Advice to future college students

1. Save your notes so you can sell them to your friends the next semester. 2. College advisors will keep you in college forever so form your own plan. 3. You have the right to change your mind and change majors. 4. Make sure to officially drop classes because some professors will not drop the course for you if you fail to show up, then later you find an F on your report card. 5. You are the one doing all the work and paying back student loans, so pick an occupation that makes you happy. You got your whole life to be disappointed so dream for as long as you can. 6. Get a job. You heard the one with the gold makes the rules, so earning your own keep puts you in a bargaining position with your parents when financial decisions on your college expenses are made. 7. College is not a 4 year vacation from your parents where you can do whatever you want and parents will pick up the tab for you. Eventually, parents won't be around to take care of you so a college degree is nice to have. 8. Don't put anything in your dorm room that you can't handle being stolen. Money, music, checks, leather jackets are most often stolen things. And some roommates steal from you too. 9. Many internships are not paid. Plus, they expect you to pay your own apartment rent and car expenses without a paycheck. If you are lucky, they will pay minimum wage. 10. Watch for credit card offers. If you put away your credit card bills in a drawer and never pay them, THEY DON'T GO AWAY. These credit card companies target students without income expecting their parents to pay these bills.

Happening May

After niece graduated high school, she has a dance recital and piano recital. Went to dance recital. Ballet, jazz, tap, Irish, hip hop dancing. Irish dancers had huge curly hair pieces bouncing as they hopped around. One girl's hair came loose and audience laughed every time she adjusted it. Poor girl. Had dinner with niece and sister and Mom. It got mentioned that sister will be coming over and few times this summer. One is for Memorial Day grave decorating and another for a test at a doctor. I emailed my siblings concerned about Mom's thought process being off and memory fuzzy. Most of the time she is fine, just once in a while I wonder if something is wrong. It's the little things. Hopefully Mom is healthy and we can go about lives as usual. Had a job interview today and it went well so I'm crossing my fingers. I need this job cause I can't keep asking Mom for money forever. It needs to end. I borrowed more than I can ever pay back now. Well nothing else to report.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers, stepmothers, pet mothers, and the whole village of women who help raise us. Had a lovely weekend with my family celebrating Niece #3's high school graduation. Left the day before cause my Mom is convinced I can't get up early enough or find my way to the high school the day of. Whatever. Left in mid afternoon to arrive early evening cause sister's family has activities and we want to be sure they are home ready to receive guests. Ate at McDonald's and Mom got her first slushy of frozen lemonade. Where ever Mom goes she has to have lemonade and this place had only had the frozen kind with strawberry juice mixed in. They made a non-strawberry lemonade just for her and clerk was confused how to do that. What Mom discovered that it is hard to drink right away until starts to melt. We slept on the sofa bed in the living room. Everybody noticed my hair is shorter. Next morning get ready for celebration and take off to help set up reception at a church. No wild keg parties for this family. Decorated tables and prepared food. Then left church for the ceremony. Met the family at the high school and sat on bleaches way up high. Videoed the entrance march and took photos of the rest. Both valedictorian and salutatorian mentioned by brother-in-law: social studies teacher, speech team, mock trial, softball team, etc. He is quite the character playing 70's rock to the students. Niece was in 4th place on the GPA ratings so didn't make a speech, but top 5 students get all the scholarships. Her 1st year is paid for, now my sister and brother-in-law have to pay room and board. Niece plans to be a middle school/high school math teacher. Funny, I never made it past Algebra II. She loves Dr Who like my brother. Then stood in line for the receiving line outside the school. Eventually I cut in line to take niece's picture and give her a hug. I don't need to shake all 32 hands. Went to reception. Told family about new job prospect and they were so excited I would be quitting my investment job. Actually, no, I'm not quitting my investments job. I think of that as extra money and work what I can since everybody but 3 people run away screaming "I don't want to buy anything". And for some reason people keep reminding me it is a commission job like it is a disease I caught. Yeah, I figured out this is a commission job the first day and done that type of work before. It is not working for free, it is unstable income. Funny nobody cried foul when my tax office job is 100% commission and a retail store job I had once was that way too. Jerks. So finish cleaning up the reception room and go to sister's house. Relax in front of TV and chat. Sister got our Dad's stuff asking if we wanted anything since I said once I wanted Dad's dog tags and couldn't find them. We went over his stripes, ribbons, pocket watches, etc. My Dad never wore a wrist watch, he had pocket watches. I got his dog tags and brother mentioned he found a flight log of Dad's along with the log he kept as a conductor on the railroad. Did Dad fly a plane in the Air National Guard? Mom can't remember, but then she can't remember anything anymore. Sister said that someone said our Grandma mentioned Dad flying planes and stopped when he got married. He would fly over their farm and tip his wings so they would know it was him. Never heard that story before. But then again, my family rarely tell stories. Next morning went out for lunch at a restaurant and waited nearly 2 hours for a table. That's Mother's Day for you. Had to sit by aunt who complained I wasn't talking much. I already declared my good news, nothing else for me to talk about. I know she doesn't want cat stories. I have no money to do fun things. She never comprehends how broke I really am (when I lost my job and almost homeless, she thought I should travel Europe and tell her all about it). She suggested we visit a living history museum in town. Yeah, ok, we can take my little niece #4 to see that again, I took niece there last year for a pioneer wedding. I'm sorry I don't share her enthusiasm viewing something I've seen a dozen times and volunteered 2 seasons there. So finish with cake. Niece #4 begins to cry and refuses to eat her cake because she didn't know where her mommy is. As someone gets up to check the rest room, here she comes wondering what my niece crying about. Isn't she allowed to use the rest room without her? Waiter then asks which man at the table wants the bill. My nephew says he wants to pay the bill. Waiter asks if he was sure cause it was $400. Nephew says he has no money. Waiter says he can work off the bill at a child labor camp. Nephew replies his mommy can pay the bill. So we separate our orders and pay our bill. Hugs and kisses done and drive home. Mom fell asleep half way home. Long 2 hour trip. I got home to pet the cats, fill food dish, change water, scoop the litter, and not a bad mess to clean up. Good cats.

More interviews

Tried a employment verification job to realize it is a call center job so I wear headphones and talk on phone. I can not handle headphones, they hurt my ears. Years ago the airport my car rental was located in put in new speakers because people complained they can't hear pages. New speakers were booming loud and made my ears ring so I couldn't hear my customers. I left the job stating I needed to leave before I go deaf. Worked at a retail store during the Christmas season and returned when heard they turned down the volume of the new speakers. SO came back to my old job. After working 1 day and training 1 and half day for the call center, I quit. After 15 minutes, ears hurt and after 1 hour, had trouble hearing people. Next 5 hours after lunch were hard, but made it through. Continue my retail store job and caught the eye of a customer. Usually I don't date customers since they usually want free things. You may love being used, abused, and tossed away, but I despise people like that. Guy was so impressed I was so nice at my cash register. Yeah, I call it MY JOB. Wonder what would he think of me when I am no longer paid to kiss his butt. Texted his cell phone he gave # to and we texted a couple hours. Met for pizza and he took me to a park I never been to. Very nice park. He got a little frisky saying good-bye and I wasn't ready to make out in the middle of a parking lot. Not much of an attraction so won't be contacting him again. Got first paycheck from financial advisor position for moving Mom's investments around. About time, it's been 2 months and forked out money to apply for all the licenses and set up website. Friend is changing their life insurance so hopefully in a couple months get another installment. I looked forward to my tax office job to give me a bonus to find there is no bonus for me. Bummer. Got another interview at temp agency #3. Agency #2 interview was hard cause she pointed out that I worked sales jobs since college and therefore, must really love sales. How does one explain that I work sales jobs simply because nobody will pay me to do anything else. I just said it made me money. This new gal offered what I was hoping for: loan processing. I will gladly sit in a cubicle typing, faxing, emailing, reading, sorting loan apps into different departments. Told interview gal I wanted to be self supporting, which is hard at $8 and 20 hours a week, and stop standing on my feet for 8 hours (which is hard the body). Making plans for niece's high school graduation the day before Mother's Day. Driving Mom over to the ceremony and having a Mother's Day lunch with the family at a restaurant. Extended family likes to get together. Nothing else to say.