-Calc. They are specific, and they offer instruction. Isn't that a handy tool for life? We all possess our own set of "Order of Operations". We should remember them when we are being faced with a challenge or when we are being tested. They are the things that tell us who we are, what we believe in, and they can help us to find our intuition. If something doesn't sit well with you, ask yourself some of the fundamental questions that you know will extract from within the answers you require. Use your "order of operations." So, in a sense, this blog will give me a medium to express myself, my thoughts, tastes, and passions. It may be that here, you can share in my order of operations.