Today's yet another day, yet another day closer to my first semester as a graduate student. I didn't write yesterday due to the fact that it was slightly to be diminutive, crazy. got up and drank my coffee, getting ready to do this journal actually. I thought Zim, our puppy, was chewing on a bone. NOt the case. For maybe fifteen minutes, he jumped up on the couch and had this weird rubber stuff in my mouth. I thought it might be a good idea to investigate further, and yes he had something he wasn't supposed to have. Needless to say, the XM Radio remote is nw in remote heaven. He chewed the whole end off, so much so that the front bit with the rubber in it fell off. He then proceeded to start eating the rubber. The only positive here is that I now know how cool remotes look inside. Luckily, he didn't eat the battery, but I think he ate the infrared LED and part of the circuit board. I swear, that dog's got to have an interesting x-ray profile in his stomach. Its funny now, but I was SO freaking mad at him, especially when he wouldn't come to me with the piece that he had, Ge knew he was in trouble. He'e behind a gate now for as long as I can handle him being locked up. That way this might not happen. Might is the keyword; if this dog can find something bad to do, he'll do it. He's a lovable thing though, so you can't be mad at him for long.

Today its raining again. A good day for me to stay inside and finish this final I think. I'd like to enter graduate school with no incompletes, and if I just take some time I should be able to make that happen.
Yesterday and the day before, I spent the days trying to convince, for the third time (seriously), the gradschool department director, that I needed extra time to take the GRE, and also that I hadn't been delaying in getting the GRE done. The deal is that as a blind person, to get the accommodations I need, it takes a long time to get myself approved. Then they have to schedule it with a test taking center and make sure everything's secure, and that I'm getting the accommodations I need. Dr. Ulrich told me, again, (we'd had this conversation before) that he would let me in the grad program, as long as I get a GRE score to him. That will happen.

I've also been trying to get an okay that yes, I should be able to work at the ELC next semester on top of my classes. Of course my education goes ahead of all work I might be doing, but I enjoy tutoring, so I hope they let me do it. Apparently, with some funding sources, they stipulate whether or not you can work and make money on top of the money you're making. Annoyingly, there's a sallary cap that my theoretical grant can pay me, so it'll be nice if I can make a bit extra. My alleged grant really doesn't care if I work or how much I get payed, but all of this academic paperwork/rules really annoys me. Its better to follow those rules though. Thank goodness for my grad advisor, without him ... I wouldn't have a possibility of a grant. Its pretty much a certainty that I'll have it, but no one knows for sure. 'll know by the end of January. Until then, I'm an unfunded, income lacking, and lonely :( chemical engineering grad student. The big bucks (its going to be great to actually make money!) are at the moment, in limbo. Not much longer.

After, or before my final, I haven't decided which, I could also do some reading. I'll have time next semester to read for fun, but reading at home while its raining outside is a totally different thing.

I'm still waiting for the piano guys to call me as I'm considering getting a piano player system put in my piano so I can record myself. There's so many times I play random stuff and never remember what I've played. If I could record it on a real piano and have it played back/notated, I might be able to actually write some crap down or produce a cd. Who knows.

Well, that's about it from here. Got theoretically lots of things to do, or not :).