Today, I bought 2 extra gigs of RAM and High School Musical: Dance!.

Also a tacky-ass jacket and a poster of Kevin Jonas (DON'T JUDGE ME. It was on sale. DON'T JUDGE.)

I'm being responsible tonight and not trying out Sims 3 on the RAM-upped computer, because if I start playing I'll never stop and I'm tired. BUT JUST YOU WAIT, SIMMIES.

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If I loved shopping as much as I love having new things, I'd be in very real danger of turning a simple mall trip obscene.

My dad was waiting for some variety of income or another to arrive before he gave me birthday money to spend with reckless abandon, which worked out because today was both the day he gave me money and the start of Bath and Body Works' massive-ass semi-annual sale. So I got some sunscreen (which sounds boring, but I'm picky as Hell about sunscreen because so much of it smells so awful - I tend to let myself burn rather than deal with the stink) and clearance lotion, and stocked up on the yummy after-sun lotion that is one of my favorite scents. And I got a bitching hat (purple fedora with neon stars on the side SO TACKY but so awesome). Also I bought pants. I hate buying pants but there were fuschia jeans in my size at Deb and they actually fit. I *wanted* this tacky-ass lightweight orange plaid bomber jacket that was on clearance - I expected it to be cheap as Hell 'cause, y'know, orange plaid bomber jacket (*bright* orange) but it was barely marked down at all, wtf.

I WILL BE KEEPING MY EYE OUT. Orange plaid will be mine, oh yes.

I have an appointment at a temp agency on Wednesday. I'm being awful and using the fact that I will be doing something productive in the future as an excuse to be super-lazy now, but whatev. IIIIII want a job plz world.

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IIIIII am pretty dead on my feet at the moment. I'm not generally a shop-till-you-dropper, but I wanted to go to Old Navy's $1 Flip-Flop sale, plus I got a $75 birthday check yesterday and it's been ages since I've had any money to just spend on whatever. So last night I took my change purse to a Coinstar machine (I almost didn't, because I figured I'd ignore the pennies and just count out the silver change, put them in $1/each sandwich bags, and use paying in such an inconvenient way as an anxiety exercise. But there were a ton of pennies, so even with the Coinstar fee I ended up with an extra $2.50) so I had $6 just for flippy-floppies.

The plan had been to go right when ON opened so I'd be sure to get the colors I wanted (8/9 is a common-as-Hell size, those always run out first), but I overslept a little. I didn't think 1/2 an hour after opening would be too big a deal, but they'd already almost completely run out of one color I wanted (orange :( they only had one size 5 and one 11 left; I wish they'd completely run out so I could pretend they never stocked it) and I ended up getting three different sizes to get the colors I wanted (I almost got the orange 11s, but they were just a little too big - I'd be tripping over 'em all the time). And I still only left with 5 instead of 6 pairs.

Yesterday we (Mom + sister + me) went to Macy's to get sister some prom shoes, she found nothing she liked but I fell in love with some purple & orange paisley wedges (PAISLEY. WEDGES.). So I was gonna go back and get those, except I was having second thoughts 'cause they were $60 which is way more than I ever spend on shoes (I am poooor) and I was having trouble coming up with more than one or two outfits to wear them with (I wanted them to replace these, which I wear with almost everything). But I was gonna try them on and see how much I loved them. AND THEN I had to walk by Journeys on the way from ON to Macy's (also from the parking garage to ON, but I wasn't paying attention then) and ZOMG. IIIIII have been in love with those shoes forever and there they were on the clearance rack you guys. I OWN THEM NOW my life = complete. LOOK AT THE PRECIOUS BOW. LOOK AT IT ARE YOU LOOKING. ~PRECIOUS BOW~.

Aaaand then I spent half an hour in Lane Bryant trying on everything pink in the store to match my new shoesies but nothing was quite right. It was actually fun, though, I liked the girls working there. I felt kind of bad, though - one of them saw my ON bag and asked if there were any good flip-flops left and I told her when I left there were plenty of most colors...and then I went back right after to pick some up for truemajority and there was nothing. Sorry, LB lady. Anyway I ended up with just a couple 2/$25 camis (black and white yay boring) whee.

And then Starbucks! Which is a necessary part of any downtown mall mission. Green tea frappuccino you are my girlfriiiiiiend.

I went home and then I got bored after, like, ten minutes so I went back out armed with my last $14 of check money and $1 of shoe money, first to the Greyhound Rescue garage sale (nothing fun :( usually they have some good board games) and then to TJ Maxx, and if I didn't find anything there I was gonna go get the High School Musical tote bag craft kit on clearance at Kinney's 'cause I'm cool like that.

BUT OMG. I have been searching for the perfect yellow scarf to complement my purple dress for ages, but either nothing's right or nothing's cheap enough (sorry world but my hard limit is $10 for a frigging fringed rectangle). AND I FINALLY FOUND THE PERFECT ONE it is long enough to tie around my waist if I so choose and it has awesome funky things happening at the ends and it is THE PERFECT YELLOW. MY LIFE. COMPLETE. Also I got an avocado slicer because I am horrifically domestic at heart.

And now I think it is naptime. Wheee nap.

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I'm tired. Just...tired.

I have to be a full-time student to stay on my mom's insurance. I have to stay on my mom's insurance to afford my migraine medicine and counseling appointments (we could probably swing everything else...but the Topamax is $256 for a month's supply, and counseling is $100/week without insurance). So I applied to CCV, arranged to have my transcripts sent...

...and neither of them could be sent. JWU and UNCA both want money (we haven't figured out why JWU wants money; we know why UNCA does but it's a stupid reason. Not that that changes anything, but.), so they won't send transcripts. So. Mom talked to the school, they told us as long as we got the transcripts by the end of the first semester, I'd be fine, go ahead and make an appointment to register. Which she did. For this morning at 9:30.

Turns out whoever told us no transcripts = no problem was either misinformed or lying, because here I am not registered for a thing. The school won't give me any financial aid, since I'm not taking any classes I'm not eligible for federal aid, and my credit is fucked to high heaven, so, y'know, it's been a great day so far.

My anxiety's through the roof and I just wanna go crawl into bed but I can't 'cause the last day to register is August 22 and I have to have money in hand to register and I have to wait for Dad to get up so I can set him about getting me loans because I'm so awesome I still can't talk on the goddamn phone.

I have other stuff I could update about that's less blah but...I feel like wallowing. And I'm tired.

So, I posted a bit ago about my car's battery being dead (it was the Sunday before last I checked it, after needing it jumped on Saturday to go grocery shopping). Anyway since it died right after a grocery trip I wasn't particularly concerned with getting it jumped right away, since I pretty much only ever go to the grocery store.

My anxiety's been hideously bad lately; thanks to that I have to force myself to deal with people. The best way to do that as far as my car troubles are concerned has been to leave myself no other option - ie, wait until I'm totally out of food and then give it a day or two (because I can always manage to find something for a day or two after I think I'm out - this is how I discovered adding chocolate protein powder to pancake mix = delicious) so my choice is suck it up and ask someone for a jump or not eat.

So having not eaten since I finished off a jar of mild banana peppers last night, and finally finding the parking spot on the battery side free so someone could get in to jump, I wandered outside. And after, I dunno, half an hour or so, someone came by, and she was friendly enough so I asked for a jump. She had no cables oh god I was gonna have to ask more than one person no wait her friend has cables. Friend turned out to be very nice guy with blue mohawk who lives downstairs. There are very few relative strangers I can deal with without being srsly panicky, he's one of them. Yay!

Jump. Nothing. Several tries. Nothing. Someone walking by, Blue-Mohawk-Adam asked if he was right to think if nothing was happening it was a starter problem. Walker-by says maybe, or maybe the battery's THAT dead - leave the other car going for ten minutes or so and try again to see. If not, whacking the starter with a ratchet or hammer or whatever tool can help.

Seven or eight minutes of other car running. Try again. Nothing. Blue-Mohawk-Adam says he's never tried the ratchet-starter trick and isn't sure he wants to. Fine no problem whatever at this point I'm seriously agitated and my anxiety's going insane. Ask if there's anything else they can do, nope, recommend me a mechanic they both use, yay thank you going inside now.

So! I have a car I can't start or afford to get fixed. Oh and I can't ask the parents for money 'cause they think I've got my credit cards enough in order that I've got some breathing room for sudden car needs. This is one Hell of a lie. I have no food in the apartment (although! I have three or four scoops of protein powder left and milk, so I have poor man's slim-fast), and the money I was gonna use to GET food is an as-yet-uncashed check so I can't even order pizza or chinese or whatever.

Yay today. No really.

On the plus side, the kitties know I'm agitated and anxiety-insane so they're being extra super-snuggly. And since I woke up way too early this morning I'm going the fuck back to bed.

I have $9.58 of an eBay gift certificate left and no idea how to spend it. Suggestions = yay. The more specific, the better, y'all know my cracktacular taste.

You guys, I cannot be trusted with money.

I somehow ended up with $50 more on one of my credit cards than my figgering said I should have...so I waited a couple days to make sure nothing was gonna come through, and...



A pair of those belong to meeeeee.

*drools*

- It was fucking cold this morning. Getting out of my nice warm bed full of cats was like getting smacked. 23° when I left for class. Ick.

- Google Checkout is running a promotion for first-time users, $10 towards your first GC purchase from participating retailers. Buy.com is a participating retailer, and is currently selling a 1 GB flash drive for $10. They have a free shipping option. 1 Gig flash drive free = yay.

- Last week sometime I e-mailed the parents about sending me a package with some of the winter clothes I left at home. They sent it this week. It was supposed to get here today, and it WOULD HAVE but my roommate didn't bother to answer the door (when I say didn't bother, I mean just that: she was sitting 15 feet from the door and just didn't get up), so my clothes I've been looking forward to are at the post office right now.

- Talked to Mom earlier. Says aunt is doing better today, more accepting. I sent her an e-mail this morning full of Tommie and Gina pictures, she's a woman what appreciates a cat picspam. Suggested she get a purple wig to match her car. If I've never discussed my aunt's car here, it's a PT Cruiser convertible she had her boyfriend paint purple. Shit is badass.

- Mom also said she's found a car she likes, so as soon as they work out paying for it, I'm getting her car. I was kind of hoping for a more fun car, but this is a way nicer car than I'd be getting otherwise, so screw fun.

- Mmmm hot cocoa

8:48:00 PM Mom: Your Aunt Kathy isn't doing too great. Her blood counts were so low that she couldn't have chemo this week. Her hair is falling out, too.
8:48:11 PM Heidi: Oh no
8:50:30 PM Mom: She has an appointment with the Feel Good Look Better people Friday. They will help her with skin care and scarves and will give her a wig. They will also cut of what is left of her hair if she wants. I think she will want that. The constant shedding is bothering her.

I'm definitely not going home for Thanksgiving break, too expensive. Dad remembered not to buy me a round trip ticket for Christmas break, so I'll be driving back in whatever car I end up with.

I think I'll refrain from participating in Bon Jovi communities for a bit. The more excited squee I see the more it's gonna suck I just can't fucking afford them.

It's fucking cold. Back to bed.

After talking with my daddy about cars today I made the mistake of going to poke around Earthy Cars.

Silver PT Cruiser, one of my OMGWANTSOHARD cars, $5900. OMG WANT. SO HARD. (Also: sexy little Alfa Romeo I'd be totally dying over if it weren't a Standard)

I don't think it's likely, though. Dad's being seriously pessimistic about how much we can spend (rightly so), and I think Mom's sold on giving me her car so she can get a "new" one for herself.

But. I've wanted a PT Cruiser FOREVER, so excuse me while I indulge in a little spoiled-brat whining.

Dear Roommate,

If rent's gonna be a significant amount more this month than last month ($40), it would be really, really nice for you to let me know that BEFORE you come for the rent check.

Hopefully Dad can get the transfer through before the rent clears :/

She KNOWS I get my loan money from my parents and need a little notice to actually have it on hand, too. Bah.

(She's been driving me nuts lately for a multitude of reasons. BLARGH)

IN OTHER, less-whiny news:

Everyone who uses iTunes, check this out:

http://simplifymedia.com/index.html

It's a plugin/program/whatever. You create an account, and when you're online your buddies can listen to your iTunes and you can listen to theirs.

I'm HectorRashbaum, if you download it BUDDY ME yay.

Dear Roommate,

Thank you SO MUCH for neglecting to tell me the apartment's laundry is coin-operated. Would it really have been SO HARD to make sure I knew to have $1.50 in quarters before I could do laundry? Seriously, that's, like, one sentence.

"It's a coin laundry, dollar to wash and fifty cents to dry."

Because if you'd said THAT, I could've saved myself the annoyance of running all over creation to find one last quarter to start the wash. And God knows what I'm gonna do about drying.

Thanks for the help. Really. 'Preciate it.

1. Housing is totally 100% squared away. I've got the cheap apartment, money for furniture, everything all set. Dad's starting the drive down either on the 12th or 13th with all my shit, Mom and I are flying down on the 14th. We're flying to Charlotte and spending the night, Dad's driving right through to Asheville to unload the car and then back up to Charlotte (his idea, whatever). Then we're heading to Asheville the morning of the 15th, going furniture shopping, spending the day putting together furniture and unpacking some, then bye-bye parents. On the way home they're gonna stop in NYC to go see David Hyde Pierce on Broadway (omg I so love David Hyde Pierce)in...I think the show's called "Curtains".

2. Money's not totally set yet. I got denied at VSAC, like I mentioned, so poo on them. I got approved for a loan from Chase but their interest sucks (fun fact: when I was wee[ish] I had no idea interest applied to anything other than my money in the bank so when I'd see an ad that said, like, "interest rates at an all time low!" I'd be all "Wtf, why is that good?"). But none of our other ideas will approve me, and the other one I applied for that hasn't denied me is still processing, so I'll probably end up with the Chase loan. I have enough student loans to pay off that an extra 2% interest on the smallest one doesn't make that huge a difference to me, whether it should or not.

3. Driver's test Tuesday. I think I'm actually ready, shock of all shocks. My mom's a horrible nervous passenger, and I drove with her yesterday and she was fine with me.

4. I can't unload this Leppard/Styx/Foreigner ticket. Which...eh. Part of me likes that, because now if something comes up at the last minute, I won't be all "Dammit, but I just sold my ticket!" *weeps*. But the likelihood of that happening is slim to none, so I want some damn money. I think I'm just...destined not to see Leppard this summer. Blah.

Aaaaand I think that's it. It's fucking hot.

I think things are definite enough now that I can talk about the living situation without feeling like just talking about it is gonna make it all go tits up.

I'd gotten really stressy about it at one point this week...Wednesday night, I think it was, the night my phone broke. To the point where I was in a pissy fucking mood and kept snapping at Mom.

Thursday morning she came upstairs to tell me she'd called The Grove about housing...it's student housing, set up like a dorm - you can pay with student loans, utilities are all included in the fixed rent, they have janitors and maintenance people and stuff. And I'd put in an application there, online, and hadn't heard back.

They told Mom to have me fax in an application, and that there were plenty of openings. Spiff. They're more expensive than I wanted ($500/month), but I was getting too stressed to care, as long as it was actually affordable.

So. Okay. Apply and take care of it, right.

And right after she went downstairs, my GMail notifier dinged...the very first person I'd e-mailed about an apartment, the one I really really freaking wanted (This listing), e-mailed me back. FINALLY.

We've been talking a fair amount, and I'm 99% sure I'm gonna end up there. And I'm pretty freaking excited about it. And even if something DOES come up so I can't take it, Dad's faxing the Grove application on Monday.

So. Housing taken care of.

Money next. VSAC has online credit approval, so I went through - not expecting to get approved, but figured might as well try - and...got approved. Neat.

Went down there to fill out the loan application...and they told me I hadn't been approved. I told them the website said I was, and got told it must've been a glitch and they didn't know why it said I was approved.

Uh. Right. If your software has a big enough glitch it's telling people they're okay when it means not okay? That's the sort of thing you fix BEFORE you let people use it. I waited a couple days to go down because I'd been approved, but I just as easily could've waited until the last possible minute and been really fucked. "It must've been a glitch, I don't know why it would have said that," wouldn't exactly have helped me then, douchebags.

So I need to find a loan. Whee.

I've been on a huge Billy Joel kick lately. David Bryan could've been Billy Joel.

Yay, I'm going to see Leppard in Charlotte.

Less yay, I'm totally shit-ass broke now.

It's really nice out tonight. It was fucking hot today, but at least that gave me the motivation to change my sheets from the flannel ones to the pretty stripey ones. Mmmm, clean sheets. Cool clean sheets.

the "on a stairway to heaven, what a way to GO" in Lepp's Stand Up is one of my favorite song moments ever.

I've started apartment hunting (for one, not two). I'm restricted a fair amount by dates - I can't get to NC until the end of June when I'll be down there for orientation. And I can't move until August.

I have found three that I like, though. All under $300/mp w/o utilities, two which will allow pets, two within walking distance of UNCA. One guy's gotten back to me, the place is really cute.

Of course, all three places are available June 1. Which means paying for two months of rent I'm not going to use (although, if the place is mine, it means I can bring some shit down in June when I go for orientation, which'll make moving in August easier). I'd rather pay for the extra months at < $300 than end up with a $400+ rent by waiting...but who knows.

I need to talk to the parents, though, because I won't have deposit money by June 1 so they'll have to make the deposit for me, either with the promise to pay them back or as a gift or whatever.

It presents a few other problems, too. But right now I think the money is the big one. The one guy I've talked to so far is willing to rent to me sight unseen as long as we talk on the phone, which is good because otherwise he's coming to Vermont to see me :D. That place has one more tenant, and yeah I would like to meet her, but I've gotta work with my limitations here.

The guy who got back to me is actually my third choice - the other two are the ones that allow pets, are within walking distance of UNCA, and one of them mentioned LGBT-friendly while the other mentioned gay/gay-friendly. Plus, one's $250, while the guy I've been talking to is $275. The third is $285.

So yeah. Shall discuss it with the parents, and maybe I'll be lucky enough to know my housing situation before I'm even out of JWU.

I'm gonna be buried this weekend. I have my Mondrian paper to write, and that has to be done by Monday so I can take the presentation to the printer's. So tomorrow will be research paper day. I have my Java final to do, and that'll probably eat my soul Saturday and Sunday. And then I have some shit to do for Newswriting, so that and the printer trip will take up Monday.

Plus I have to get packed. Going home Thursday! Yay. No more Jaaaaaywoooooo.

The AU is still eating my brain. 9700 words (ish) and it's slowing down. I've got a few more scenes pretty firmly entrenched in my head that need to get down...it's close to done. Yay.

Although I wish I'd gotten a longer fic out of it. Maybe it'll surprise me, but I doubt it'll top 15,000. Which certainly isn't bad, I'd just like to write something longer.

Maybe I'll fish out Rescuer when I'm home and get that bitch done.

This was longer than I meant it to be. Awesome. I'ma go write.

Someone needs to take my damned wallet away and hide it from me. I've spent around $100 today.

But I got a buncha books. And ordered Mom flowers for Mother's Day (the best reward for frustrating me and pissing me off, natch).

Today, she is a good day.

And I <3 zek_chan

The CPR training for today was cancelled. Eeeee.

That has potential to cause a lot more problems further down the line, but seriously, I'm only gonna be at this job for another month, so eh. Yay!

Side note, I shouldn't've been given a credit card. And I am no longer allowed to kill time before work in Barrington Books.