Do I or don't I

Well just like other people who indulge in  this OU maths blogging lark I'm in a bit of a dilemma vis a vis whether or not I should continue with a course. The course in question is M338. So far I've done hardly anything for the last TMA and I really can't motivate myself to continue wading through definition after definition wondering what the point of it all is. On the other hand I've come so far 3 TMA's all with a respectable grade two passes and it's only 1 more TMA, the last part of which looks relatively straightforward and I guess the exam wont ask anything too challenging  It's just getting a feel for the definitions of compactness and connectedness which I'm really stuck on. So it would seem on the face of it stupid to give up now. A grade 2 pass should be within my grasp. I have a tutorial next week and so I'll leave it till then.

Life would so much simpler if I jacked it in but it would also be an admission of defeat.

On a brighter note I seem to be slowly getting through the keyboard/piano practice and can do (single handedly) a reasonable attempt at the scales of C major, G major and D major. Also my broken chords seem to be coming together. The left hand is a bit more tricky especially for scales ascending. It's not just a question of playing the correct notes but also making sure the fingering is correct. I'm slowly beginning to develop an intuition when something is not quite right for example in the scale of G major which has one sharp F# when using the left hand the second finger must always hit the black key. If it doesn't then you know you have your fingering wrong and it can be quite frustrating at times. I'm manging to put in about 1/2 an hour before I go to work and about an hour when I get back something seems to have been unleashed here. If I carry on this rate with suitable guidance I would hope to put myself forward for the grade 1 exams in March of next year and ideally Grade 2 in the summer and Grade 3 in winter certainly 1 want Grade 1 and 2 by the end of 2013.  I will also do the Grade 5 theory exam (a prerequisite for going beyond grade 5 practical) in 2013 probably after I've completed my  OU music course which covers grade 5 and a lot more. 

I've decided to only do 1 OU maths course per year from October 2012 and due to the timing of the presentations it is going to have to be Fluids and mathematical methods for 2012 and Number theory and Logic for 2013, which has been given another years leave of absence before the doors finally close.  I really wish the open university could be a bit more clearer as to when the last presentation of a course is going to be. I felt bounced into registering for M381 as it was going to be it's last presentation but then all of a sudden they change their minds.

I wonder if certain friends (I'm talking about you Duncan) might be tempted to do number theory  in 2013 as well. Anyway Fluids and mathematical methods along with music and piano practice should be more than enough to keep me busy for 2013.

Finally for those who are interested I got my third TMA for MST324 in the mid sixties as expected. If I get a distinction for the final one and  do well in the exam I still qualify for at least grade 2 and maybe even distinction. That incidently is another reason for me to contemplate abandoning topology as I would only have one exam to concentrate on.