I didn't sleep well last night. Last night, I dreamt that people kept trying to kill me. They were all accidents, as far as I can remember this morning, but they were all brutal. In one I can remember, I was riding in someone's back seat, not paying attention, and apparently neither was the driver as we slammed headfirst off a ramp into a truck. In the one that I remember most strongly, I was in some weird kitchen set up in the basement of someone's log cabin. Pots and pans were hung on all the walls, and the room was dominated by an older gas stove. A guy was cooking some sort of greasy food in a skillet, bacon maybe, and from time to time grease would spit out and ignite sections of the log cabin. Two guys would quickly try to chase the fire and extinguish it quickly. All I could do was watch, perhaps I was stunned at the many layers of stupidity exhibited. Then one of the grease splotches hit something important... a power supply or outlet... and as the fire started to engulf the area a huge spark of purple electricity zapped from the fire and arced onto the nearest pot to it, and from that pot spread to the many others on the walls. I remember that distinct feel of the entire room vibrating from the electrical energy, and it was immobolizing, leaving me to watch in horror as the fire got bigger and smokier... then I woke up, there in the middle of the night.
I had little time to dwell on weird dreams, because as soon as my alarm proper went off I had to rush across campus to get everything set up for our 412 lab sell-off. Things went surprisingly smooth and we were prepared on time and sold-off with no last minute bugs or problems. It only took two hours.
Then I ran to the grocery and had a great sandwich for lunch at that one sandwich place I spend too much money at. I felt so much better after the smooth lab sell-off and great sandwich. Funny how even just a good sandwich usually improves my outlook on the day. I don't think other people appreciate the power of a good sandwich as much as I do. Particularly a sandwich with the superpowers of a salad! (Mmm... spring greens, onions, guacamole and a veritable ton of tomatoes...)
My parents are worried about their income. My living arrangement comes up for a large review at xmas. The place I've been living for two years now is being marked "unlivable" by the University until we put some $300,000+ into it (and the Univ. is too cheap to do it themselves) for modern sprinklers and fire controls. My parents pointed out to me yesterday that my potential possibilities are poor: 1) Commute 30-45 minutes one-way from their house to school. 2) Work somewhere part/full-time and use that to pay for near-campus housing (averages about $400+/month).
Both possibilities have huge disadvantages. Either choice and I'm going to be a completely different person... probably more miserable to say the least. I realize that I'm not going to be the first student ever to have to do either of the above. Probably 90%+ does one, the other, or both. Honestly, I believe it helps contribute, and I've seen it first hand, to a general malaise and undertone of misery in the student body. That's what I get for attending a second-rate commuter school. So many other schools the 30 minute commute is the exception, not the rule.
On the flip side, its not like I couldn't try. I've got few necessary semesters left towards my BSc. Being so close to the graduate level, I may have the possible option of working as a teaching-assistant. I think that I would actually enjoy that, and from what I hear it can make a significant impact on my tuition. As for the other possibility: I hate driving, because it always leaves me angry and/or stressed out. I think that maybe if I got my parents to agree to at least an $8/day stipend for great sandwiches to at least confuse my dopamine levels, I could probably stomach the commute a bit better. I would also probably gain some pounds back... I have enough sitting to do for classes that 1-2 hours commuting every day really wouldn't help. Then I'd hate myself and feel like shit, like I did the last time I had such a commute. Sweet, huh?
The Wild Card: I'm still trying to find a good coop/internship. That could change the whole situation entirely, most likely simplifying things in my favor. My fingers are crossed for a good coop oppurtunity to come knocking. Meanwhile... back to all the various work project I have to do, and I'll worry about the housing situation sometime else.
For Great Sandwiches! (All Your Condiments Are Belong to Us.)