The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.

~Aristotle

Act 1

So I went to orientation on Tuesday. I was there from 9:45 to some time after 3:00, yet really there isn’t much to talk about.

There was a lot of data dumping, but I couldn’t help feeling that it was the sort of data dump that didn’t need to occur. PSU’s website (at least with regards to new students) is horrible and the day was spent being told orally what should really be presented clearly and online.

I did have a few questions going in to orientation and they did get answered so that was nice. But other than that the day just kind of went along without too much benefit. During the day we had two sessions where PSU presented a handful of presentations and we chose which two we’d like to find out more about. I went to a session about working/internship opportunities and the real lesson was that as a quick entry student I get no help. The career center also helps find off-campus jobs but, again, I don’t qualify for their services. So yeah, super beneficial.

By day’s end I did have myself signed up for classes though. I’m taking “Physics w/ Calculus” and “Digital Design”. I’ve gotta tell you, I’m more than a little afraid of the physics class. Not because of the physics, but because of the calculus. In order to take the class you have to have taken calc. I did, like 10years ago. While that’s enough to get entry in the class, I’m still not sure that it was a smart idea for me to do so. I remember 5 things in math: y=mx+b, FOIL: first inner outer last, a² + b² = c², circumference = 2πr, area of circle = πr². Notice that none of those are calculus. Notice that I only know five things in math! Yeah, I’m worried.

Act 2

After the day ended, but before the day was over I decided to head over to the school bookstore. Might as well buy my books. Walking through they e’s I found the book for my digital design class (ECE 171). $139!?!?! “Hold on, there are some used books right there.” $104.25?!?! It was at that point that my now-clenched heart sent the OK to my digestive system to go ahead and shit my pants.

Before the stink began to spread throughout the store I quickly moved to the p’s and found “PH 221.” $196????? For a fucking physics book? As darkness began to tunnel my vision I reached for the bookshelves to steady myself. Though blood was throbbing in my ears and air was entering my lungs through ever-more-shallow breaths I was able to focus enough on the used book price: $147.

I swoon.

I stumble my way out of the store as on-lookers look on, their expression worried at first and then disgusted when the stench of my poopie pants hits them. I head home. Twice along the way I cry.

Act 3

When I arrived at my apartment building I happen to run into my neighbor Ken and his college-aged son, Ken. Ken (senior) is also planning on attending PSU to finish his degree and we talk about orientation that day. Talk inevitably bleeds into the book prices. At this point Ken (junior) chimes in that he gets all his books at half.com as their prices are so much cheaper.

Tunnel…

..Light…

..Hope.

Shortly after I’m sitting at the computer checking out half.com. They’re an eBay company. Which means you look for a book and anyone and their mother may be selling it to you. Which means it’s just fucking eBay with a different logo. Now personally, I don’t like using eBay. I know people who’ve used it countless times without problem, but it’s just not for me.

So I head over to Amazon. The Amazon marketplace is much like eBay, however at least this way all of my order processing is done through Amazon. On top of that Amazon ratings seem to matter to people, and therefore hopefully to the companies which sell through the marketplace. I know I myself will look at Amazon ratings of products even if I’m not planning on buying through Amazon.

I’ve found both books, used of course, at prices much less painful. Digital Design: $139, now just $73. Fundamental of Physics: $196 now just $66! It doesn’t feel good dropping $140 on two stupid books, but it’s much better than dropping $335.

Conclusion

So that was orientation. When I’m not going to school I’m going to be busy reading math books and frantically trying to get up to speed.

Nothing causes activity like setting one’s self on fire…

…though often times heightened activity is followed by no activity at all.

Today was an interesting day at the mailbox. I got three different letters, each one being financial in nature.

$0

The first letter was from the credit union. Eleven years ago, when I first started working where I work, I signed up with their credit union. Minimum deposit required to open an account was $5. So I rolled out a fiver from the colossal roll of cash that I keep on me at all times (you know, for emergencies) and opened an account.

I had some credit card debt and decided to take advantage of my newly established credit union membership by taking out a signature loan to pay off the credit card. I was denied (fuckers). That was the last time I stepped foot in the credit union (I hold grudges).

Over the past decade I’ve been getting statement from the credit union every quarter. Four times a year I’m given an opportunity to marvel at the rate in which my $5 investment has grown. Unfortunately as the economy went to shit so did the interest rate savings account. The interest is now so low that when it’s figured against my equally low balance the total currencies deposited into my account by the C.U. are exactly $0.00.

At this rate, I’ll never hit $6!

12.5%

Now letter number two is much, much better. My quarterly statement from my retirement account. In the second quarter of 2009 my account increased 12.5%!! That’s what I need to hear right now.

The retirement is part of the budget for Life 2.0; though the current plan is not to touch it for the first two years. I shouldn’t need it at first, and after watching it get destroyed with the rest of the market I’m hoping leaving it alone will allow it to recover. Now I would be silly to expect 12.5% growth or anywhere near that ever again. It’s very likely to be a one time bump, but even still it’s terribly nice to see as dusk falls upon of my life as a gainfully employed tax payer.

116k

The last of the postman’s trilogy of financial letters was from my home insurance company. This is the time of year in which I normally renew my insurance for the house that will (hopefully) soon be someone else’s responsibility to insure. My renewal package included a summary of changes in my policy coverage.

Adding up my coverage for the house, personal propery, and “loss of use” I come up with a number that is $116,000 higher than I sold the house for. Apparently it would have served me better to burn my house to ashes than to have wasted so much time with realtors, home inspectors, and reed diffusers. My fault for that, I obviously didn’t investigate all of my options.

Translation?

If my mailman was a gypsy then my mail would be my tea leaves. The question is what would they be telling me? Well, to me the answer seems to be obvious: don’t trust the banks, invest in the future, and insure the hell out of everything you own. That’s actually not bad advice…

…though I should get myself a fortune cookie just to be sure.