time for school, time for school
So today was my first official day of school nothing exciting really just my first day back. I like my new class (only had one today, lasted 3 hours though). Thought the course structure was great, class discussion was great, ideas thrown around...great. Okay so here's my dilemma. My professor, who is also my adviser mind you, hands us out a mini-syllabus (we have to PURCHASE the main syllabus which is book length and gives all of our work in detail, lots of detail apparently) okay so back to the mini version...in the mini-syllabus is a grading grid with the letters A, B, C. Next to each letter is the amount and type of work you need to do to achieve the correlating grade. We were advised that "C" level work is "considered failing in grad school". Okay so skip that level. Now "B" level entails the reading of the 10 books from the syllabus along with the reading of 4 anthologies from the syllabus along with the reading of 5 books of our choice. Mind you each of these readings has corresponding activities or writing assignments. These are in addition to an 8-10 page paper as well. (yes this is for one class). The "A" level has the 10 syllabus books, the 4 anthologies, the 8-10 page paper but goes even further to require 10 books of our choice and another 12-15 page paper/assignment again all in addition to corresponding activities or writing assignments. So being the OCD, dork, overachiever that I am I have an overwhelming desire to go for the A. But then I remember that I am also a grad assistant working 30 hours a week, teaching aerobics 2 hours a week, bartending two nights a week at 7 hours a pop each, and taking FOUR other classes. So prudence says that the wise idea would be to settle for the B and give myself a break. Now here's my dilemma...this B is all fine and dandy until you consider that my professor is my adviser -- will she judge me as half-assed for only going after the B. Will it ruin me? Will she not recommend me for a job as highly as others in the program. So now I think I have no choice but to go for the A. (I make this all sound so dramatic). In other news...Joe bid on and won a HP Palm Pilot at the American Heart Associations Heart Ball last December and since we took it home it has been broken. It resets itself on a whim (not so good for an item used specifically to maintain contact information and appointments). Needless to say Joe didn't keep the box and since we bid on it at a silent auction there is no physical receipt. So I have this lain-brain idea that definitely stems from my father's scamming side of the gene pool. Buy a new Palm, and then return the old one in the new one's box with the new receipt. Problem solved. Um, yea that is until they check the serial numbers, stupid. Proving that I am a technological cluster-fuck. So Joe goes back to CompUSA and trys to return the broken item and they not so politely advise him that the serial numbers don't match. And since there is only one CompUSA in Syracuse guess who gets elected to go back to CompUSA to return the correct palm. You guessed right...me. So I go and guess who the customer service rep that I go to is???!?!??! YUP the one that Joe tried to scam. And he remembers Joe and the whole attempted scam and tries to tell me that my receipt is no longer valid and that I cannot return either palm, ever. Contraire Monfraire. That is unless the supposed scammer is an angry, short Italian with a mouth unafraid to make a scene. WHADDYA MEAN I CAN'T RETURN THIS ITEM, DO YOU SONS OF BITCHES REALLY THINK YOU ARE GOING TO STICK ME FOR A $500 PIECE OF EQUIPMENT I DON'T NEED ON A TECHNICALITY. Um, mam, no. Needless to say I was able to return said item. But they still got us in the end...to return an already opened item at CompUSA one must pay a 15% restocking fee which for us meant $65 for effing cellophane??? So here is my tribute to CompUSA. I can't take all the credit -- it was from MADDOX the nutcase that graded children's art work (which if you haven't seen is a must see and click here...)
