Anyone who's done this before know the basics of what I'm supposed to do?

Hil, I can try to help with this. I'm confused why you're filling out actual forms. You should be able to do everything online. Are you looking for federal loans or private loans?

PC, my mom has an Altima, and it has been the bane of her existence. She cannot wait to get a Toyota. Personally, I adore my Civic. It's my second Civic, and I hope to never own another car than the Civic.

askye, I hope things calm down with the new fam!

Aimee, I'm so thrilled that it looks not too bad. More ~ma, just 'cause.

I know there was other stuff, but my brain doesn't remember. So, hugs all around!

I, too, have Civic love. Mine is a 1996, manual transmission, and I can still get better than 30 mph in the city. (My husband can't, but I have mad gear shift skillz, and he's a relative newcomer to it.) People keep asking if we're going to buy a new car when the baby arrives, and at this point there's just no reason to do so.

Aims, I'm very glad to hear that your Mom's diagnosis isn't heart-related.

I know this is a much more complicated question than this, but am I better off buying a decent used car or a cheapcheapcheap new car?

I may be in better shape than ever before, but I'm still paying ridiculous amounts on my student loans every month and making nearly 10K less than in California, so large car payments aren't in the near future for me.

I finally just had it. I got this e-mail from my brother's MIL:

Please read this article. The European socialist health care that is upon us has me asking why live a so called healthy life style to live a long life. Don't miss the portions that require the oldsters to forego medical treatment, pain reduction treatment, treatment for ailments that plague us as we age so there is sufficient medicine, health professionals, etc, to meet basic care for younger people. Forget neonatal care for infants born early or with anomalies. Forget miraculous experimental treatment and medicines that have saved and extended life for Americans as well as people world wide who come here for treatment. The health care system will be required to provide less care and you will pay the price in physical and emotional pain. ----Oh well, elections have consequences and this one has destroyed my beloved country.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=email_en&refer=columnist_mccaughey&sid=aLzfDxfbwhzs

I e-mailed her and asked her not to send me any more political e-mails. There will be fallout, but I'm sick of her e-mails, which raise my blood pressure.

am I better off buying a decent used car or a cheapcheapcheap new car?

I'd say a decent used car would be best.

It's worth the fallout, vw. That's totally ridiculous. I saw Daschle testifying about how the US healthcare system is like a pyramid--with the expensive, rare and experimental treatment at the top and the basic healthcare at the bottom. We finance from the top until the money runs out, cheating people from the bottom out of the most basic of care. Other countries finance from the bottom up until the money runs out (and as he said, the money ALWAYS runs out).

My twin sister always rants to me about socialized medicine. But I've pointed out to her that in the UK, three rounds of in-vitro are covered, as she tries to save up enough money to cover one round.

Forget miraculous experimental treatment and medicines

Like stemcell research???

Speaking as someone who's spent their whole frigging LIFE with that European socialist healthcare thing? I'm not saying it's perfect, but it's not made of total fail either. I heartily endorse your e-mail to the interfering old bag, vw.

Mom tells me to ignore them. Delete and ignore. But, when an e-mail pops up in my inbox with the subject line, "Time to eat, drink and be merry so you die before medical benefits are denied!," it's hard to ignore. I'd prefer them to just not show up.

And it's not worth it to engage her. So, this feels like my only other option.

That's weird. I usually see the term "preventative medicine." But Google seems to think I'm crazy.

I run across that term often in what I edit, and we take out the extra "ta" every time, to the point that reading/hearing "prevenTAtive" makes me twitch. (Like hearing a singular verb with "data" -- NPR, I'm looking at you.)

That's one of those editing changes that I've been doing for so long, and automatically, that I no longer remember the origin -- I don't remember if it's AMA style, or what.