Okay. I missed class today. Not good. I’m just too exhausted, already, and didn’t get much sleep last night. I hurt horribly, I’m nauseated, and I have one of those vision-affecting headaches. My right hand and foot have been numb most of the day. I can’t get warm. This is normal for getting too tired.
My rheumatologist cannot see me any time soon. Registration needs to be DONE. I tried my other doctor to see if I could get the disability letter for the school from him—and he’s on vacation until early June. The registrar and the disability office coordinator are both firm—they must have that letter or I cannot cross-register.
I very nearly gave up. I felt like simply withdrawing. I’d failed, I can’t do this, I was stupid to think I could. I should have found a program that’s entirely online or something. But there wasn’t one in my field of study—believe me, I’ve looked. Extensively.
But I did make one more call, to my advisor. And in pretending not to be negative while talking to him, I did find a little more energy. We found another three courses. One of them is of questionable necessity, but maybe it’ll be useful. And it’s on Monday evenings—I’d really hoped to avoid night classes. I have four classes every Monday. That isn’t going to be easy, physically.
The financial aid director finally admitted that yes, the delay is truly with them, right there at SPSU—not with “the gov’mint” as people there kept chanting. In fact, the delay is with her. That person who was fired was the only one who handled “verification.” She was fired, yes, because she was just sitting on all that paperwork. The director is taking all that stuff home this weekend to do it. After she’s done her thing, THEN she enters it into the computer system to go to the federal folks. And it takes at least one business day after she does that for award letters to happen—if there’s NOTHING wrong. And after that, student loan applications are made to lenders, who do their thing.
That list of students whose classes were to be dropped by the end of the day yesterday because their fees hadn’t been paid had over 300 names on it, according to my advisor. There were only 50 or so names on it after the financial aid director got involved. She told me she’d arranged it so that those of us who’d been delayed wouldn’t be dropped because of it. That’s 250+ people.
The financial aid director is a very nice woman, Helen. I like Helen. I feel very bad for Helen right now, but having been a manager who had to deal with the shit caused by a bad subordinate, I realize that’s part of the job. I can’t really be mad at Helen, but I am angry. I don’t do well with vague anger with nowhere to put it. I don’t have a name or face for The Fired Employee. I know it was female.
I’m trying not to let this stuff affect my feelings toward SPSU, but it isn’t particularly easy. It occurs to me that maybe I should talk about the good stuff so that I remember it more.
First, there’s my advisor, Dr. Stevens. He’s great. I worried a little bit about him judging me based on the fact that I’m fat—but that’s me and what I read into someone who is very fit and active, not anything he has said or done. My baggage. The man is incredibly energetic and positive. I figured he’d be sick of hearing from me already, but he isn’t. He is a major plus. He said something to me today about me being the kind of student who really makes the program proud, and I just glowed. I really needed that right then.
The financial aid director, Helen, is a very nice person. She was so impressed with how Katie answered the phone and took a message one day that she’s been praising Katie all over campus, saying that she’d hire her in a minute if she were old enough. She obviously cares a great deal about students and wants to work with them to help them get the funds they need for their education.
Marilyn is the lady who evaluates transfer credits. She remembered me when we met at orientation, and she has been very helpful. The fact that she knew my name just blew me away—one of the benefits of a relatively small school, I suppose.
Dr. Smith teaches my TCOM class. He is very approachable and friendly. I’m enjoying the course so far. He’s the coordinator of the student chapter of the Society for Technical Communicators. I need to remember to ask him about that.
Mr. Vickrey seems like a very nice fellow. I hope he doesn’t hate me for missing class today—I did email him. I am trying to stop thinking of him as “that guy who talks like Steve Nelson.”
I spoke with the teacher of the computer class I’ll be taking on the phone today. He was not only approachable but very funny. Yes, it’s a very basic course, but knowing that he has a sense of humor makes me look forward to it more.
Four of my courses are in one building now. It’s nicely accessible. The other is in the next building over, and the teacher told me the class is on the ground floor. That’s something he’d definitely notice since he uses a cane. This is all good. I know where the parking lot closest to those two classes is.
There are three classes I haven’t been to yet. Only one of them has a textbook. It’s available used and costs about $40-45. I have a bookstore credit for over $70 after returning the math text, so I won’t have to spend more money on books. That’s definitely A Good Thing.
Helen did promise that she IS doing the financial aid paperwork over the weekend. That’s certainly better than having it just sitting and waiting.
I’m studying technical communications. I already know that I enjoy doing it and that I’m good at it. There’s no vague “well I THINK I might like that” at this point in my life, and certainty is wonderful. There are only two schools in Georgia offering a bachelor’s degree in this subject, SPSU and Mercer in Macon. I think I’m where I should be.
That’s better.
