Hello Me

Yesterday ended on a good note. I feel better now, after avoiding my emotions through two hours of video games. Changing the oil and brake fluids helped me get my mind off things too.

The gig on Wednesday night was a lot of fun. After lugging my amp the distance, it decided not to give any output. I was pretty dissapointed at that, but lead guitarist in the the band who opened before us lent me his. So things could have been a lot worse.

So what happened that really set the mood for the last two days? It all really comes down to UC's Service Stop again. My Student Loans finally came in a couple weeks ago, and so, I double payed my tuition. I asked them earlier, what would happen in this event, and they told me to come back to them, and they'll debit the over-payed balance.

So I went back, explained my situation to the agent, and he goes, Ok, I'm no longer authorized to refund that money. What you'll have to do, is email these people, explain to them what you just told me, and they'll do the refund for you.

He passed me a sheet of paper, dated Sept. 28, explaining the change in policy. The email will take 4 days to process, and I should expect the money in 4 weeks. I nearly exploded, because the day the lady I dealt with earlier who told me to "just come back," was in mid-October.

I reminded the agent of the "Professional, Quality and Timely service" they promised. How their website was absolutely committed to "excellence and exceding expectations." Bullshit. Unless their greatest ambition was in pissing off students, it is in my esteemed opinion that they're excellent at doing dick-all.

So why was I not told this in mid-October? Why the ridiculous change in policy? Why all the passing over? (Which in retail, is one of the worst methods of customer support) I asked him these things, and his answer was,

We changed these things, to speed things up. To provide smoother assistance to our students.

I stared at him, right in the eye, trying to qualify if he actually believed in the words he just said. And I cracked a smile, threw my head on the table, laughing, got up, and left.

Un-believable.

I cursed and swore every name in the book under my breath. I was rivid.

And this change of character really surprises me, though I suppose it's not really a change of character, since it is a part of me. However, I've only seen this side of me 4 other times in my entire life.

The very first time, I was only a kid, and was so upset with my mom, I ripped up a Chinese painting I made of a frog. I immediately regretted that lash, because... the frog was so cute and innocent. I taped it up, and I still have it, but on that day, I said to myself that I would watch my temper from that moment on.

The second time, I was in High School, and again, I got so peeved with my mom, that I kicked a hole in the dry-wall. Yup, regretted that one too, because... whoa, where there should be a wall, there's a hole.

Third time was only 2 years ago, and I ended up ruining one of the best friendships I've ever had. Looking back, that was an unhealthy relationship anyway, but, I still have my regrets.

So it really scares me to see what I'm not capable of. As in, not capable of knowing all sides of myself.

Teaching, on the other hand, is totally ass-kicking. Inquiry and Problem-Based Solving is the stuff. But there's still a time and place for Traditional too. In fact, most of the balance for me so far is, Traditional/Problem-Based. But man, whenever I get that chance to throw in a littl bit of Inquiry, it's pretty wicked-sick.

And my kids think I'm a super-hero. (check out those muscles!)