OMG, has this been an exercise in 'Don't Panic'. I got to school on Monday. No Financial Aid check. Had to wait till yesterday. Got check. Promised about $4000. Got about $500. WTF?

Took award letter and check to financial aid. Got yelled at by small, ancient Russian woman. Told to come back later, when her supervisor was in, as I'd screwed up the paperwork because I used my legal name instead of the one that one department of the federal government still has on record and refuses to change because they've got no form to change it.

Panic ensues. The money left over wasn't enough to get my books and required supplies.

Then I log into the online system. Oh joy. They DON'T have me in one of the online classes, and I'm in the wrong session of the other. *headdesk* No one seems to know HOW to fix this. It's never happened before!

Finally talked to supervisor in Financial Aid. She's concerned, because she's never had the feds pull this shit before either, with plenty of people who have changed their legal name. She gets on phone. Then she asks why it was only $500, should have been at least $1200. Oh, see, financial aid botched up and took my tuition out twice, essentially. Once from worker retraining and once from my financial aid. This is a HUGE screw up and Should Not Have Happened. She was livid and promised to get it fixed ASAP. So she helps me apply for an emergency book grant. That's sweet, but I might not get the money till Friday. I need the book this morning. Oi. Along with a scientific calculator, a bound notebook, a 3 ring binder, goggles, and a lab coat that has a specific sort of sleeve and length.

Yargh. Blegh. Ugh. My stress level is very very very very high. You can probably imagine! :/

So.

Thank you to everyone who helped with thoughts, stern talkings to, energy.

The good news was the HEAD of financial aid got the feds to budge. They blinked, and she got my paperwork changed. *boggle*

I have in my hot hand a check for the rest of it, minus about $50. That should be printed up next week.

I got on the bus to work about an hour and a half late. No problem, right? WRONG. I-90 traffic combined with EVERYONE wanting to be on the bus at the same time. The only benefit was there was a massive delay at the transit center, and they were having a street fair, so I picked up 5 antique keys for $5. Nice.

Then it was off to downtown Seattle. Where I boarded the 36 in heavy traffic. Only to discover that the 36 was carrying about 30 5th graders on a field trip. Plus every retiree from the International District. Then some teenagers rammed themselves onboard. And if that wasn't bad enough, some guy got on the bus on his scooter. All 450+ lbs on his massively oversized ride. He threw a fit till people got off to let him on. He was so heavy the bus actually sagged.

Two stops later, and another 12 or so elderly folks got on. And one of them had a DURAIN. I was stuck cheek and jowel with a little old Russian guy who had obviously had too much vodka, had peed himself, and kept picking his nose and consuming the delights he found there. Not to mention he coughed like he had consumption. I'm surprised he didn't grab my hoodie and wipe his face on it. Brrrr.

You know, there were probably 150 people on one of the non-bendy Metro busses. Most of them young children, screaming, hollering, and being pests. 3 young boys in the seat in front of where I was standing were having a Larry-Moe-Curly slapfest out of the direct line of sight of their sponsors.

Sigh. I shouldn't complain. Seattle's bus system really is nice, but today, I balanced out the financial aid dragon slaying with some seriously sucky bus luck.

So it goes?