UPDATE: EW.com has a slideshow of all the contestants with veeeeery bare bones info about each pair (if you don't feel like going through all the schmaltzy "What do you hope to achieve by running the Race?" crapadoo. I didn't.)
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Mark Your Calendars - TAR 17 is Almost Here!
Whooooooooooo, this will just MAKE Robert's day! Maybe even his week! The man has been driving me fruit loops bonkers asking about when the new season of The Amazing Race begins. Well, now not only do I know the date (September 26th) but I can lead you to the page introducing this season's contestants. You're welcome! Will this buy me a free night of dishwashing?
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Bacon and Eggs
When I was younger, I had a frenemy named Emi. (I'm sure some of you will remember her. Especially if you went with us to the fair and had to wait around while we found her a corn dog. But I digress.) One thing that always frosted my cookies about Emi was that good opportunities always seemed to just plop themselves in her lap on more than one occasion. Her dad owned his own business so she always had a nice, cushy summer job waiting for her. And her family friends owned a flower shop so she had a pretty good job set-up during the school year, too. Now, I'm not saying I was chomping at the bit to work a whole bunch in high school... if I was, I could have, of course, gone out and gotten a job on my own. I wasn't envious of the work so much as the fact that she got the jobs without trying. I would have loved the chance to work for people I already knew without having to go through the rigors of applying and interviewing! (Plus, she took her driving test on an über-busy Saturday and her instructor didn't make her do anything - not even a 3-point turn! Man, that chapped my ass at the time. Suckballs!) Cue the violins here, people - clearly, my life has been nothing but a struggle, right? I know.
Anyhoo, what's the point of this sad and bitter recollecting, you ask? Well, it's merely to set the stage for the announcement that now I, too, have had something fortuitous fall into my lap! Remember our videographer friend Quentin? Well, turns out he needs some part-time help with a few administrative things and since he knew I was currently out of work, he offered me the gig. It's part-time, it's flexible, it's for someone I know and like AND it's doing something I will actually find interesting (blogging)! Sweet!!! I think it will be the perfect thing for me while I'm going to school... and I wasn't even looking for it. I am a lucky duck these days [knocks wood].
To cap off this good news, I present a little video I made over the weekend. Robert and I met up with Quentin and Leah on Friday to grab some dinner and go over some of the job details. As we were in the midst of sharing stories at the end of the evening, a fantastic story about a recent incident at one of Quentin's video shoots came up. It seemed like the perfect subject for the Stick Figure Treatment. Once I got started, though, I could tell this would be no ordinary stick figure entry, oh no. It needed a little something extra. A little pizazz, if you will. So, without further ado, I present:
Anyhoo, what's the point of this sad and bitter recollecting, you ask? Well, it's merely to set the stage for the announcement that now I, too, have had something fortuitous fall into my lap! Remember our videographer friend Quentin? Well, turns out he needs some part-time help with a few administrative things and since he knew I was currently out of work, he offered me the gig. It's part-time, it's flexible, it's for someone I know and like AND it's doing something I will actually find interesting (blogging)! Sweet!!! I think it will be the perfect thing for me while I'm going to school... and I wasn't even looking for it. I am a lucky duck these days [knocks wood].
To cap off this good news, I present a little video I made over the weekend. Robert and I met up with Quentin and Leah on Friday to grab some dinner and go over some of the job details. As we were in the midst of sharing stories at the end of the evening, a fantastic story about a recent incident at one of Quentin's video shoots came up. It seemed like the perfect subject for the Stick Figure Treatment. Once I got started, though, I could tell this would be no ordinary stick figure entry, oh no. It needed a little something extra. A little pizazz, if you will. So, without further ado, I present:
The Story of How a Bacon Got His Eggs Scrambled
All of the events portrayed in the video actually occurred; I just hammed it up a little for humor's sake.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Is This What YOU Guys Saw?!
I received something in the mail a while back, something I didn't really care about in the first place but the fact that it arrived when I was hoping for/expecting something else didn't help the matter. So this something has sat ignored on my desk for the past few weeks. But now that I am in a happier place and my no school/no work/happy fun time is slowly starting to reach its expiration date, I thought I'd go ahead and punish everyone by posting it. What is this mystery piece of crap, you ask? My recital videos. [Waits for applause to subside...] Yay.
I know that I say the same things every year: that my recitals are terrible, the people in my class are terrible, the music and/or choreography is terrible but this year something else is terrible, too. Me. Now, I'm not trying to make it sound like I think I'm usually Gene Kelly and Ann Miller's love child of dance or anything like that - far from it! It's just that I at least know the steps and have the sense of rhythm and good memory to perform adequately. But this year... Woof. I don't know. It's like the dancing dead. I look dreadful! Awful. I'm sloppy. I look bored. Or sleepy. Or, at the very least, uninterested. It's terrible!!! I never enjoy watching myself on film but I can honestly say that this year's recital is the worst I've seen myself in a while. I am disappointed. And I am sorry that so many of you - especially you new people who hadn't ever seen me dance before! - saw this in person. Once I start working again, I'll give you all a dollar* for your trouble. For those of you that haven't seen it yet but are willing to watch right now, I apologize in advance. (But no money for you. Sorry. You were warned.)
This is 'Beat It.' We are warring gangs, see? We're pink and blue. Scary! I am a blue gangsta; you can find me in the 2nd blue row, the third in line. Once we get out to center stage, I'm pretty much right smack in the middle. You can't really miss me. Unfortunately.
And this is 'Takin' Care of Business.' I am the first one out in the front row on the right-hand side. And I stay in the front row for the entire dance. The one nice thing I can say for myself, though, is that I am right on it at the end, when we're "workin' over time." I point to my watch right when I'm supposed to. Yeah!
* Or maybe discounted veterinary services in 3-5 years.
Friday, August 13, 2010
The Story of the Hangnail That Saved Me
Well, at least I assume it was a hangnail, since that what I was wishing for.
It all started on Tuesday afternoon. Around 3:45 or so the phone rang. I did not recognize the number so I didn't bother answering. (Hey, I barely answer the phone for people I do know. I know you're not surprised.)
As I listened to the caller leave her message, I felt my stomach lurch at the name Kathy DePaolo. That's the name of the woman I'd been in contact with regarding my Foothill application. And her message said she was "trying [me] at home, too." Which meant she probably called my cell. I checked it. She had. And she left me her personal cell as the callback number. This said to me that she really wanted to get in contact with me. That could only mean good news, right? I mean, only a truly cruel person would stalk you to tell you something soul-crushing, right? Still, past experience caused me to pause and try not to get too far ahead of myself. I also didn't want to seem uncoolly eager, so I waited about 6 minutes before calling her back.
I was very nervous when I finally made the call.
Why is the phone in the picture red when in the first picture it's grey? Because I had to call back on my cell, which is red (long distance, you know). I'm all about accuracy, people.
The first thing Ms. DePaolo said was "I hope I'm calling with good news for you." At that point, I think my brain boiled over. Luckily, I was still able to follow the conversation which went a little something like this: Ms. DePaolo said that a slot had opened up in the program and she hoped I hadn't already made alternate plans and would be able to start in the fall. I said something like "I guess. You know. Whatevs." She went on to say again how sorry she was to have to turn me away originally and that they were definitely not ever using the lottery system ever again. She continued to go over all the boring (to you) logistical stuff and that she'd drop my acceptance packet in the mail the next morning. I told her I was thrilled to have the opportunity and we said our goodbyes. I was kind of in shock.
But then it sank it a little and I got excited. Very, very excited.
I called Robert immediately, of course, but he was busy working and so I had to leave a message. He didn't call me back for an hour. Some of my excitedness had fizzled out a little by then. (I didn't want to call anyone else before I told him so I had a lot of pent-up enthusiasm that had nowhere to go. So it sort of died a little bit. Thanks, Robert. You worker you. Bleh.) But when he finally did call me back he was, of course, very excited for me. I was then free to tell my folks and they were super excited, too. Everything is starting to fall into place!!! I can't believe it. :o) But I didn't want to post anything until I had the physical letter in my hand.
Today being Friday, I assumed the packet had to be here. I approached my old enemy The Mailbox with a new found confidence.
And was subsequently rewarded.
WEEHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My plans are back on track, people. I am so HAPPY! :o) I'm so happy that the prospect of having to work with goats, sheep, horses, dogs, cats, rabbits, mice and rats actually sounds like fun to me. I KNOW! This is the right path for me, I just know it. I was never this excited about stinky ol' library books.
It all started on Tuesday afternoon. Around 3:45 or so the phone rang. I did not recognize the number so I didn't bother answering. (Hey, I barely answer the phone for people I do know. I know you're not surprised.)
As I listened to the caller leave her message, I felt my stomach lurch at the name Kathy DePaolo. That's the name of the woman I'd been in contact with regarding my Foothill application. And her message said she was "trying [me] at home, too." Which meant she probably called my cell. I checked it. She had. And she left me her personal cell as the callback number. This said to me that she really wanted to get in contact with me. That could only mean good news, right? I mean, only a truly cruel person would stalk you to tell you something soul-crushing, right? Still, past experience caused me to pause and try not to get too far ahead of myself. I also didn't want to seem uncoolly eager, so I waited about 6 minutes before calling her back.I was very nervous when I finally made the call.
Why is the phone in the picture red when in the first picture it's grey? Because I had to call back on my cell, which is red (long distance, you know). I'm all about accuracy, people. The first thing Ms. DePaolo said was "I hope I'm calling with good news for you." At that point, I think my brain boiled over. Luckily, I was still able to follow the conversation which went a little something like this: Ms. DePaolo said that a slot had opened up in the program and she hoped I hadn't already made alternate plans and would be able to start in the fall. I said something like "I guess. You know. Whatevs." She went on to say again how sorry she was to have to turn me away originally and that they were definitely not ever using the lottery system ever again. She continued to go over all the boring (to you) logistical stuff and that she'd drop my acceptance packet in the mail the next morning. I told her I was thrilled to have the opportunity and we said our goodbyes. I was kind of in shock.
But then it sank it a little and I got excited. Very, very excited.
I called Robert immediately, of course, but he was busy working and so I had to leave a message. He didn't call me back for an hour. Some of my excitedness had fizzled out a little by then. (I didn't want to call anyone else before I told him so I had a lot of pent-up enthusiasm that had nowhere to go. So it sort of died a little bit. Thanks, Robert. You worker you. Bleh.) But when he finally did call me back he was, of course, very excited for me. I was then free to tell my folks and they were super excited, too. Everything is starting to fall into place!!! I can't believe it. :o) But I didn't want to post anything until I had the physical letter in my hand.Today being Friday, I assumed the packet had to be here. I approached my old enemy The Mailbox with a new found confidence.
And was subsequently rewarded.
WEEHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My plans are back on track, people. I am so HAPPY! :o) I'm so happy that the prospect of having to work with goats, sheep, horses, dogs, cats, rabbits, mice and rats actually sounds like fun to me. I KNOW! This is the right path for me, I just know it. I was never this excited about stinky ol' library books.
Monday, August 09, 2010
Random Puppy Pics
Time for some major cuteness! I snapped a couple of photos of Quigley hanging out in his favorite spot at my parents' house - atop the AC vent - and he doesn't have the crazy demonic green eyes so I thought I'd share.
Of course, once he figured out I was looking at him, he immediately rolled over for a tummy rub. He's getting to be as much of a TR whore as Funk!
A few days later Quigley came to hang out at the condo while my parents were out and about. I made the mistake of getting off the couch to get a glass of water and when I returned, this is what I found:
What cracks me up is that they both use the pillows as if they were people and not dogs! It's hysterical. The dogs were in no hurry to make room for me upon my return, either. I had to be pretty aggressive and even at that they sort of just skooched down. I got a half-cushion. I am so whipped. It's sad.
(This photo was taken several days after the photos above but I love how Quigley is sleeping on Garfunkel's head. I had to include it! I hadda!)
Of course, once he figured out I was looking at him, he immediately rolled over for a tummy rub. He's getting to be as much of a TR whore as Funk!
A few days later Quigley came to hang out at the condo while my parents were out and about. I made the mistake of getting off the couch to get a glass of water and when I returned, this is what I found:
What cracks me up is that they both use the pillows as if they were people and not dogs! It's hysterical. The dogs were in no hurry to make room for me upon my return, either. I had to be pretty aggressive and even at that they sort of just skooched down. I got a half-cushion. I am so whipped. It's sad.
(This photo was taken several days after the photos above but I love how Quigley is sleeping on Garfunkel's head. I had to include it! I hadda!)
A Night Out with the Stovalls
Our friend John received his PhD in Economics this past May and he and his family are now in Coventry, England where, starting this month, John will begin his career as an Economics professor at the University of Warwick. (Was that a wicked run-on sentence? Sorry.) Before heading off across the pond, the Stovalls took a 2-month long road trip from Massachusetts to California to check in with all their friends and family. Here's a graphic of their travels, courtesy of John:
The Bay Area was their last stop before flying out July 19th so on the 14th they swung by Fremont so we could say goodbye. We hung out with their 3 kids at Kristi Yamaguchi Always Dream Foundation Play Park for a bit and then, after dropping off the kiddies, dined at Strizzi's. Dakin and John then stopped by the condo for a minute to meet Funk, but he was a less than gracious host (as usual) so he pooped on the party around 11 or so.
The Stovalls will most likely stay in England for 5 years or so, but they assured us they'd be back to CA every couple years or so. I would definitely have a hard time leaving my extended family for so long but I think the chance to live abroad for a bit would be pretty cool. And now we'll actually know someone who can show us around a bit if we ever make it to England!
The Bay Area was their last stop before flying out July 19th so on the 14th they swung by Fremont so we could say goodbye. We hung out with their 3 kids at Kristi Yamaguchi Always Dream Foundation Play Park for a bit and then, after dropping off the kiddies, dined at Strizzi's. Dakin and John then stopped by the condo for a minute to meet Funk, but he was a less than gracious host (as usual) so he pooped on the party around 11 or so.
The Stovalls will most likely stay in England for 5 years or so, but they assured us they'd be back to CA every couple years or so. I would definitely have a hard time leaving my extended family for so long but I think the chance to live abroad for a bit would be pretty cool. And now we'll actually know someone who can show us around a bit if we ever make it to England!
Friday, August 06, 2010
Chicago Visitors
My nieces have been in the Bay Area this summer visiting their dad and, each week, they head over to my parents' house for a few hours. It's been a special treat getting to see them so often, since Robert and I haven't made it out to Chicago in quite some time. The girls are 7 and 10 so we've been having lots of fun Wii'ing, swimming, painting nails, shopping...
This is one of Claudia's books, Lauren the Puppy Fairy. I thought it rather fitting. :o)
Michelle and Dave made it out to my parents' for a couple of weekends, too, in and around a road trip they took with the girls to Seattle. On their 2nd weekend in Fremont, they treated us to a Giants-Mets game. It was actually my first time in the bleachers at AT&T. It was SO windy and SO cold it's also the first game that Robert has conceded and let us all leave early. I think the fact that the kids only had little fleece jackets and the Giants were up by, like, 5 runs or something in the 8th had something to do with it but still. Baby steps, people.
The girls were really very interested in the game... though not necessarily the one on the field. I found myself wishing I'd brought my DS, too.
It was so nice to see everyone! It had been almost a year since I'd seen Michelle or the girls so it was fun just hanging out, enjoying the game and chatting. Relaxed, unstructured visits are always the best. :o)
This is one of Claudia's books, Lauren the Puppy Fairy. I thought it rather fitting. :o)
Michelle and Dave made it out to my parents' for a couple of weekends, too, in and around a road trip they took with the girls to Seattle. On their 2nd weekend in Fremont, they treated us to a Giants-Mets game. It was actually my first time in the bleachers at AT&T. It was SO windy and SO cold it's also the first game that Robert has conceded and let us all leave early. I think the fact that the kids only had little fleece jackets and the Giants were up by, like, 5 runs or something in the 8th had something to do with it but still. Baby steps, people.
The girls were really very interested in the game... though not necessarily the one on the field. I found myself wishing I'd brought my DS, too.
It was so nice to see everyone! It had been almost a year since I'd seen Michelle or the girls so it was fun just hanging out, enjoying the game and chatting. Relaxed, unstructured visits are always the best. :o)First Anniversary Dinner
Since our anniversary fell on a Monday (and the start of a pretty crummy work week for Robert) we decided to take it easy and just have a nice dinner out. So, we headed out to one of our favorite but not often visited restaurants, Taiwan in Willow Glen, and enjoyed our meal at a teeny tiny table with a gigantenormous vase. It was delicious.
A somewhat subdued evening but a happy way to celebrate our anniversary nonetheless.
(Here is an alternative picture of us on the same day. It's not super cute so I didn't make it quite so big...!)
Afterward, we headed to WestGate Mall to snag a chocolate malt at Johnny 
Rocket's (one of my favorites and not available in Fremont). But on the way there we passed by a Foster's Freeze, which is definitely a favorite from way back when my family used to live in San Jose, so we decided to stop there, instead. Fantastic!!! Oh, Foster's Freeze is so good... and also not available in stinky ol' Fremont! Booooo.
Rocket's (one of my favorites and not available in Fremont). But on the way there we passed by a Foster's Freeze, which is definitely a favorite from way back when my family used to live in San Jose, so we decided to stop there, instead. Fantastic!!! Oh, Foster's Freeze is so good... and also not available in stinky ol' Fremont! Booooo.A somewhat subdued evening but a happy way to celebrate our anniversary nonetheless.
(Here is an alternative picture of us on the same day. It's not super cute so I didn't make it quite so big...!)
Thursday, August 05, 2010
Official Wedding Video
I'm sure most of you remember our friends Leah and Quentin schlepping tons of equipment around during the wedding? Well, Quentin is a professional videographer and while he no longer does wedding videos, he and Leah took photos and video of the the rehearsal dinner and wedding as a gift to me and Robert. And, just in time for our anniversary, here is the finished video! Poor Quentin just filmed tons and tons of footage to make this 5 minute highlight reel but I think it turned out just wonderfully. (I LOVE time-lapse segments! So it's right up my alley.) What an awesome thing to have to look back on for years to come. We're lucky to have such creative and generous friends!
If you'd like to see the video post on Quentin's blog, you can check it out here.
If you'd like to see the video post on Quentin's blog, you can check it out here.
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
The Story of My Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Rotten News
Hmph. I knew this was coming. I've put it off as long as possible but now that it is officially August I can go no longer without informing you all of my shame. I have received the letter I have been waiting for and, well... it definitely left something to be desired.
It goes without saying but I'll say it anyway: it was a major blow. BLOW. I had turned in my application early! I had all the prerequisites finished! And (not to sound terribly snotty, but) I went to UCLA for crap's sake!!! What is wrong with you Foothill people?! In all of the program's literature it's stated that they accept applicants on a first come, first served basis. And when the director of the program came to speak to my class in May he reiterated that it was a first come, first served system and that he thought there were still slots available. Since I'd already sent my application in, I believed I was good to go. Now, I really did try to refrain from assuming I was already in the program. I knew that there was a slight chance things wouldn't go my way and that as soon as I started thinking it was in the bag something would bite me in the ass. But, let's face it - the larger part of my brain was chanting "You're a super cool applicant! You're in!" And that part was hard to ignore. Stupid brain.
Anyway, I got my letter and I was bumfuzzled. Not only was I in shock over reading that I was not, in fact, "awesome" OR "in" but I was distressed to see that it didn't even look like I was on the wait list. In fact, it didn't look like Foothill thought all of my prereqs were done, either. Look at this:
Do those look like bullets or empty check boxes? They looked like empty check boxes to me, which meant that Foothill believed neither of those statements to be true. Which completely freaked me out. So, I immediately called the designated contact person and left her a very nice message saying that while I knew there were probably lots of angry students calling her right about now, I just needed some help understanding just what the big blank boxes were trying to say to me. And I sent her an e-mail, too. (I really was nice in my messages, I swear. Having been the go-to person for angry calls and e-mails, I was as self-deprecating as could be.) This was on a Friday. I spent the rest of the weekend on the couch in the fetal position, crippled by depression.
Robert kept trying to cheer me up by pointing out that my rejection was not due to any personal failing. The letter said that, in light of the fact that Foothill received 80+ applications for 55 slots, they did away with the first come, first served system and went straight to a lottery. A lottery?! Ugh. What a hideous way to decide a person's future! The logical part of my brain understood that Robert was right, a lottery is a lottery and you just have no control over whether your number is drawn or not. The other part of my brain felt like the world's hugest failure for being a person with a BA rejected by a community college. And, just like before, that part of the brain is easier to listen to.
Then, on the following Sunday afternoon, I got a very lengthy voice mail from the woman I'd called on Friday. She apologized for the letter being confusing but said the school had gone through several drafts and it had been hard to keep up with which version went where. She also said that both statements were, in fact, true for me - I did have all my prereqs done (I knew it!) and I was indeed on the waiting list. She then went on to tell me how wonderful my application was, how I had done everything right, how great it was that I had all my science courses taken already and that she had put my application in the 'accepted' pile before the lottery business came up. Apparently, the instructors were unhappy with the lottery system turning away qualified candidates so starting next year the program is implementing a competitive points system where applicants will be ranked according to their academic preparation. She added that if I apply next year, I will definitely be accepted, no question. She ended the message by pointing out that several people had provisional acceptances and should any of them not be able to enter the program, or should anyone else who was accepted decline their spot, I could potentially still be admitted for this year. She was really very nice and I appreciated her taking the time (on a weekend, no less) to call me and clarify things.
Unfortunately, now the hard 'NO' has turned into a soft 'no.' And while I'm hoping against hope that something happens and I do get accepted this year (I'm not hoping anyone gets hit and maimed by a car, mind you. I'm thinking more of a "My hangnail got so infected that I won't be able to write for months and won't be able to attend classes. But in the long run, my health will be fine!" kind of thing), I hate the uncertainty of waiting. And because the program has positions open up as late as the week before school starts, I have many, many, many more weeks of waiting.
The teensy, tiny sliver of hope is already wreaking havoc on my mind. Every day when I go to the mailbox, I can tell I'm anticipating opening it up and finding a packet telling me I'm in.
Only to be bitterly disappointed when said packet is nowhere to be found.
So, no packet yet. It's still (sort of) early and I'm not even going to pretend that I'm not desperately clinging to the tiny thread of possibility I might start the program this fall. I know it's a long shot but I really, really, really, REALLY don't want to wait another year to start school full-time. I hate when my carefully considered plans get knocked out of whack! I don't deal well with change or disappointment!!! But, what can I do? For now, I've signed up for those classes I can take outside the program and I'm just waiting to see. If I don't wind up starting the program in September, I'll just go ahead and take whatever classes I can (about 2 each quarter) and then probably wind up finding some sort of part-time job. Not exactly what I had in mind and certainly not what I'd prefer to do this next year but it's the best I can do.
Just keep your fingers crossed someone gets a hangnail, okay?
UPDATE: Someone did!!
It goes without saying but I'll say it anyway: it was a major blow. BLOW. I had turned in my application early! I had all the prerequisites finished! And (not to sound terribly snotty, but) I went to UCLA for crap's sake!!! What is wrong with you Foothill people?! In all of the program's literature it's stated that they accept applicants on a first come, first served basis. And when the director of the program came to speak to my class in May he reiterated that it was a first come, first served system and that he thought there were still slots available. Since I'd already sent my application in, I believed I was good to go. Now, I really did try to refrain from assuming I was already in the program. I knew that there was a slight chance things wouldn't go my way and that as soon as I started thinking it was in the bag something would bite me in the ass. But, let's face it - the larger part of my brain was chanting "You're a super cool applicant! You're in!" And that part was hard to ignore. Stupid brain.
Anyway, I got my letter and I was bumfuzzled. Not only was I in shock over reading that I was not, in fact, "awesome" OR "in" but I was distressed to see that it didn't even look like I was on the wait list. In fact, it didn't look like Foothill thought all of my prereqs were done, either. Look at this:
Do those look like bullets or empty check boxes? They looked like empty check boxes to me, which meant that Foothill believed neither of those statements to be true. Which completely freaked me out. So, I immediately called the designated contact person and left her a very nice message saying that while I knew there were probably lots of angry students calling her right about now, I just needed some help understanding just what the big blank boxes were trying to say to me. And I sent her an e-mail, too. (I really was nice in my messages, I swear. Having been the go-to person for angry calls and e-mails, I was as self-deprecating as could be.) This was on a Friday. I spent the rest of the weekend on the couch in the fetal position, crippled by depression.
Robert kept trying to cheer me up by pointing out that my rejection was not due to any personal failing. The letter said that, in light of the fact that Foothill received 80+ applications for 55 slots, they did away with the first come, first served system and went straight to a lottery. A lottery?! Ugh. What a hideous way to decide a person's future! The logical part of my brain understood that Robert was right, a lottery is a lottery and you just have no control over whether your number is drawn or not. The other part of my brain felt like the world's hugest failure for being a person with a BA rejected by a community college. And, just like before, that part of the brain is easier to listen to.
Then, on the following Sunday afternoon, I got a very lengthy voice mail from the woman I'd called on Friday. She apologized for the letter being confusing but said the school had gone through several drafts and it had been hard to keep up with which version went where. She also said that both statements were, in fact, true for me - I did have all my prereqs done (I knew it!) and I was indeed on the waiting list. She then went on to tell me how wonderful my application was, how I had done everything right, how great it was that I had all my science courses taken already and that she had put my application in the 'accepted' pile before the lottery business came up. Apparently, the instructors were unhappy with the lottery system turning away qualified candidates so starting next year the program is implementing a competitive points system where applicants will be ranked according to their academic preparation. She added that if I apply next year, I will definitely be accepted, no question. She ended the message by pointing out that several people had provisional acceptances and should any of them not be able to enter the program, or should anyone else who was accepted decline their spot, I could potentially still be admitted for this year. She was really very nice and I appreciated her taking the time (on a weekend, no less) to call me and clarify things.
Unfortunately, now the hard 'NO' has turned into a soft 'no.' And while I'm hoping against hope that something happens and I do get accepted this year (I'm not hoping anyone gets hit and maimed by a car, mind you. I'm thinking more of a "My hangnail got so infected that I won't be able to write for months and won't be able to attend classes. But in the long run, my health will be fine!" kind of thing), I hate the uncertainty of waiting. And because the program has positions open up as late as the week before school starts, I have many, many, many more weeks of waiting.
The teensy, tiny sliver of hope is already wreaking havoc on my mind. Every day when I go to the mailbox, I can tell I'm anticipating opening it up and finding a packet telling me I'm in.
Only to be bitterly disappointed when said packet is nowhere to be found.
So, no packet yet. It's still (sort of) early and I'm not even going to pretend that I'm not desperately clinging to the tiny thread of possibility I might start the program this fall. I know it's a long shot but I really, really, really, REALLY don't want to wait another year to start school full-time. I hate when my carefully considered plans get knocked out of whack! I don't deal well with change or disappointment!!! But, what can I do? For now, I've signed up for those classes I can take outside the program and I'm just waiting to see. If I don't wind up starting the program in September, I'll just go ahead and take whatever classes I can (about 2 each quarter) and then probably wind up finding some sort of part-time job. Not exactly what I had in mind and certainly not what I'd prefer to do this next year but it's the best I can do.
Just keep your fingers crossed someone gets a hangnail, okay?
UPDATE: Someone did!!
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