I've really been busy at school lately, and I'm enjoying it. The only problem is that my hips hurt from standing on the bus/skytrain for almost two hours.

I really should write more, but I have stuff to do today, like go get my Passport to Education from the compound. I need that money. If I don't get it, I can't reasonably afford all of the expensive shite I need, like an external hard drive and some uber-expensive video tapes. Also, I need glasses and a winter coat, but those are going on my credit card. Yes, I have a credit card. This means that if I ever feel the urge, I can buy shoddy merchandise over the Internet. Or I could set up a PayPal account so that people could give me money. Not like that would happen, though.

Heh, we watched the opening scene to Bonnie and Clyde yesterday in my Visual Storytelling class, and we talked about sexual imagery and how Clyde's gun represented (and is a subsititution for) his manhood because he ends up being impotent later in the movie. I can't ever imagine talking about that in high school without the obligatory gay bashing that would inevitably follow.

Anyway, time to shower, I'll be back later.

I'm updating from school! Well, I haven't started classes yet, but I had orientation yesterday, and my Introduction to PCs on Tuesday and Wednesday (the most boring $95 I've ever spent, we learned how to save files. Ooooh, complicated!). Today I had to pay my tuition, so I got a ride with Josh and Dave. They have a two hour orientation, so I'm in the career centre waiting for them, and using one of the internet stations. I have the late night class situation sorted with Dave, he's going to take four hours of lab time on Monday nights so he can drive me home. This brings a great weight off Mom's chest, now she doesn't need to worry about me taking my chances in Surrey (or as Dave calls it, Slurrey).

I think I'm really going to enjoy school now that I don't have to worry about how I'm going to afford tuition. My student line of credit came through, thank goodness. Mom went to the bank last week to sign for me, and the bank said they weren't sure if they could give me the money on such short notice. So Mom said she wouldn't leave until she talked to someone, and then when a financial advisor came to speak with her, she pulled out a folder of all of my school expenses, and receipts for all of her assets. Needless to say, I got $6000 to pay for my first semester, and I get the other $9000 when I sign the papers on Saturday. I'm still a little worried, though, because to me, this is an extreme amount of money, and I'm not sure how I'm going to pay interest every month. I'm finding it difficult to find a job, and the money

I get from my Dad's pension is unlikely to stretch far enough to cover transportation and monthly payments to my line of credit. I'm going to be optimistic though. I have four hours in between classes on Monday, so that gives me enough time to go out to Metrotown and drop off applications to at least 50 stores. I may have exausted the job pool in Langley, but Burnaby is still open game.

I'm also a bit anxious about the lab situation. Apparently I need 20 hours a week of time in the computer lab and audio/visual rooms. With 17 hours a week of classes, 20 of labs, and between 4 1/2 to 12 hours for transportation (depending on mode and traffic), I'm not sure I'll be able to hold down a job. Plus, I've heard that lab time is difficult to get in the sound rooms because of the Recording Arts students, and if there's lab time associated with my Audio/Visual course, I may have to book time for late at night or in the wee hours of the morning.

Gee, I'm complaining a lot. I think that must only be because I'm worried about starting on something new. I've met some people, though, and that's a big step for me because I'm a giant shy freak. I'm still not quite believing the fact that nobody here needs to know that I was the queen of the nerds in high school.

I've figured out my bus/SkyTrain schedule and route for days when Dave can't pick me up for school, so I'm pretty good at that. There's only two slight down sides.

1. I have to walk 8 blocks to and from the bus station nearest my house, and 4 blocks to and from the nearest bus stop to CDIS. Also, there are lots of long flights of stairs at the SkyTrain stations. Sometimes the bus and train are so crowded that I have to stand for nearly an hour and a half. This means that after three days of taking the bus, my legs have a dull ache.

2. If the batteries in my discman die, the bus ride will be the most boring thing in the world. Even more boring than learning how to save files. I learned this yesterday (the boredom, the files thing was on Tuesday *snooze*).

Anywho, I'm off to eat lunch and stretch my sore, sore, sore legs. Also, after their disorientation, I'm going to talk Josh and Dave into going to Ikea, because we still have the whole day ahead of us, and I haven't been yet :)