What's the proper response to this?

I just checked my housing assignment online. I got MY OWN ROOM! I wasn't even expecting that as a possibility, because they processed my application as a freshman and freshmen don't have the option of a single room. Maybe they figured that an old person like me needs her space. Or maybe they just guessed that I snore like a 300 lb man. Smart move on their part.

It's also on the top floor, in a better location than the halls that I requested, AND it has AC, so I don't have to bring in a portable unit and take up space.

Climbing three flights of stairs will be great exercise.

The only down side is that it's almost $500 more per semester than the halls I requested - but $500 is more than reasonable in exchange for my own room.

Should I go and sacrifice a goat or calf to the UF housing gods?

Here's the plan... part 2

So it turns out that I must (according to the UF advisors) graduate after four fall and spring semesters. No slacking off and graduating after spring 2011. Know what could be fun? Thru-hiking the AT in the spring and Summer of 2011. I've decided I'm going to find someone to come with me. Maybe at the school backpacking club.

Go Gators!

I was right. Last Monday, I went to an orientation session at UF. I wasn't entirely sure what the purpose of the mandatory day-long event would entail, but I was sure that at some point there would be a brainwashing session, then we new students would dye our hair blue and orange. Other signs of assimilation would manifest later.

Basically, they showed us how to access our online support pages, talked about activities and their prelaw programs. At one point the adviser informed us that UF is apparently the number one "feeder school" to US law schools. Great. So I'll be ever-so-efficiently run through the UF mill in order to graduate with a BA and become one of the overwhelmingly many UF majors applying to law school. Add that to the allusion (intentional or not) to their students as either cattle or feeder fish, and I feel just spectacular about the individual nature of education at UF!

At one point we went to speak with our departmental advisers about registering for classes. I'm now enrolled in "Blake, Newton and Disney: Re-thinking the Myth of Cultural Paradigms" and "Feminist Theories." Exciting. Two separate people who I asked about the instructor on the first class described him as "brilliant." I'm really looking forward to both of my English classes.

During the security section, we were treated to a presentation by the UFL police chief. No one was tazered.

Untitled

I'm not sure if there's anything more endearing than a 20 lb cat softly launching herself at your legs.

Current Events

It's easy to become cynical about politics and policy in the United States. Occasionally, I'm encouraged by something that I read or hear about. Until his support of the proposed bailout plan, Barack Obama's campaign represented to me a return to rational representation in Washington.
The amendments to the proposal have been the equivalent of sweetening sewage - the original product was not a good basis for a solution. The best thing to do is just start over with a plan that will work for the overall good.

Something positive has come out of the Senate's vote last night. My senator, Bill Nelson (D) of Florida, was one of the 25 who voted against the proposal. Here's what he had to say:

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson's speech on the bailout vote

October 2, 2008

Mr. NELSON of Florida. Madam President, the things that have been added to this bill such as the FDIC provisions as well as the energy tax extenders and other tax extenders that I have already voted in favor of, certainly I support them, but the underlying bill rewards the banks and leaves the little person with the short end of the stick, and that is not right. This plan rewards the investment banks that ran us into the ground and it hardly does anything to help the homeowners who are facing foreclosure.

If, under this bill, the financial institutions participate in the Treasury's program, they should accept reasonable limits on executive compensation, but under the bill they don't. The limits on executive compensation are left to the Treasury Secretary's discretion. Some CEOs who caused this crisis in the first place will benefit from this bailout and will also walk away with golden parachutes. That is not right. This creates a moral hazard the U.S. Government will undertake.

This bill sends a message to Wall Street that if they play fast and loose in the name of short-term profits, the Government will actually make up for their losses. And the bill does very little to help individual homeowners. Until we stabilize the housing market, which is the underlying ability to restructure the economy from this crisis--until we stabilize the housing market, and until we stem the record number of foreclosures, our market simply is not going to improve. While this bill authorizes the Treasury to develop and carry out a plan, it does not require financial institutions participating in the program to modify or refinance any loan. It only requires the Treasury to encourage loan modifications. Voluntary refinancing efforts will not solve our foreclosure crisis. We should mandate these efforts. We should start by requiring Fannie and Freddie to refinance the mortgages they hold on their books.

Furthermore, I think this bill should do more to investigate the business practices of major credit rating agencies. They fostered the enormous growth of the mortgage-backed securities. They gave securities, mainly consisting of subprime mortgages, the gold standard or the triple A rating. That rating gave investors the confidence that they were making safe investments. Without that triple A rating, insurance companies and pension funds and other investors would not have bought those products.

So I am calling for an investigation to probe the business practices of those agencies. Investors relied on and trusted those credit ratings, and the public deserves to know how these rating agencies concluded that such risky investments could receive such high credit ratings.

I could say a lot about this, but let me just say that the bottom line is, ultimately, this bill forces taxpayers to bail out investment banks that caused the crisis in the first place, and it does nothing to address the real problem, which is home foreclosures and a resuscitation of the housing market. Until we stop the record level of foreclosures, this crisis is going to continue to worsen, whether we pass this bill or not.

For these reasons, I oppose this bill. I think Congress can do better, and I think Congress can come up with a better, more targeted solution to this complex crisis.

It saddens me that I would oppose so many of my colleagues who have offered very cogent reasons. It is true we have to do something, but this particular legislation is not the right solution.

I yield the floor.

Good job, Bill. It's good to know that you really are reasonable and trying to find real solutions to this mess we're in. I'm really pleased to know that we have real representation.

A couple of letters

I faxed these letters to my rep & senators today. Bill Nelson got a little compliment, Ginny Brown-Waite got a reminder that she wastes ample time trying to impress us with her "support of veterans," and Mel "sellout" Martinez got nothing special because, let's be realistic, he doesn't care what I think anyway.

Senator Bill Nelson

United States Senate
716 Senate Hart Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-5274
Fax: 202-228-2183

Dear Mr. Nelson,

This letter is in regard to the proposed $700,000,000,000 financial market bailout currently being debated. I, as your constituent, urge you to vote against any variation of this proposal.

I have, to date, been pleased with your work in the Senate on my behalf. Please analyze this issue; I’m sure that you will agree this proposal is dangerous and unnecessary.

Case-by-case determination needs to be made on any future financial market issues. This proposal gives too much power and money to one individual and circumvents the American system of checks and balances.

Again, please vote against this multi-billion-dollar bailout.

Sincerely,

Stefanie

Here's Ginny Brown-Worthless's

Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite

414 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202-225-1002

Fax: 202-226-6559

Dear Ms. Brown-Waite,

This letter is in regard to the proposed $700,000,000,000 financial market bailout currently being debated. I, as your constituent, urge you to vote against any variation of this proposal.

Ms. Brown-Waite, our household receives correspondence from your office on a regular basis. This correspondence is generally claiming that you support veterans. Show us that you support citizens by voting against this proposal.

Case-by-case determination needs to be made on any future financial market issues. This proposal gives too much power and money to one individual and circumvents the American system of checks and balances.

Again, please vote against this multi-billion-dollar bailout.

Sincerely,

Stefanie

Mel Martinez just got the basic without a special middle paragraph. I did, however, give him a good, stern warning that I will not support or vote for any representative that supports this bailout.

Whoopee!

Congratulations!! Your application to the University of Florida for the 2009 Spring term has been approved!

Official notification will arrive by mail, including important orientation and immunization information.

We look forward to seeing you on campus soon, and welcome to the Gator Nation!


Now just to find my immunization records. Eek.