The Chronicles of Rob

Saturday, December 04, 2004

I didnt even have to rent a uhaul

I've moved.....

Airblue (www.airblue.org)

Can I Pick Your Brain?

I have decided to make the move to the real world of domain names, but I am others are having a bit of trouble coming up with a name for the domain. I want something that I will keep for a bit, not just specifically about Australia, and maybe something to do wtih aviation. if you have any suggestions let me know.

Back Off SIUE

I definitely needed a good laugh last night right before I went to bed, so I stayed up until about 430am reading in my new book. I am so surprised, no book has ever kept me up til weird hours of the morning. What had me needing a laugh is nothing short of a mess. I recieved a letter the other day, just found it on my bed. Here is what is says:

"Dear SIUE student,
The federal government requires that 35% of our campus resubmit their FAFSA forms in order to maintain the highest quality of support and the most accurate files. You have been selected at random along with 3,500 of your peers. Please submit the following forms with your paperwork. Please fill out the listed forms: The student information page (Pink letter), your 2003 Federal Tax return form (student), your parents 2003 Federal tax form, and your 2003 W-2 forms. Please beware if you DO NOT return them by the above listed date, you will lose your 2004-2005 federal aid package and SIUE will lose all financial aid for other students."

WTF! WTF! WTF! can i just say again WTF!

Oh my night gets evn better! I can't find any of my 2003 tax forms. I probably threw away my W-2's because I didn't need them anymore. THIS FUCKING SUCKS!

But wait, MORE, i say MORE is to come. A week ago, I had recieved a refund check from my university because I had overpaid for the current semester and they had written me a check back. I looked last night... went to click on my schedule and get this.....

"STUDENT ACCOUNT IS ON HOLD, CONTACT BURSAR'S OFFICE TO MAKE PAYMENTS."
FUCK NO, I had overpaid now, I am in the hole. You people are fucking insane. According to them, I am over $4,000 in the hole! Fuck YOU... you have your information wrong! Neither my mum or myself recieved a bill in the mail. So Monday, I get to go down there and throw a shit fit to the Bursar's office. And this week is not a great week to mess with me, you dont mess with a student during the last few weeks of school, they are just a bit on edge.

Currently Reading

Started reading this book the other day in Psychology class. It's Bill Bryson's " In a Sunburned Country." It's about his travels in Australia. It had me laughing so hard that I interrupted my professors' lecture because I laughed out loud. I left the room in tears, I had laughed so hard. I rarely read books just for the heck of it, but this one I can't put down.

I Would Like to Withdrawl $XX,XXX Amount, Please.

I haven't talked to my parents about school in over a week. I talk more to my aunt than my parents, but it doesn't bother me. It all started about two weeks ago. So lets start from the beginning.

I've been working towards this goal of studying abroad for over 2 years now. Saving money, left and right. Not going out to see the latest movies, or grabbing dinner out, or buying any new clothes. I first approached my parents with the idea way back in 2002. Both mum and dad said sure, work hard and we will help you out.

Fast forward 2 years later.

Dad won't talk to me about it. I know he knows that I am going, because he agreed to buy the plane ticket for my christmas and birthday gift. So, yeah, havent spoken about anything remotely related to schooling to him in weeks. Mum was fine with it until a few months ago. A few months ago she was asking me what I was going to visit, what I was going to see, what I was going to do while in Australia. Now that has stopped. I hear nothing about anything anymore.

I worked my ass off these past 2 years to get to this point and I will not let some uptight parents of mine ruin this. I worked 70 hours a week during the summer. I worked two jobs and went to school this fall. I worked my ass off! And now they are taking back their support. NO you cant do that.

After I got my official acceptance letter in the mail they required a $300 deposit and first payment fee. So I told mum 2 weeks before the due date that I needed it. A week past, still no check from mum. Mum I kind of need that check for 300, i kindly reminded her. A few days before it was due, i asked her again to kindly write the check, and she said she would get to it. So 2 days before it was due, I just gave up and jumped online, moved some cash around, and wrote the fucking check myself, out of my Account.

The second payment came due a few days ago. I reminded my mum that I needed that check for the second payment a few days ago. I was home on Friday, so I could have easily picked it out and mailed it off. But she didnt do it. So instead of messing with her, I moved MORE money around, out of the New Zealand trip fund, and wrote yet another check for it.

Another payment is due Dec 15th, but dont worry about it mum, I got it all covered, i should say Vantage Credit Union and Citibank Loans have it covered. I took out a loan, they are deposited on Monday or Tuesday into my account here on campus and then a will recieve a check to cover the study abroad mum! Thanks for all your support. See if i send you a post card! No bottle of sand for you!

I CAN do this on my own. I don't mind doing it on my own. I know it will make me a better person for it. But all I really want is for them to say, good job on doing this, good job on setting a goal and going for it, good job for making the right choice to take control of YOUR life.

Wednesday, December 01, 2004

We're losing water by the buckets!

Captain the boat is taking on water. Abandon ship. More like dont drink the water, and NO brushing your teeth. So when my dentist says, you havent been brushing lately. I can tell him, its because my Uni told me not too. I thought people were going to cry today when Starbucks posted this sign... "We are closed until the boil order is lifted"

I got this email today... yeah just an email telling me not to drink the water....

"The attached message was sent to the university community. Please be advised that this information also applies to the residents of University Housing. Water jugs are located in the first floor lobby area of each residence hall. Please feel free to buy bottled water for your own use. Hopefully, this repair will be promptly completed which would minimize any disruption of service. The boiler order will be in effect from 5:00 p.m. TODAY until you receive a notice from University Housing that it has been lifted. "

Yeah nice of them to alert me after the fact that i have been kicking back water today like it's free beer. Do you think the Brita Water Filters will take out the harmful stuff? Oh well.

For RENT

Holy Crap! They are playing Christmas music overhead in the Morris University Center (MUC). It's nice to a point but this has been going on for hours, and days, and weeks. My god will it ever stop?

I was flipping through the channels today and noticed that big red scrolling banner at the bottom of the screen. That lovely FOX NEWS channel, gotta love it. But something at the bottom really caught my eye.

"Should the UN be desolved?"

What the FUCK?!?!

HOLY SHIT, have you lost your mind FOX? Wait probably did that many decades ago, but WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?!

Yeah great idea, lets just tell all the dipolmats one day that they can't enter the UN building in NYC because we closed it. GREAT IDEA. Lets just put up a giant "FOR RENT" sign on the building and make some cash. GREAT IDEA. Let's just give up on the organization that the US founded during the World War II. BRILLIANT!

cheers