Absolutely true, Tep, and not picky at all. I was thinking of my Uncle's family, which has juvenile onset schizophrenia. This has had tragic consequences--two suicides and two other family members institutionalized for life--and that's with the most expensive and modern care possible. But this is a very extreme case.

Much work~ma for beth's DH.

Work~ma headed towards beth's DH.

I'm inbetween classes. I'm finally going to get to check out class two of three. The third class I won't have a first meeting until Monday ('cause it's a MW class). Unfortunately, I stopped by the bookstore today to make sure I'd bought the correct book for class two. I hadn't. And, of course, it's the MUCH more expensive set of books that I actually need. Oh, and I didn't bring my receipt with me, so I couldn't return the book I'd bought. Grrrrrr...

Also stopped by the Bursar's office to pick up my excess check. Because I have less than 12 credits, it's not ready yet. It won't be ready till the 9th. I'm a little annoyed, but whatever. I can deal. Still, though, they have the money. What takes so freaking long to print a check?

Um, they are lazy and don't care? Oh, and EEEvil.

Um, they are lazy and don't care? Oh, and EEEvil.

Yeah. Pretty much. Oh, and they have you trapped. There's nothing you can do about it, really. I'm just thankful that I paid off my car last month, 'cause otherwise my books would have done me in. They were 'SPENSIVE this semester.

The being not caring while having you trapped is the most maddening part of it.

I've worked on accounting software. You usually don't get the luxury of caring.

Hey, I do the books here and I care, darn it.

::glares challengingly at ita

I care, darn it.

No doubt you do. The software probably doesn't though, and the larger the institution, the less leeway left to the individual. And that's before you get to bureaucracy, also large with the "we don't have time for you to care."

May I drop in and boast for a moment?

On my first week on WeightWatchers under the "must compete with DH" system, I lost 5.5 lbs.! I'm finally below my pre-pregnancy weight, and in fact weigh less than I have since sometime in early 2002.

(I know it's not healthy to lose that much per week on a regular basis, but my understanding is it's normal for the first few weeks even on a sensible diet, and then you settle in to losing a pound or two a week. And believe me, I'm eating toward the upper end of what the plan allows, and some days exceeding it slightly--I'd be fainting from hunger and low blood sugar at the minimum end.)

Oh, and after all my protesting the grossness of oatmeal, I've been breakfasting on...instant oatmeal. The silly kiddie flavors like s'mores and cinnamon toast, because I don't like the fruity stuff. And I like it because it lasts so much longer than an equivalent amount of regular cereal. I can have oatmeal at 8:00 or 9:00 and then go to 1:00 if I have to before needing lunch. With cereal I'm hungry again by 10:30.