403: Listen to the song of the paper cranes... (Default)
( Aug. 19th, 2011 12:28 pm)
One of the nice things about doing tasks by hand rather than by labor-saving device, which I don't acknowledge often enough, is that it gives me the opportunity to think without physical restlessness distracting me. Today, while hand-washing the unfixed dye out of a new-ish tie-dyed shirt and skirt, I found myself thinking about the current economic situation in the U.S..

America is becoming less affluent. We as a nation no longer have the resources to try to be everything to everyone. What's more, this is an unprecedented opportunity. In deciding where our limited resources should be directed - what to save and what to leave by the wayside - we have the chance to put our money where our mouth is and really live our values, personally and collectively. It's something to consider, in the voting booth certainly, but also in the stores and when you see someone selling the Spare Change News or your local equivalent. Do my actions move this world closer to, or farther from, being one that I want to live in? It may seem like a drop in the bucket, but even drops add up over time.
403: This is your brane on string theory. (String Theory)
( Jul. 28th, 2010 01:23 pm)
Tinkering with this year's FAFSA, I found that the Dpt. of Education liberated me from my parents a year earlier than I expected. In their eyes, I'm now dirt poor and need contribute nothing towards my education. Of course, this means that my estimation of what I can and can't afford to do this academic year has been turned on its head.

I feel more than a little unbalanced.
403: Red-ink fail stamp. (FAIL)
( Mar. 17th, 2010 03:51 pm)
Okay, so. Last week I was told that my housing rate was adjusted to the correct one, and I should be recieving a refund for the amount that they overcharged me.

Today I checked my account and they've instead charged me more. Way to go. Are they getting training from Kafka these days?
Thanks everyone!

I've removed the Paypal links in all original posts, but the edit will take a little while to propagate through to LJ.
Okay, so I have a bicycle on layaway. I'd like to finish paying for it ASAP, 'cause I need it for things like hauling groceries. In order to do so, I need to come up with $250. That's only slightly less than my monthly gross income.

Rather than subsist on ramen for a month, I've decided to ask for donations. If you donate $15 or more, I'll draw or paint something for you. (DeviantArt has a representative sample.) The "basic" option will get you a 4x5" monochrome, either real media on good paper or a non-lossy file suitable for printing at that size. For larger donations, I'll do larger dimensions, more colors, or additional "basic" pictures.

I will begin working on the pictures on Dec. 15th, 2009 (the day after my last final exam) and expect to complete them no later than Jan. 17th, 2010 (the day before spring semester begins).

Be sure to list an e-mail address with your donation so that we can talk about things like subject matter and mailing address.


EDIT: Paypal link removed. 3h and change after I got this request for donations up and running, I've covered the cost of the bike. Thanks everyone, you rock!
403: Listen to the song of the paper cranes... (Default)
( Nov. 11th, 2009 09:08 pm)
Today I...

* Composed and mailed a letter to the Dpt. of Economic Security, to the effect that if they insist on scheduling an appointment with me at a time when I've informed them that I'm unavailable, then I will be unavailable during the time of the appointment. And oh yeah, maybe they should answer their office phone once in a while, since the number is plastered all over their official correspondence.

* Discovered that I had been mis-scheduled for an appointment with my GP, by showing up and finding the office closed. (I wasn't the only person standing around wondering where the staff were, either.)

* Had my first appointment with the replacement psydoc. (Both of the psychiatrists at the practice I visit left abruptly two or three weeks ago. There's a story behind this somewhere, but I don't know what it is.) The new psydoc seems more open and willing to explain her reasoning than the old one, so I'm inclined to give her a chance. She was concerned about the tingliness and ordered some blood tests (the usual basics; CBC/platelets, metabolic panel, lipid panel, thyroid function), but not so concerned as to schedule another appointment before January.

* Bicycled ~15mi in the process of all of the above. My knees and back are now somewhat unhappy, but less so than I expected.

* Still need to study for the DiffEQ test tomorrow morning.
Some merchant that I did business with has had a bunch of credit card numbers stolen. Rather than wait to find out whether mine was among them, the bank has closed my credit account and mailed out a new card. It should arrive at my mom's house "any day now", and if I lived there, all would be good. Problem is that the usual turnaround time for mail that arrives at my folks' house is about a month.

I truly didn't realize how convenient short-term credit is (in the way that makes "why haven't I been paid for that week?" into a nagging irritation rather than an immediate problem) until now, when I'm planning how to deal without it for a while.
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