Today's rant is brought to you by the government. Specifically, the FAFSA, that pile of electronic financial captivity that students nation wide would like to shove down a disposal drain, preferably one with really sharp blades.
I've declared myself independent on my taxes, I'm using all of my own money to pay for college, & my parents aren't giving me anything substantial to help with tuition--it's all coming out of my grandpa's bonds, & hopefully my own income, once I find a job that actually gives me a substantial one. But--but--the FAFSA still calculates my parents' Estimated Financial Contribution every year, based on all of their financial data that they're required to input along with mine. & because of my grandpa's property & our house & other things that don't give us income & aren't paying for college & don't count at all, their EFC is relatively high. Nevermind that none of that EFC is coming to me, nor should it, beacause they really ought to keep all that money & I'm doing okay on my own. Nevermind that.
Because the FAFSA won't let me declare independent from parents unless I am 24 years old, married, or the victim of abandonment, abuse or other extenuating parent-child circumstances. Since none of those are the case, I'm stuck with a lump of money showing up on my FAFSA that I can't have, or want to have, but still have counting against me.
& you know what this means, right? No work-study eligibility. Nevermind that the one job I would love to have for the summer & the forseeable future is work-study only. DAMMIT.
...anyway. On the upside, there's much to celebrate. Medieval Monday with the thesis kids was loads of fun--the Elysian has really good raspberry cider, & Tiffany is a very pleasant & hilarious drunk, & I really like being treated like a peer by my amazing teacher, & I really really like having a draft done.
& last night Erin & found Americone Dream (the Stephen Colbert flavor of Ben & Jerry's!) at QFC, plus wandering about QFC slightly tipsy with Erin & Kristen also slightly tipsy was pretty hilarious. [Erin: We can buy three [pool noodles] & then you can get bouyancy! Kristen (not paying attention): What's bouyancy? Me: It's when you float. On water. Kristen: *falls over laughing, because it's funny when you're tipsy.]
& last night we watched Edward Scissorhands, & oh, Tim Burton + Johnny Depp + Danny Elfman = the best combination filmmaking could offer. & oh, poor lovely Edward.
& today's dance class was wonderful, & in a minute I'm meeting Molly & there will be some slightly drastic changes in my life. Well. In my hair. Heh.
And above all & everything, it's MAY. Thank god April is finally over, that month needed to end weeks ago. But today it's May Day, so go out & celebrate in some fashion--sing loudly or dance around a pole or eat some fresh fruit or have a picnic or lie in the sun or have sex in the bushes, whatever floats your boat. Happy Beltane, everybody.
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