llahlahkje

It was a hard decision to make, but owing to increasingly obtrusive / obnoxious advertising practices, I will no longer be using LiveJournal.

This journal will be kept as a record of the last almost 8 years, but otherwise... it's done!

11:00am
Happy Marc Monday (a.k.a. Tuesday) ... I'm back at work, 1st day of "summer"... the weekend went very well, things seem to be on the upswing in all fronts.

I woke up this morning well ahead of the clock feeling well rested despite start-and-stop sleeping spurts all night, and that's about the best you can ask for given the circumstances.

===

11:15am
Sigh. Some departments here can be a pain in the ass with their scholarships.

In today's case, not only do they get their letter wrong (which in previous years, they basically said "No it isn't" when we said the letter was misleading... though to their credit, they finally agreed to change it) ... they also will call us and say "Why aren't these on?" when any single person comes in and says "I haven't gotten my money yet."

Today? It was three people who weren't on their list from last week or the week before to begin with.

Well, that's because the journal they were on JUST came to us. It ran just after 2pm yesterday. This means this is the 1st day we've seen it.

... which also means... you're calling on the SAME DAY the awards got into our hands, within 3 hours of us opening, to ask why it isn't on.

I haven't felt more like slapping someone in awhile.

Of course, their thinking it should've already been on... stems from the fact that they have no idea how things actually work, despite us explaining the process for the last 3 years (that I've been here, probably longer than that) ...

Such obstinance in ignorance can only mean that it is an intentionally maintained state... well, or that their brain is incapable of storing memories like in the movie Memento. That's actually kind of sad.

I feel bad for making fun of a potential Sammy Jenkis.

===

noon
The weather was interesting. It was drizzly, but chilly, but not too chilly... but it is somehow still amazingly hot at work (or at least to me) ... I feel like I'm a plastic cup tossed into the fire, twisting in the heat.

On an unrelated note, I had a heck of a time getting my brain switched on this morning. I can only say that it is a small miracle I could form coherent sentences.

In other random news, my Waist-to-Height Ratio is in the normal range (which is healthy) ... all well and good, but I'd feel a lot better about it if I could get the BMI in balance :)

Still, WtHR seems to be a better indication of disease susceptibily than BMI, at least... so I've got that going for me.

===

12:20pm
Been picky with my Pandora today! Mentally restless, maybe?

===

12:45pm
http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/05/11/mojave.cross.stolen/index.html?hpt=T1

This annoys me. The ACLU can be pretty GD ridiculous, honestly. Separation of church and state by intent of the Founding Fathers is just fine, though not formalized by the constitution it has been established by precedent and the idea was to protect religion from being corrupted by involvement in politics, but desecrating a burial / memorial is another thing entirely.

Granted, I am not saying the ACLU looted / vandalized, but the same elements in society that demand "tolerance" are ironically the most intolerant. I support the defense of liberty and human rights, but there are points (such as this) ... where it is TRULY neither.

The Supreme Court agrees with this perspective, their ruling states that it's just fine.

... and so people took matters into their own hands. This is what bothers me.

It's the same sort of "Protect freedom of speech... only insofar as you protect people who agree with me!" B.S. that I hear constantly. It's understandable at a college campus, there are a lot of children here who haven't thought things through (and that's fine, it's part of growing up) ... and Lord knows I haven't thought everything in the world through myself... but I'd be a liar if I said it wasn't frustrating to have proponents of free speech, for example, trying to block my protesting signs with theirs and being physically intimidating... (without even asking what they mean)... [See also: The protests here at NIU in Fall 2004]...

Hell, even the Republican protestors had the presence of mind to ask me what it meant. Some even agreed with it (though I am not sure if they realized I was protesting them, too)...

With regards to that specific protest... the Democrats did something I consider particularly incidious, for the record... they bussed up a couple of busloads of people from their offices in the city to protest to make it look like there were huge protests against Cheney coming here. I didn't see many students at all there... (and to the students' credit, I'm pretty sure that it was the die hards from Chicago who were blocking me without understanding...)

===

1:30pm
For those in the know: YACC, YAWT. Bullox.

For those not in the know: I like statistics, but doing them on some things seems frivolous! The N is too small, the data too sparse, and each person recording data does it slightly differently... so I can do what I can, but any results I can generate with any reasonable assurance of quality are not likely to be significant.

===

1:55pm
I love how there is a Pollock Scholarship.

Perhaps even funnier is that none of the recipients have Polish names.

Easily amused is me.

(I'm pretty sure it is ACTUALLY pronounced Paul-ock)

===

2:05pm
Dear English Department,

Stop giving $15 scholarships. Buy the students a subway gift card or something. $15 awards are RIDICULOUS.

Why you ask? Let me break it down!

You generate check request, fill it out... 10 minutes of the secretary's time plus printing... Assuming it is the lowest paid secretary here, we'll assume that's $2. Plus the mail delivery people since you're not likely to drop it off in person (and sorting and etc..) ... probably another $1 or so...

The request goes to accounting, who has to enter it in, then route it. We'll be generous and say it only takes 10 minutes of effort on their part. That's probably really generous. That's probably about $4 of the accountant's time. Plus the mail delivery people for the interoffice envelope. Another $1.

The Foundation then has to get it, verify amounts, create the journal, publish it (and then later, verify it, after it comes to us) ... I'll guesstimate about 30 minutes of work in a given award... roughly. Assuming their graduate assistant does it all, which is unlikely, that's still around $8 in time.

Then it comes to us, and it only takes me 5 minutes tops to put it in (plus printing the journal for recording, so more print costs). so let's just estimate only another $1 per award.

Okay so let's tally that up. $17 for a $15 award. This is assuming I don't need to see a counselor to evaluate the account, it assumes the most CONSERVATIVE times and payscales. If I were to give a less conservative estimate, I'd say around $25-30 per award for the entire lifecycle.

Sigh.

Ironically, I just took 5 minutes of my time to write this. Good thing I don't take formal breaks and decided to work through lunch today, ne?

Still, no matter how inane it is... it's still my duty to slam them on, so here I go... le sigh!

===

2:40pm
Brilliant!

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/05/11/phoenix.copwatch.arpaio/index.html?hpt=C1

As long as it remains civil and respectable, this is a great way to handle a situation that is potentially sketchy. My hat is off to you, well, it would be if I ever wore one.

===

2:45pm
Alright, while PeopleSoft spins its wheels on this latest award posting, I'm going to do a little posting of my own! TTFN!

11:00am
I am zombie.
zombie am I.

I will write a haiku about it.

ODE TO FULL LIFE CONSEQUENCES
Your brains look quite good!
I am not headcrab zombie,
I need your license.

Here is something more to the point

THE REALITY OF BEING A HUMAN ZOMBIE
Four A.M? You suck.
Ugh! I feel like hammered skite.
Work, brain! No, wait. Don't.

Anyway, I had a rough night in terms of getting to bed, and I kept waking up, but I had a pleasant dream, anyway, so I got that going for me...

===

11:50am
I totally blanked on plans tonight and feel dumb, woo!

The weekend plan has changed slightly!

Friday --> Hang out with Mr. Leverton --> Hang out with Emily --> Arrive in Round Lake

Saturday --> Go to other Emily's wedding / See the Cooks --> Go home and take mum for comestibles for mother's day --> Home

I am exhausted now and am likely to be much more exhausted by the time I get back home, but such is life!

Hey, and maybe if everything goes well, I will be less crazed myself! Who knows. It is a mystery.

===

12:20pm
Grumble grumble!

Someone took the journals I just printed.

===

12:40pm
It was Deb, she grabbed the print outs for a meeting and did not check the stack... Ah HA! Gotcha!

Of course, I already had printed things out.

===

12:50pm
I just realized I was going to check the recycling area for boxes when she flagged me down to check the status of something for their meeting, and never completed my mission!

Oops :)

===

1:45pm
Weird. Had a big rush there for a bit up front, literally 6 or 7 people in a 20 minute window when most of the university is gone.

Huh.

Then I rambled to Sarah for like 20 minutes. Yay sleep deprivation.

===

2:15pm
Woot!

Got 2 paper boxes and 2 nicely sized shipping boxes! I love paper boxes for moving. They are so easy to stack, and smallish so you can't accidentally overload them unless you are filling them with gold bricks.

Time to pack up my books... then get rid of the hand-me-down-from-the-side-of-the-road bookshelves.

Packed all the wintery clothes and long pants with the exception of a pair of jeans or two and the pants I am wearing to the wedding ceremony.

My room is going to be spacy! No new acquisitions til after I move, either, that's the rule! I'd prefer to grow into the cozy apartment than to stuff it full of more than it can handle.

I'm getting rid of my present futon cuz it is a piece of rubbish, but I'm keeping the mattress, I'll roll it up and keep it in the closet in case I ever have a guest stay over (floor vs. mattressed floor? Obvious choice) ... as long as it doesn't take up too much space, anyway, but I think it'll be alright, I don't intend to have much.

Moving yearly for 5 or 6 straight years... you begin to truly loathe it :)

I've been looking at sofa beds in the IKEA catalog. We'll see how they are in the physical world and not in print... but some of them don't look bad (and several have storage bins under them, which is neat) ... but I will also probably take a look at actual beds, but I am trying to be space-conscious (and not the NASA way)

===

2:50pm
Just played with an iPad for a good 15 minutes. WAAAAY too much money for WAAAAAY too little function.

It's just a giant iPhone. Genuinely. The graphical capability and processing is nice. It's a pretty machine.

... but for the almost $900 my friend paid for it... I could get a machine the same size that did four times as much (that's obviously just a general estimate, it might be slightly more or less ;) )

===

3:05pm
List done, but there is a problem! I got some bad intel, I was told the AA is an FFAF! Noooo good! Lots of readjustment to be done on Monday.

Le sigh.

Posting this, going to go home at 3:30, but need to clear up some things first!

9:20am
I am in early today, and realized I haven't kept a log or anything in about two weeks, and so the developments of my life have been a secret (shhhh!) ... not that much has really developed.

My mom is out of the hospital, I'm done with classes, and other things are looking quite up!

I'm taking the rest of the week "off" (not of work, but I'm not launching right into the summer stuff) ... I'll start kicking out some books next week!

Hmm, turns out it's not pouring out like I thought it would.

Oh well!

===

11:00am
Ugh. Sending two notifications per student per award is slooooow.

It adds an extra couple of minutes to each award and when you have a list of almost 200, it pretty much stinks.

Each notification window takes a few to pop up, and so I am just... dazed... with boredom.

I think I'll pop in some podcasts

===

11:05am
Poo. They didn't synch, so I didn't have any. Gotta check my settings when I get home!

===

1:45pm
Ugh, so slow. 2 hours to go and I just want to be done and at home!

===

3:00pm
The day continues to drag! Ironically I have a lot of work, and things are getting done, but extra steps are killer :)

I would be less annoyed if I thought the extra steps were useful, but I honestly don't.

Basically what I'm doing is generating a new printed and E-mailed award letter for each student awarded a scholarship, which is supposed to make the student more likely to come here...

Trouble is... it's a little late in the game. By this point in previous years we were doing award follow-ups by phone and it didn't make a difference. For our biggest scholarships we still wound up reassigning a fair number of them.

I don't think an extra E-mail and paper notice is going to do anything at all.

I'm kind of annoyed in general with various things going on right now, anyway. Not because I don't think that students deserve more... but because we aren't given more to give more... I don't mean money, I mean PEOPLE. I've seen workloads shooting up for most of the people I am in contact with here and it makes things harder for me when issues come up because I have to leave some issues sit for awhile...

Unfortunately my capacity to help shoulder the burden is limited by audit issues that are incredibly unfortunate. Basically... as a non-permanent employee (see also: Grad assistant) ... I can't be given access to certain things.

It's dumb because I can change aid, give awards, and do all sorts of things... and I've learned a lot about a lot of how these things work... and I have a willingness to work (see also: Not be bored) ... but I can't do anything.

I do what I can, but ... ah well... I have plenty to do now, so no use crying over spilled milk.

I do, however, feel better use of our abilities could be made... and I feel like a more watchful eye on some of our ... loose ends? (i.e. ... slackers) ... would be helpful.

Of course, I'm just a non-permanent employee. What do I know?

===

3:25pm
In early, skipped lunch, I think I'm going to leave "early". I'm too restless today. I'm amazed I made it this far!

I'm in early tomorrow, too! Too much to get on. I need a better battle plan, though!

11:10am
Been awhile since I updated again, so here we go!

Anyway, my mum is undergoing care, but as I suspected it is the minimum level of services.

She is supposed to be getting one on one care, but the doctors she is supposed to be getting one on one... meet with her as a group. They interrupt their session to take phone calls (and on one occasion has left for another session with someone else after being called) ... they're getting facts wrong (seemingly unable to interpret both on the records they were sent and what my mother says).

... but I suppose it is better than nothing?

The stress of that with the end of the semester mounting and moving (well, mostly the lack of money associated with paying my security deposit on the place in Madison and thus just barely being able to cut rent)... adds up. Then just random life stresses add onto that.

It's been randomly flaring up (there is no real precipitator for any given period of intense tension)... yesterday was particularly bad, as I became annoyed with just about everyone. When the stress gets really bad, ironically it makes it very difficult to focus, so it is rather like a cycle.

Anyway, Clymer has been patient and is willing to push deadlines back into the summer and that helps defray the academic stress a bit (though I still feel like a let down in that department for even asking), and Laura has been very supportive.

So the short version: My mom is getting help but it is every bit as iffy as I expected. I'm surviving, very stressed, but surviving.

===

12:10pm
Came on Pandora, thought I'd share, but I really like this song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhfIOXQJbpc

That is all.

===

12:20pm
For the record, I'm still annoyed with media services.

I E-mailed them last Thursday to ask for a higher resolution version of the image that I am using on this post card... no response.

Hey, inept folks, if you don't have it, let me know so that I can redesign the stupid thing.

Scoff! Scoff! Mockmock!

===

12:40pm
Having work to do at work helps the day go by so much faster!

In other news... there certainly seem to be a lot of natural disasters lately.

I wonder if it is because the news is playing them up, or if they really are becoming more frequent?

Hmm.

===

1:35pm
Seriously, dude, when I tell you that I can't speak for what private organizations would or would not accept, I mean it. Don't ask me 5 times in a row after I explain it.

Also, you should probably listen when I say "They probably won't take an application a month late." ... because while I can't speak for them, I can say that a month past deadline is probably unacceptable. A day? Maybe. Two days? BIG maybe.

Sigh.

Also, when you tell me the contact information is wrong and you can't call them... and I call them to check (to make sure our records are up to date) ... and they answer, it makes me very annoyed. You wasted my time, you wasted your time, and now I wasted their time. If you didn't call because it didn't cross your mind, hey, fine, sometimes we miss the obvious... just tell me that, we can move on.

Grr.

===

2:15pm
so I thought *I* had botched the postcard, but then I decided to measure it doesn't make sense. I am not sure where all the shite space is coming from.

Anyway. The image sucks to begin with, resolution-wise (otherwise it's a great, diverse image... colorful and NIU is prominently displayed) ... and with Media Services being unresponsive to a request for a larger image...

Oh, and officially... designing a document that they want to put too much information in... the address block of this dang thing now looks like a bloody novel.

... and if it were me (and it isn't, I'm following what they wanted) ... I would make bullet pointed ideas on the back. Students, ironically, don't like things that look like work to read.

Sigh.

It's just ugly and embarassing. I would've gladly taken my own pictures (at 4000x3000 HD) ...

Grumble.

Anyway! The changes are in, but we're moving ahead even though it isn't 100% perfect... bloody media services. I guess it is the content that matters, but I still feel bad about it.

===

2:40pm
Alright, I'm posting this. Trying to get these numbers from "at risk" calling last week figured out.

Cheers!

P.S. For the record, the LJ ads are OBNOXIOUS! Almost enough to make me contemplate moving off of it... I'll have to see if Semagic works still (so I can avoid them)...

11:00am
So I went into work today, as structure and normality are helpful tools for ensuring that my mind stays healthy, no?

There isn't much to do, but it helps to have somewhere to be, to be out of the house, and to be able to work a bit at the things that *do* need to be done.

Sorry to people for being vague or out of contact a bit! Things will be better in the near future, I think (hope?).

Anyhow, going to make some tea and check messages.

===

11:35am
http://reversepickpocket.blogspot.com/2010/04/best-argument-ever.html

Apparently parking cops in Australia can be just as annoying as here...

However, I will post this coolness to balance it out:
http://illusion.scene360.com/wp-content/themes/sahara-10/submissions/Tim-MacPherson02.jpg



===

12:15pm
So... this is my outgoing message, basically (it might not be word for word, haven't listened to it in awhile):

Hello, thanks for calling Scholarship Services. If your call is in regards to your FAFSA, student loans, grants, or aid application materials call Financial Aid at 815-753-1395. If it is in regards to your bill or any charges, contact the Bursar's Office at (number I forget). For assistance with scholarship related inquiries, please leave your name, ZID, and a phone number where we can get back to you. Thank you!

Direct, no?!

So why is it... 80-90% of the messages on my phone are for what I tell them to call the proper line for? Can people not figure this out?! Do they not speak English?!

FFS.

===

2:10pm
WOW. "Anna Lee" by Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin has the EXACT same intro guitar as Title and Registration by Death Cab for Cutie, which is like a solid 40-60 seconds (not sure exactly, I wasn't looking, I had Pandora up and thought to myself "didn't this song just come on 30 mins ago?")

If this song were a matress tag, someone would be going to jail, because it's been totally RIPPED OFF.

===

4/14 -- 1:15pm
Just realized I forgot to post this. All of this was from yesterday! OOPS!

10:00am
Single screening it up front, Sarah is sick, Lauren isn't in, and
Anne has meetings, so the entire Scholarship Office is empty!

Sadness! Anyway, that means I am up front for walk-ins and such.

Since my last update... I've seen my 1st hockey game, spent some
quality time with my wonderful girlfriend, went home for Easter
and saw the fam, and found an apartment in Madison.

Pretty eventful weekend but not nearly as much academic work time
as I needed, and as such... this week will be a bear (and this
weekend)...

On the bright side, while it is bound to be a slow morning, I got
sent a survey by Amazon about my MP3 purchases (cuz that's where
I get mine)... that will net me a gift card. Woot.

On the down side, it is going to be a slow day, I fear....

===

10:05am
That was a short survey. Cool

In other news, this may be the most intention and awkward use of
Hamlet in journalistic writing I've seen to date (from The
Economist's most recent issue: "Myanmar's main opposition force
this week, unlike Hamlet, reached for the bare bodkin."

Thanks, guys. Really, you can just say that they opted to boycott
the election. You don't need to try so hard.

===

10:45am
Sigh. I didn't realize the American treasury hadn't yet accused
China of deliberate currency manipulation to boost exports.

(It's obvious that the yuan is intentionally cheapened, and so it
is unusual and highly questionable the U.S. Treasury department
hasn't said anything... sigh. Idealism? Who needs it. We've got
piles of money?)

Anyway, it gives me something else to link the economic argument
for why we have sanctions on Burma for doing the same things
China does.

The reason for the article in the Economist is because it looks
like the Treasury Dept may actually make that "accusation" this
year (the article cites declining faith in Chinese business, but
I really have to wonder about competition for markets and the
T-bill situation) ...

Honestly? This all makes me rather uneasy.

===

11:50am
Woo, post card touch-ups, should be just about ready!

Not as slow as I thought (since I have something to do) ... I
also had a student worker come in to man the door so I could work
on this thing.

(I'm making a postcard with tips to reduce borrowing, so that we
can send it out to new students)

... in other news, we're pulling extra hours after work this
coming week to call people with an extra grand from NIU to try
and help new students make decisions. I am not sure how I feel
about it, but I suppose any help for the students is good...

Anyway, it's time to be off to lunch, meeting Mr. Z at Chipotle!

===

1:00pm
Barbacoa? More like Barba...delicious...acoa...?

Uhm, yeah. Anyway.

Back to work!

===

1:25pm
Postcard submitted, seems to have final approval. I feel bad sending something out that isn't fabulous (it's the same reason I don't post all my little comics) ... but whatever. I did what I could with what I had (and in the narrow time frame I was given)...

(It's not bad, but it's simple, direct... and utterly uninteresting)

===

3:35pm
Today is gross, one of those days I wish I didn't have to walk home.

... but I do have to walk home ... if it is raining, maybe I'll pause at the library or something, but I am hoping to do some sort of cooking for dinner... so who knows.

Anyway, I'm going to post this and clean my desk up a bit before I leave. I'm feeling the clutter today.

p.s., in other news, Laura is tres adorable, and I have proof:
http://www.students.niu.edu/~z098002/LAURAA~1.JPG

8:20am
I decided to come into the office again to study, since I got so much done yesterday morning here! It's really nice to have dual-monitors, silence, the ability to leave my stuff here, and even a bit of social contact. I'm used to focusing on work while here, so it just... works :)

Anyway, while things speed up on Ye Olde PC, I decide that I'd fire off things I found interesting while reading The Economist over the morning's coffee and a scone.

Soooo... are you aware that there is a law in Arizona that was recently passed that allows police to arrest illegal immigrants for "trespassing"...? I found this to be pretty nuts.

I also didn't need to read the magazine to know that Google stopped censoring their searches in China. I've read a few articles about it, but the hubbub seems to be about the actual act of uncensoring. What I want to know is... what is China doing about it?

The answer: http://money.cnn.com/2010/03/30/technology/google_china/index.htm

China began internet filtering as a response... not surprising, honestly.

I have to wonder at the rise in authoritarianist influence the world over... and then you look at the Right Wing Authoritarian leanings in our own country (not just in Republicans, kids!)... and... I just wonder if we aren't moving towards something?

Anyway. In money news, new house sales are at yet ANOTHER new low, and a University of Michigan study on builder confidence suggests a second "drop" is coming.

Go-Go Gadget Stimulus! Oh, and on the subject of wasteful, the U.S. government debt is predicted to be double what it is now within the next decade.

While eating breakfast I was watching "Prayer of the Rollerboys" (an old early 90s favorite of mine) ... set in a post-economc collapsed America ... a quote from one of the character's propoganda films... "our parents borrowed more money than they could EVER hope to repay"... now, I don't think it'll quite go the way of the film, but it isn't getting any better anytime soon, no matter how much you're being told it is...

The "bright" side (from an American perspective) is that the Euro is falling worse than the dollar... suggesting that there is less faith in the EU than the US at the moment. It's not that bright, but some strength in the dollar might help.

Anyhow, the machine is warmed up, time to start sorting all these bloody articles (and their related content) into a cohesive "Burma"...

===

9:05am
Ugh. I still *hate* the I-Share network. So bloody slow. This one request sat spinning for 3 straight minutes before it finally went.

Speaking of not responding quickly to requests, 2 of the 3 rental agencies I contacted about apartment viewings for next Monday have yet to get back to me (meanwhile Laura's landlord has returned 3 E-mails, back and forth that is... )... responsiveness is a good sign, and the lack of it is not.

I'll just have to call to follow-up with the other ones... I'll step out when these I-Share requests I have are done!

===

9:35am
So the Lofgren Properties people (the one with, IMO, the most promising apartment on paper) are awkward on the phone, but it might be because my speaking mic is messed up on the phone and it was hard for them to hear me.

The Greenbush lady was nice, pretty formal, but quite professional (despite the lack of response via E-mail, har har).

So the itinerary for Mon -->
12:00 - whenever - 4 different places
1:30 - 30 S. Broom, Lofgren
2:00 - 442 W. Main, Greenbush

===

10:30am
A coalition of healthcare professionals is calling for the retirement of Ronald McDonald... because he has too much influence on children!?

What?!

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-ronald-mcdonald-retire-mcdonalds-mcd-mar27,0,7799183.story

I'm going to say... as a former child who watched way too much TV... I COULD'VE QUIT AT ANY TIME I WANTED! No, but seriously, that's just... dumb.

Hint: Obesity isn't Ronald McDonald's fault. It's not like parents are at the whim and fancy of their children. So what, Ronald has more influence over the 3-8 year old demographic? The one least able to exercise free will to eat whatever the heck they want? Seriously?

You think a teenager is going to say "Hey a creepy freaking red haired clown, I think I'll get a double quarter pounder."

No. If they say "I am going to get a double quarter pounder", it's more likely because they are high than because a clown told them so. Though depending on what they are taking, these aren't mutually exclusive influences.

===

11:15am
I am out of stuff to do again, whee!

Anyway, so Lofgren finally replied to my E-mail, the awkward people from earlier... and the E-mail was equally awkward.

The reply:
"""
Hi
Yes I do have an eff at 30 S Broom
It is available Augt 15
Let me know if u would like to see it
Thanks
(guy's name)
"""

Using text-style speech in a professional inquiry? Woooowwwwww.

Just. Wow. I would love some punctuation, too.

Anyway, it's the 2nd red flag. I'm still checking it out and all, but I'm feeling much less optimistic about it than I was before.

===

12:15pm
It is GORGEOUS out.

===

12:55pm
Illinois owes NIU 55 million dollars for this year, with 3 months left in the fiscal year.

Wow.

The really bad news is that personnel cuts are being mulled over since about 3/4ths of the university operating budget goes towards payroll.

===

2:45pm
I just took a call from YET ANOTHER person who wants to know the status of their scholarship applications but has no idea what they applied for.

Words cannot express how often this happens and words cannot express how annoying it is.

===

3:20pm
I'm going to post this and conspire to engage in shenanigans of some sort... TTFN!

8:15am
I decided to skip the library. I can't get up and go to the bathroom without packing up, which is a HUGE distraction, whereas at the office... I can!

So, I'm doing some writing from my desk here at work, figured I'd keep the traditional 'log' for 'long days'...

While everything loads up (my laptop has an update and my PC desktop is always slow for the 1st 15-20 mins after log-in)... I will tell you what's been going on!

For starters, Laura has decided on UW Madison, and I am going to do a year of Arabic study up there, so I've been looking at apartments and such, I'll do actual viewings next Monday. I'm looking at studio apartments so that I can save a bit while repaying student loans.

Frankly, I am excited... a new city, a great city in my past experience, a new state (away from all the corruption and mangled institutions)... great, well, I'll find out. I'll be getting training that will greatly help in my vocational pursuits (then I just need to learn Chinese and refresh my Russian and I'll have the major bases covered)...and the ability to see my girlfriend without advance planning and with 2-4 week gaps and long drives and parking concerns and orangutans and fruit bats and breakfast cereals. Er, sorry, getting carried away there.

The drawbacks? It's marginally farther from my family than DeKalb, by roughly a half an hour worth of driving time. Tuition for even the 4 credits for a non-resident is fairly steep (about 3800 bucks with tuition and fees). A job at the university MIGHT help with that, but from what I can tell it isn't like Illinois universities... tuition waivers are granted on the basis of professional development as it relates to my job.

As far as job prospects, the good news is that Laura's boss, Mike... his wife is a hiring manager at UW, which doesn't translate necessarily into anything tangible, but it will make conversation easier and I can hopefully establish contact with her at some point and ask questions about how the benefits work for full time employees. We'll see what becomes available in the early-to-mid-summer for the fall semester.

Move-in seems to be either August 1st or August 15th. Ideally, I'd love to find a place I could move in on the 1st that was reasonably priced, because my lease ends well before the 15th. I don't really like the idea of putting my stuff in storage, nor am I sure where I'd stay. I could, theoretically, stay with my mom and the fam in Round Lake, however.

Work is slow, but it's that time of year. It'll pick up a smidge near to summer term, and then I'll have orientations which should provide a good distraction. I'll be working full time over the summer while finishing my last field essay (hopefully with Trude if she'll consent to it)... with no rent, unless I need to prepay for my place in Madison... so it'll allow me to get a little bit built up (which, given impending tuition for learning Arabic, is a good thing)... my tuition waiver at NIU is still garbled, too, so I have rougly 5K tied up in tuition that will be eventually waived once it gets fixed, which will handle most of the tuition for next year (and the summer work will generate enough for a little financial security on top of that, enough to buffer me should I not find work immediately)...

Academic life is getting to that "Get your arse in gear" point. As such, I've been in that "get your stress on" point, as well, which has been having a profoundly negative impact on my already record-breaking amount of sleep trouble. It's bad. Like, Marc is thinking of seeking medical help kind of bad.

The blue pill works but if I don't sleep for 10 hours I am drowsy the entire day. It is TOO effective.

If I don't take it, most of the time I can't sleep. It's a wonderfully awful Catch-22.

Holy cow, wall of text critically hits you for 55,205 damage. You die.

Feel free to respond with TLDR. I deserve it.

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9:30am
La la la! Write write write. 1.5h til I am "at work" ... though sadly there isn't too much going on, there *are* a couple of new journals that just came up late yesterday!

Okay, write more Marc, worry about journals at 11.

Yes Marc, sorry!

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11:45am
Chris posted a comment about Half-Life, so... check this out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHxyZaZlaOs

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12:15pm
Weird is: My phone not ringing all day to this point.

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1:20pm
Neat, learned how to make a Mail Merge document for sending form E-mails.

Oh, and the phone did eventually ring, and it was a MAD MAN! Well, a man who was mad.

See, I shouldn't have said anything!

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2:15pm
Poo. I lost my Zebra F701. Somewhere on my desk? Theoretically? Sadness grips me. Typing is hard!

On the plus side, my boss's boss's boss has apparently heard good things about me in meetings.

Yay! Always nice to know you are being bandied about, and that the rumors are good (even if they aren't necessarily true, I don't know what was said after all ;) )

Anyway, posting this and then I am going on a massive man.. er.. PENHUNT!

11:05am
So, as some of you may be aware, I often have dreams that repeat themselves.

The one repeating itself this week is an old dream from the start of my time of NIU. The dream of it being time for finals, and that I forgot one class the entire semester and now was going to it. I'm sure there are similar dreams amongst my academic pals, but it's just annoying.

In the dream, I am at a community college... the teacher is an English teacher I had, and I am coming in to what are like grade-school sized desks and a lot of awkward stares as I go to take the final and then ask if I can turn all my essays in still.

An obvious internalization of my academic stress, especially in light of it keeping me up a bit contemplating the 'plan of attack' for getting it all burned down.

Anyhow, Spring Break is over, I got a bit done, and relaxed a bit (perhaps more than I should've, given the state of my dream life) ... but the extra rest was helpful (even if I had trouble sleeping)...

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11:30am
Ah, work! I was concerned I wouldn't have much to do, but there's a lot on the up and coming horizon outside of the realm of scholarships that I can help with.

The impending Diversity Reception, for example... and checking to make sure that our athletes have all their ducks in a row, and reviewing the status of my fellow graduate students pursuing Federal Work Study at the graduate level.

Exciting? Perhaps not, but it *is* work and does keep me busy (and thus prevent the day from dragging too much)

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11:55am
In light of a news link my girlfriend posted yesterday and the alteration of the name of our annual reception for incoming minority freshman students... I have to officially say:

Changing the words used to describe something is dumb.
(example: minority --> diversity, imperialism --> expansionism, seek and destroy --> search and clear)

As Romeo would say: A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet.

Bart's retort of 'Not if they called them stenchblossoms' aside... the change in term doesn't change what they are...

Le sigh.

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12:25pm
There are a myriad of little stupid issues with scholarships and the system. Things go on but won't disburse for the most random and trivial of reasons, and then I need to run around and bash things with a shovel to get them on. Well, or a counselor does...

Grumble, grumble.

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12:55pm
I'm not always the most aesthetically minded of people, it could be said I lack any style or sense of fashion... and when said, that could be taken by many to be quite true (as anyone could technically say anything about anyone, this claim to veracity bears inclusion)...

... but... when I get a list of people in Excel that has 3 font types, randomly bold headers, randomly small headers, and differences in font in the actual list itself I have to ask myself...

What the heck was this person sniffing that made them do this?

I mean, it takes me 10 seconds to make a document uniform, maybe another 10-30 if I want to throw borders and shading to make it look a bit more professional before I go sending it out to the waking world.

Anyhow, speaking of making it uniform... time to make this look as though it was edited by someone without ADD.

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2:05pm
Productive day thusfar! My class at 3 is cancelled so I think I'll make use of it and walk a little longer after work.

I cleared up some outstanding issues, I've checked half the 'Diversity' list (we're getting an idea of what folks need to have done to get their aid in place, so I go through each one and check and see what we have and what we need, I'll do another check at the end of the week) ...

I still feel quite groggy, which is odd. The primary suspect is dietary changes (I'm trying to not eat like crap) ... I got plenty of sleep, medically I seem to be pretty okay (but that's no garauntee)... meh!

Maybe I need a nap? But that'll kill my afternoon. Oh the confusion.

Anyway, I'm going to post this and see if I can't get close to the whole list cleared before I go!