New Blog

I am officially retiring this blog. My new blog, Andy Squared, is now up and running. Although it is private this time (as per Andrew's request), so if anyone is interested in an invite please leave your email. Unfortunately with a private blog, it doesn't show when I have posted something new, so it's up to my loyal readers to check it out occasionally. I post a couple times a week. :) Thank you, and happy reading!

I'm Back!

I'm back but not for long...well on this blog. Yes, I will be retiring this blog and instead using my new blog at http://andysquared.blogspot.com/. Go ahead, check out my new post. And please send me your email addresses because after some wise counsel from my husband my new blog will be going private. So to all you blog stalkers out there let me know who you are, I'd love to invite you to the new one. Enjoy!

So long, farewell!

Tomorrow is my last day at work in the Financial Aid Office until October. After we get married Andrew and I will be moving to Oregon so that he can learn how to make the "latest and greatest" computer chip. It's been in the triple digits here in AZ this week so a nice cool summer in Oregon is looking pretty good right now. Am I sad to be leaving my job? Honestly...no. I will admit that I will miss my co-workers (especially those that remind me of characters from 'The Office'), but there are a number of things I will not miss, like the following:

1. Questions about the new Obama Scholars Program (don't even get me started on this one, those students whose family's make $60,000 or less will basically be getting a free ride to ASU next year...while I had to take furlough, pay a $500 tuition surcharge, and $750 for a parking permit)

2. Verifying taxes

3. Processing Parent Reviews

4. Verifying families actually qualify as "dislocated workers"

5. Phone calls/visits from angry parents/students

6. Phone calls/visits from stupid parents/students

7. Students demanding they be classified as Independents even though according to Federal Regulations on the FAFSA they can't be.

8. Students coming in and asking for a short term loan so that they can pay off their $20,000 past due charges

9. Being called a racist by someone in my own race

10. R2T4's

I could go on and on but I don't want to bore you all. Let's just say I'm excited for my last day tomorrow. And they're throwing a party for me. Do you want to know how I found out? My manager sent out the following email and forgot to take my name off the email list:

"I will be purchasing Andrea’s gift card tonight, so if you still want to contribute towards her gift, please do so before 5:00 p.m. today."

I offered to contribute a dollar. When they found out I knew the cat was out of the bag they told me about the potluck and everything else they were planning. I'm like Stanley on Pretzel Day, I'm so excited!

Andrew and the Ewoks

Have I mentioned that Andrew is tall? Compared to the shorties in my family he is. Just to prove it here is a picture of the whole Reeder clan taken a few weeks ago when we were together for my niece Hannah's baptism. Oh and it was Andrew's idea to title this one "Andrew and the Ewoks". Yes, I think he fits right in with the family.

Pretty sneaky if you ask me!

I recently purchased some bread that is only 45 calories a slice. Here's what I found when I went to make my sandwich last night. No wonder why it's so low cal.

This one's for you Liz...

I just got the following email from our director and just had to share. It made me think of Liz and her most recent post. I'm now afraid to leave my office tonight. Pray for me.

Here's what the email said:

Please be advised that a small bird has entered the building and is flying around the third floor in the Interviewing Waiting area. Facility Maintenance will be in the building early tomorrow morning to catch and then release it as they do not have anyone available today.

Time to vent

Sorry, I just have to vent a little. I'm so annoyed with students right now. Thank goodness I only have 11 days left at this job before my 4 month leave of absence!

I was given a message to call back a student because he had a question about his financial aid. He had submitted a Student Review form but he forgot to submit a personal statement in which the directions to do this are clearly written on the form. Here's how the conversation went:

Student: Hello?

Me: Hi my name is Andrea, I am a financial aid counselor at ASU and am returning your call from the other day. How can I help you?

Student: My review was returned, why?

Me: Well it's showing on your file that we returned your review because it is missing your personal statement.

Student: Oh, well I interpreted that to mean a statement from my former employer so that's what I turned in.

Me: We actually need a personal statement from you explaining the reasons for your loss of income.

Student: What do you mean?

I won't go any further, the conversation went downhill from there. But really? How could he interpret "personal statment" to be "employer statement"? This just gets me thinking and then I get all scared because it's people like this that actually graduate from college and end up contributing to society. No wonder why our country is in such sorry shape.