qualifying for the psychological Olympics

Current music: Porcupine Tree. Lots of it. Just great fistfuls of smart, wistful, angular, melodic rock.

***

The day became... unfunny at some point yesterday.

I'll try not to go overboard with this...

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Took the test in advanced counseling techniques.

See, I don't have the right BOOK. I've got the first edition, and the class is using the fifth. That's what happens when one's financial aid gets delayed due to an imbroglio that perhaps finally got resolved yesterday.

***

This is the book I got from the UTA library a couple weeks back. Parking was a bear. I finally found a meter, and dug three dimes out of the carpet in the van to get me 24 minutes. I didn't know where the library even was from there, but the clock was ticking, so to speak.

I found it quickly, thank the gods, and proceeded to hop on a computer to look up my book.

The computer was locked.

The library assistant explained that I could go to the tech support desk across the room for a temporary password to unlock the computer and look up my book.

Yeeeeeah.

I explained that perhaps HE could look up the book for me and save me the step.

***

That's when he handed me over to a surly Southeast Asian librarian with a speech impediment. Just try to blend Elmer Fudd and a woman from Cambodia and you have some inkling of exactly what the hell I was trying to decipher.

I had the author's name and the first word of the title. Her reaction: "You should be ashamed."

(Holy crap, was she joking? She was hard to read, that's for sure. Librarian... hard to read... not even worth stretching that into the bad joke...)

***

She found it, and as I imagined the meter running steadily down she started my paperwork while I trotted up to the fifth floor.

Of course, I did a rushed, bad job on my parts of the paperwork, and she seemed a bit agitated.

Then she seemed to turn nice. Told me that if I needed to extend my time I should email her personally, and HERE'S my personal account and ah weel see thad you ged you booook chegged out agane.

(She... lightened up? Was coming on to me? Felt bad for chastising me? Had she been chastising me?)

The meter kept running.

***

I made it back with two minutes to spare, actually.

***

But in study group last night it became clear that vast chunks of stuff we needed to know weren't in the first edition I have. Crap crap crap.

I was studying with a sharp group though, and they may have saved my bacon. The test was hard, but I've got my fingers crossed that maybe I got a B. I know I passed. I'd hate to get a C.

***

Quick break after the test, then back in our seats at 6:50pm for two solid hours of dense, emotional lecture time.

***

They'd always said that at some point in this program everyone will get a nerve touched here and there. I'll spare you the details, but last night was my night. I personally do not intend to disclose much in class, but the prof picked up on how uncomfortable I was.

***

And man, after two hours of sitting there on numb buttocks I needed to go to the bathroom something awful.

Thing is, there was this GUY in there. Skinny young black man, and he just reeked of trouble. I took one look at him and decided the toilet could wait.

The campus is in a bad neighborhood, and I try to watch my butt whenever I'm there. Security is supposed to be tight, with school crime quite low, but we're near the edge of campus, so you never know who'll wander up.

Another student told me the guy had hit him up for change in there. Annoying, but probably harmless.

***

I waited outside with a couple students, chatting. Paranoid soul that I am, I put my wallet in my backpack. He came out, dabbing a paper towel at his elbow. One of the students whispered to me, "Has he been in a fight?"

I found his presence really bothersome. I glared at him. He milled around for a second, then walked off--towards the center of the campus.

***

Security came by, and we told them about him. They had seen him, and went back to confront him.

***

A few minutes later they returned, telling us that just off campus 6 or 7 black youths had jumped a guy for his wallet. Cops had been scrambled out, and arrests were made.

They seemed to think he was one of those assailants, and told us some disturbingly gung-ho tale (complete with F bombs) about how they'd just squared off with him in the street, and how one security guard wanted to fight him so badly he threatened to quit just to have the rules of his job no longer apply. Hoo boy.

The unwelcome guy left, probably out of sheer annoyance at the security yokels more than anything else.

We humored them a bit, thanked them for their time, then decided it was time to bail.

***

I came home just... sort of a raw nerve. It was great to see the kids (or THEBOY at least, since THEGIRL was in bed already).

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And I crashed hard.

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I'm hoping today's better. Yesterday wasn't awful, just... sort of like qualifying for the psychological Olympics.

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Happy Wednesday, to you and to me.