Frustrations Annoyances and Debacles

A nigh perfect storm of grief and complication has descended upon me in the last few weeks, coming to a head (I hope) over the past few days.

Here's the readers digest version for those who have asked or care. If you are in neither category just scroll. :)

My finances took a BIG hit last year as I was out of work for 3 months with complications from knee surgery. This hit as school started so it was combined with tuition, books and shots.

Medical bills from knee therapy, Strep throat and a kidney infection further ate the savings.

ODU cancelled my Coast Guard tuition assistance late last year for reasons that are still obscure. It LOOKS like they reacted to a temporary suspension of military TA by a budget snit in congress as cancellation or possible fraud. Whatever the reason, ODU cancelled my TA and I was hit with a LARGE bill just as I was getting on my feet again. Nevertheless the year seemed to start out promisingly...

The trailer is still not fully repaired, but it's in that half taken apart phase that make it all but unliveable. Final repairs will give me a large cheap and pleasant place to live for the next few years while I finish college and will be 3-5000 dollars which I had saved but.....

The USCG denied my tuition assistance...because it was cancelled by ODU last semester. I'm on tuition probation untill the summer. This ALL stems from a paperwork error at ODU as far as I can tell. (Buracracies are not evil per se but there are few things as destructive as a lawful neutral with absolute power).

The car died.


Chaos has hit work. My UPS center has been hit hard by flu and malingering hence I'm having a hard time getting off in time to go to school. I frequently show up in class smelling like I've just gotten off a very physical and moderately dirty job (who says you can't draw conclusions from first impressions:)

I am taking the devils language (Japanese) which has become VERY hard about the time that I started being late....and then contracted the Martian death flu which put me out of comission for 4 days. I am also taking a KANJI (Japanese charachter/ caligraphy) class...which is kicking my ass as I have no artistic skills WHATSOEVER.
The other classes are OK just time consuming. I'm glad now that I couldn't fit any classes for my major in this semester a marine biology class would be the death of me now.

I've put ON over 15 pounds in the last month. This is utterly unacceptable and somewhat bewildering given my general stress and having been sick. Dang... Lost 30 then put half back on. !@#$%^&!!!

In addition to this upcoming weeks exams, I'm trying to get my ducks in a row to sit for my Second class exam in the USCGR. Time is running out on that too.

I'm going in early at work (I volunteered to try and get off early) but this just means that I've been up forever when I get to class.

I'm being hit up for a bill from a hospital I have never visited.

All my Insurance and tax bills came last week.

I pulled my back out of whack at work.

My sisters 3 legged cat likes to eat paper, he finds calligraphy homework especially delicious.

After MONTHS of haggling and filling out paperwork, I have been informed that I will not get any disabillity for the 3 months I was out of work last year.

My mother has begun radiation treatment for her breast cancer and is pretty laid out.My fathers hip is better but still "out". So there is much to do over at my folks.

My uncle just developed an alergic reaction to his chemotherapy and may be disabled.his lymphoma is completely cleared up but his lungs suddenly scarred up.

All this and I've still got exams...

All of this can be dealt with, just dealing with all of it at once is a challenge.

Next week I'm going to try to get a payment plan from the school on the tuition I suddenly owe. If that is not possible I will be tapped out but virtually debt free which is not an untenable place by any means. I'm trying to get transferred to the night shift at work, which would rather simplify my time management issues. Depending on the results of my attempt to get a payment plan, the car will be fixed or replaced in 1 or 4 months and the trailer fully comissioned by the end of the semester or in 2 weeks. The big thing is to focus on studying over the next few weeks to get this Japanese out of the way. My folks are doing better which is a load off in and of itself. I'm now taking my CG stuff to school and studying it like I would for another class a coupple of hours a day.

Getting the lock off my account will enable me to take showers at school again, saving 30-45 minutes a day.

This is not nearly as bad as it sounds actually. There was a time (briefly) that I lived in my car a decade ago and I was 40,000 dollars in debt just a few years back. I learned from the mistakes that put me in those wretched positions and have essentially shrugged off a hit that would have been the end of me even a few years ago. My material condition is similar but my prospects are FAR better, so this is not a moment of dispair, just one of lifes little speedbumps, I've been through worse and overcome more. I'll be OK in a month or 3. Life goes on.

Additionally, I have a friend who is going into surgery shortly, who has had to deal with far worse setbacks than I. Rambling Rebuilder spends months at a time with people who have lost EVERYTHING, and then there are the people in Darfur and Nigeria, so when put in perspective my Walter Mitty drama is pretty insignificant. Given that I've turned down several good jobs to pursue an education, this WHOLE mess is at least on some level self inflicted.

(It is also time consuming and irritating.)

Now I've got KANJI coming out my nose. I'm going to blog a bit....