Coping With Academic Guilt

I know I only spent three weeks immersed in the world of a graduate student. However, in those short three weeks, I know I was slowly being indoctrinated into the graduate-student-life cult.  I was working those ridiculous, unhealthy hours, and feeling terrible if I did anything for myself. I even felt guilty one day that I took twenty minutes off to bake a loaf of banana bread.

I'm still dueling with that guilt even now that I've left the university. I've been managing battling it fairly well by crocheting, knitting, talking to my fiance, and packing up my apartment. Crocheting and packing keep me moving and busy, while leaving me something tangible for my efforts.  And talking to my fiance is always the best part of my day, no matter what. He's the love of my life, and I have no idea what I'd do without him.

There are some occasions that have arisen recently that have derailed my coping mechanisms greatly though...

Bored Out of My Mind

I've done just about everything I can possibly do now (besides putting an ad in the local paper...for some insane reason they want $104 to run an ad about an apartment...insane) to start finding someone to sublease my apartment. Craigslist. Facebook. Other random sublease/university websites. The apartment complex management. 

So...now I'm stuck with, once again, sit back and wait. It's killing me.

So I've mostly spent my time reading, working on the blanket I'm making for my soon-to-be sister-in-law, trying to figure out how to knit in the round on double pointed needles. You know, fun stuff. Oh yeah, and managed to add a widget to the side of the blog that's a countdown to my wedding. Although you could probably read that...

Yep. Very productive.

Impatient

I know I shouldn't be so frustrated with trying to find someone to take my apartment off my hands, but I am. 

I'm being completely unreasonable. I only just started looking two days ago. It's a holiday weekend. I need to stop complaining.  The mangers of the apartment complex thing it should be relatively easy to find someone.

I blame the girl who went through all the leasing paperwork with me in June. She said she's known people to find a subleaser overnight on craigslist. Now I have ridiculous expectations.

So Far It's All Downhill

Well classes started today. I can't say that I'm impressed. Or happy. It was just an exercise in showing just how disorganized and problematic this university is so far. For instance, my first professor of the day stresses the importance of buying a lab manual if enrolled in the lab (no shit you need a lab manual...PS: all of the other universities I've attended SUPPLIED the lab manual in the lab. Guess I'm spoiled because I have an education from private universities). Welp, go to the bookstore. Guess what? 

THE DEPARTMENT NEVER EVEN ORDERED THE GODDAMN LAB MANUALS. 

So hey, I've only spent about $10,000 in tuition, $1000 on getting here, $800 a month on rent, $250 on books because I couldn't be enrolled in courses sooner than six days before the start of the semester, howabouts we give you the lab manual for free? (Not to mention it's paperback book put together with a plastic spiral that they're going to charge me $50 for when I could make it myself for probably $10).