The Knowledgemonger Kronicles

I love that life throws them at you from time to time. It keeps things from getting mundane and makes you continually think. Without them, I don't think life would be any fun at all.

Take my recent battles with financial aid, I could:

a) not deal with it & drop out of school.
b) get pissed off & go on a rampage at the financial aid headquarters.
c) get mad, organize my thoughts, laugh a little bit & then take them on.
d) drink heavily and do a) or b) anyway.

So, I have chosen path c). Less messy and overall, more effective. So, hopefully everything will work out for the better in a month or so and that they as well as myself will learn valuable lessons going forward.

Lots of changes going on around me and also within me. I am directing what I can in directions that I want them to go. How manipulative of me! Well, trust me when I say that I have very little control over the things that do not directly involve me, but that is something that I am okay with at this time. People come and people go, just make the most of the time that they are around.

Spring semester has resumed. Wish me luck. With any skill, I will finish up the year with a very high 3.XX GPA, w00t!

~L

I think that subject tops my list of things that are not fun, beating out: "having a root canal" & "waiting at the DMV." This is the 2nd time in my life that I have had to deal with complete stupidity from a financial aid office and guess what, I have yet to have real interaction with them. I have called every office at every campus and left a message. I have sent an e-mail to Financial Aid Help 3 times. No responses. So, tomorrow my unhappy self will most likely be chewing out some unsuspecting financial aid "adviser," because of the overall office's incompetence.

And what may be the issue, you ask? Well, the financial aid department has a SAP policy that uses a 67% completion rate as making significant progress through coursework. Which it should; however, they should also have the responsibility to make sure that it is being correctly utilized. Because, I have 3 classes that conclude on February 12th and have 3 that have been completed their system views the 3 as not being complete and as not making significant progress. Huh? Really? Seems like a simple fix overall, right? Well, add in the complications of reaching ANYONE it becomes not so simple.

How a campus can offer classes with varying start and end dates in a semester and also have a financial aid department that does not know how to appropriately handle the situation is beyond me. I am beginning to think that these are:

Top 5 Things Taught To a New Financial Aid Employee

1. NEVER, under any circumstance, answer your office phone.
2. If you listen to voicemail, please take at least 3 days before considering your response.
3. If it is important enough the student will come to your office.
4. Make sure you take sedatives before dealing with angry student mobs.
5. Don't worry about e-mails, let the auto-response pacify their concerns.

So, now I am going to have myself a good laugh about this situation, because I love that someone or something out there cares enough to mess with me. Thank you, omnipotent being!

From the Album Dear Sciene, which this Magazine chose as its Album of the Year, and in my opinion for very good reason.

"Halfway Home" is an amazing song from this album and as a fan of TV on the Radio for a number of years, it is good to hear that they have stuck with their musical experimentation. I hope you enjoy :-)


Halfway Home - TV On The Radio

A great start to the year 2009. I went shopping with the roomie at Tysons. Bought enough shirts to complete the winter wardrobe (w00t). After the shopping extravaganza, the roomie dropped me off at the metro and I headed into the city to meet up with The Diarist, Tuffie & a friend to watch the Caps take on the the Lightning. What an awesome game! A lot of violence (with the unfortunate side effect of a Tampa Bay player having to be taken off the ice on a stretcher), a lot of goal scoring and the Capitals increased the Eastern Conference Best Home Record to 16-1-1 with a 7-4 victory!

Thanks again guys for the invite, love you much. After the game I called the roomie, who still was not feeling well, so I stayed in the city with a friend and headed over to Cobalt, where I got to see another pack of friends.

So, I started the New Year with most of my friends, w00t and I hope that trend can continue throughout this coming year. :-)