Back to School Roadblocks, Apparently

While Teegan was settling into life in Aggieland, I was settling into life as a forty-five-year-old college student back on my own campus. I had been excited about going back to school for months, but I quickly learned that being excited and being prepared were two very different things. Between saying goodbye to Teegan, dealing with work, figuring out how the hell to be an online student, fighting with technology, and surviving the Texas heat, my first week back was anything but smooth. In fact, it was one hell of a way to start.

Saturday morning Yvette and I woke up a little late. Aggieland was hotter than hell, and Teegan had things to do, so we were not going to meet up with him until around one o’clock for some lunch and farewells. I know the prospect of leaving him was tearing at Yvette, and I wasn’t exactly thrilled about it myself. I have been on the other end of this, like I’ve said.

We made a trip to the grocery store before meeting up with him. It felt right to supply him with some good snacks for his room. I mean, he wasn’t always going to want to eat dorm food, was he?

He and his roommate met us downstairs to help with carrying groceries up to the room. I wasn’t going to haul another case of water up four flights of stairs before hitting the road for five hours. I knew my back was already tweaking. Heck, I watched these young lads wrestle getting that damn case up the stairs, so I knew it wasn’t the easiest thing to do. I wonder how quickly Teegan is going to go through his water? These stairs might make him a little more conservative on his consumption.

Fish Daddy’s was the place Teegan wanted to check out, and we basically saved the best for last. I was immediately impressed with the atmosphere, and once I saw fried green tomatoes on the menu, I was sold. I had always wanted to try them, and they did not disappoint me. Everything we ordered was superb.

Mostly, the lunch was just an excuse to visit. We talked about what he did last night. We talked about what he was planning on doing that night. We talked about his upcoming classes. Mostly, we just talked. It was our unsaid way of prolonging leaving town and saying goodbye, but eventually we had to hit the road.

Dropping him off was hard. Of course it was. I’ve never been good with goodbyes anyway. We were all a mess on that side of the road by his dorm. Tears in our eyes. When he walked away, he made one final glance over his shoulder at us that I will never forget. God, I was going to miss him.

The drive was what could be expected. Long. I made it a point to not make a single stop other than getting gas on the way out. No pee breaks. I wanted to get home before dark. Somehow, we managed just that. Yvette was impressed. She asked if I was alright. I said that I wasn’t.

She went to pick up Alaya from her dad’s house, and I ordered a pizza. It was good having the little girl at home filling the empty space. That night, we all slept well.

Sunday was a quiet day. I did very little around the house. I picked up the dogs from my mother’s, who were very happy to go home and relax. For my senior pups, being with three other dogs for four days was enough. Lola came and picked up the little girl, and it was once again quiet. This will take a while.

It wasn’t really the first day of class—that was Monday—but I was finally able to view my course syllabus! That meant I started class a day early! I went ahead and dove headfirst into the course and completed two assignments ahead of schedule. I was really getting excited about the prospect of taking a college course once again, nearly twenty years after graduation. Already, I was happy with my decision and the gentle persuasion of others to re-enroll.

I made a mental list of the things I needed to do for the first day of class—what I needed to buy—and I went to bed.

Early Monday, I went about my usual morning routines and left the house early to go check out a laptop from IT to use during the semester. I had to check it out in 28-day intervals. Whatever. The girl quickly signed one out to me, with zero explanation. I asked if there was anything I needed to know, and she said no. That was kind of a red flag.

My God, do things on my commute to work change when the students are back. Gone was the simple, stress-free drive, replaced by chaos and frustration. These people make my ass twitch. Nerve-racking sonsofbitches. I was also almost hit twice in a matter of five minutes. For fuck’s sake.

Dear Lord, I was busy on Monday. Busy to the point of exhaustion. The heat didn’t help at all. Honestly, I had not completely recovered from the Aggieland move-in. It was also going to take me a little while to once again get used to the influx of students back on the campus. It goes from being such a quiet place to a very alive place. You must make some adjustments to the routines that you take on over the summer months.

Not only was it busy, but my insulin pump’s controller was on the brink. The screen was flickering and, at times, failed altogether. I would have to bang the damn thing on a surface to get it to light up. Yeah, this was a problem I needed to rectify as soon as possible. Last thing I wanted was to be up shit’s creek without a paddle.

After work, Yvette and I went over to Noah and Nadia’s to visit with baby Niles. He is such a sweet, happy boy, always with the big smile. I hope that never changes. Since I do not see him as much as Alaya, it always hits me how quickly they grow. He is getting to be a big boy.

That night, I tried to log onto my loaned computer and wasn’t able to because the damn domain wasn’t available. What the fuck did that mean? Yvette called Lola, who had loaned a computer before, only to be told that they should have had me log in while there during checkout. Damnit, I asked if there was anything I needed to know, and clearly, there was. It would have been nice had they told me that.

Tuesday was more of the same busy bullshit. I still had catching up from Monday, but first things first, I needed to contact my insulin pump’s customer service. I have worked with them twice in the past and always found them to be outstanding and helpful. I logged into a chat with a representative and explained my problems. It was diagnosed, and we began the process of getting me a new control device. It was to be expedited. I just had to rack my brain and remember how to set it up when it finally arrived.

I also brought the laptop to work with me and had no trouble logging on. Okay, cool. I guess that was all I needed to do. I went through the setup process, and everything was peachy. Until the battery died. Okay, these things happen. Maybe they somehow gave me one that wasn’t charged fully. I took it home at lunch and placed it on the charger to tinker with later.

Back at work, I was in the Physics & Geosciences Department visiting with my friend Jody when my professor walked in, allowing an introduction from Jody. This was a nice coincidence. Apparently, she took note that I was the first one to complete the first assignment. I said that wasn’t my intention, because it was not. Anyway, Jody helped break the ice and saved me the uncomfortable moment I would have had by just showing up at the professor’s office. The thought of that felt awkward, even at the age of forty-five.

That night, I tried the damn computer again to no avail. WTF!! I had the same message about the domain. I decided to put in a service request with the IT department as soon as morning arrived.

After doing so Wednesday morning, I noticed something else about the computer. It was only holding a charge for about thirty minutes before needing to be plugged back in. Okay, that was a problem.

I went back to the library and service desk to have the computer replaced. While there, I also discovered that when I checked out the first computer, basic protocol was skipped. They never had me set up the computer. They didn’t have me fill out any paperwork. They also loaned me a 28-day computer but put it in the system as a four-hour loan, so I was already accruing late fees for a computer I had not even really been able to use. The guy had to get his boss to override the system just so I could check out another computer. To boot, I could only check out a seven-day computer—all the 28-day ones were spoken for.

Bullshit.

So finally, Wednesday, I had a computer.

The rest of the day was busy, and I had plans to do some class work once off work. That was going to have to become a routine.. After work, I just want to cook and chill. The meal I had planned Wednesday wasn’t exactly a quick meal, so learning to make something easy on my study nights was a must.

Off work and at home, I was able to get onto the computer, but unfortunately unable to access our system due to our security system. I called IT HELP again, and all the senior agents were home for the evening. It was after five o’clock. I opened a ticket stating that I needed the issue resolved, drank a quick espresso shot, and went back to the campus library to read and take notes. I lost time and was there for two hours. Shit, I still had to make dinner.

I had to work this out and make a routine. I figured I’d make Sunday and Wednesday my big study days, when I spent time at the library completing assignments and taking quizzes. The rest of the week I would stick to reading the text and taking notes. Hopefully, the technology would eventually work with me.

Thursday morning on the way to work, hot air balloons were taking off from the band practice field, which is two blocks from my house! It was an unexpected delight seeing that on the way to work. I watched them lift from my spot across campus, while Yvette had front-row seats—it was her parking lot they were basically taking off from.

I think that made everyone’s morning. Something about fucking hot air balloons brings a childlike joy in everyone.

Once I was in the office, I began to e-mail IT when they called. We were going to work on trying a fix during my lunch hour while I was remote off campus. I went about my morning catching up on my expenses and working on bullshit. I saw a student getting escorted out of the dorms in handcuffs by two police officers. I shot the shit with people. It was the slowest day thus far.

At lunch, it was make or break. Did IT have their shit figured out? Turns out that they did. I was able to move forward beyond all the security red tape. This was going to make my life so much easier, and hopefully I do not encounter any more issues for a little while. Notice I said little while? I’m being optimistic. I’m not fucking stupid.

Since this was the first week back to school, the ice cream float social was back in business. Had I really been waiting since March for my Orange Fanta and vanilla ice cream float? I guess so. Unfortunately, I found out after enjoying a little that my current pump finally shit the bed. I had no way of giving myself any insulin. Fucking typical. Oh well, at least float season was back in business.

That afternoon, lo and behold, something was happening in the sky. My gosh, were those rain clouds? Could those be cumulonimbus? Holy shit! Was that thunder? Whatever it was, I was happy to see it, and boy, did it surprise. One second, I was getting sprinkled on in the golf cart; next, I was seeking shelter inside a damn building. The wind was crazy and the tree limbs sere being tested for integrity. I was forced to ride out a very crazy storm.

As five o’clock grew closer, I realized I was not going to be able to wait this one out. I put on my big-boy britches and jumped back on the cart. I got drenched. There was no way around it. Even if it had not still been raining, navigating the flooded roadways would have still soaked my pathetic ass.

I will say that it was a little adventure. A very unexpected adventure.

That afternoon was the first Ram Jam, kicking off the first football game. Yes, it was also Ram Jam season. The time of free food, beer, apparel, and fun. Of course, it’s on a day that an unexpected strong storm hits. Typical.

Yvette was off an hour early, so while I was getting soaking wet, she was enjoying a drink and some ribs, dry and inside. Already wet, I said fuck it and met her after work for the festivities. I was amazed by how many people were still out partying in the rain.

I made my way inside and found my people. Next, I found the ribs. The glorious, delicious ribs!!!! The only reason I even met her was for those ribs. The ribs that I only get to experience during this time of year at the Ram Jam. I don’t know what they do to them, but Jesus, they are a treat. Made it worth getting a little damper than I already was.

That, and the four free beers.

After that, we went home, I showered, and spent some time trying to set up my new insulin pump control device, which had arrived sometime during the day. That is always fun. I think it was my third time doing it? Pretty sure. Always a chore trying to remember the correct settings. I made myself some pretty good instructions, but even that isn’t 100% because of the time I have between pump setups.

I was sick and tired of the week come Friday. That morning, I had to go pick up a bunch of bullshit for that one lazy-ass employee whom I’ve mentioned in blogs past. Of course I did. I was about fed up with their horseshit and was immediately placed in a sour mood having had to deal with them.

That afternoon, I tried to do a school project but was only once again hindered by technology. This time, it was my own shortcomings. I can’t use laptop touchpads as a pointer. I made a simple task difficult with my handicap. I had to get an actual mouse if this online course was going to work.

I was frustrated the rest of the day and just happy it was fucking Friday.

So my first week was a bumpy one. I was excited to be back in school but wished I knew what the hell I was doing as an online student. I did not feel prepared, but a lot of that was due to issues beyond my control. I tried to get a head start but kept encountering roadblocks.

The best thing I heard all week was that Teegan seemed to have a much smoother week than I did. I was very happy to hear it. This was something new for both of us, and he needs it to be a squeaky-clean machine. I can deal with discouragement; I don’t want him to feel that on his first week. One thing was certain: it was a long damn week for both of us, and I’m glad we survived.

Happy Happy Friday!!!

Jalapeño.

Chicken Parmesan an Italian green beans.