A post on time?! Gasp! Shock!
I am in Dublin right now, at an internet café around the corner from my hostel. The hostel's wireless internet wasn't working earlier, so after a lot of trouble (and trouble-shooting) I finally found a place to use my laptop. (I still don't have internet at my new place, so I haven't been able to obsessively check my email every three minutes like I'm used to.)
Anyway. My cousin1 Alex is in Ireland to run in the Dublin Marathon! I took the train into Dublin this afternoon, checked into my hostel, and met Alex at his hotel. We went out to dinner, then he had to meet up with his team for a shindig, and then go to bed early-- he has an absurdly long race tomorrow morning, after all! Since I am a slothful layabout, I wandered around Temple Bar for a while, ate some gelato, and then embarked on my quest for internet before ending up here. Tomorrow, I will cheer him on with the wives/girlfriends of a couple other marathon runners from his team, before heading back to Galway in the evening. (I have class Tuesday morning.) Tuesday afternoon, Alex will be coming over to Galway and staying with me for a few days! I'm sure a lot of shenanigans will ensue. Fun times ahead!
1: I use the term "cousin" here rather loosely, as the the custom among the Zachary family. Our family tree would give Gregor Mendel2 headaches, so we just tend to call everyone who isn't in your immediate family "cousin." Alex, in this case, is actually my father's first cousin, but is much closer to my age. Also my godfather.
2: Oh yeah, I went there. Nerdy references FTW.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
Maybe I should change it to "updates bi-monthly"
Hoo boy, have I been busy.
Let's see, since we last talked, there have really been two big events in my life.
-My mom's surprise birthday party! My mother turned sixty on October 10, and to surprise her, my father took her down to Chicago for the weekend. Upon checking into the hotel, he called down for room service. When the knock came at the door, mom opened it... to find Hanna and I! We all screamed, mom almost fainted, and then Jim handed dad the champagne. :-) My dad throws great surprises. He bought flights for Hanna and I back in June, and had Jim reserve the hotel in advance so Mom wouldn't see it on the credit card bill. Hanna and I stayed at Jim's apartment, and we spent all weekend hanging out as a family. We did a bit of shopping and a lot of eating at delicious restaurants. I have some great new ideas for food that I want to try out, including basil pesto hollandaise (over salmon, perhaps) and sweet rosemary cream reduction (over french toast or waffles.) It was wonderful to see the family, to spend time with my parents and sister and Jim. ♥
-I moved! (In which our heroine Gets Her Own Place.) This past weekend, I moved into my new apartment. I've only lived there two days, but I love it. I love the cute cozy space, I love the location, and I love love love living alone. I feel so much happier, freer, and generally more comfortable than I have since... well, since moving out of my old single dorm room. The apartment is small-ish, but not claustrophobic (like some places I looked at), which is fine-- there is enough room for all my things, including a place for my books, and a smaller space means less heating costs. It's one floor up, so there is less noise from the street and hopefully less bugs. Inasmuch as a city as small as Galway can have "districts," it's in the more artsy bohemian district. The only downside is that it doesn't have internet yet-- I'm currently writing this from my cubicle at the college-- but I'm looking into that and should have the router ordered by next week. In the meantime, I can check my email and whatnot here at school.
Upcoming events in ayla's life: this weekend, my cousin Alex is arriving in Dublin! He is running in the Dublin Marathon on Monday 27 October, because he's crazy, and then will be spending a few days in Galway, crashing on the futon at my new apartment! (Yes, I have a futon in the living room!) I will be heading to Dublin on Sunday, likely with a friend or two, and staying over to watch Alex run in the marathon. How exciting!
Let's see, since we last talked, there have really been two big events in my life.
-My mom's surprise birthday party! My mother turned sixty on October 10, and to surprise her, my father took her down to Chicago for the weekend. Upon checking into the hotel, he called down for room service. When the knock came at the door, mom opened it... to find Hanna and I! We all screamed, mom almost fainted, and then Jim handed dad the champagne. :-) My dad throws great surprises. He bought flights for Hanna and I back in June, and had Jim reserve the hotel in advance so Mom wouldn't see it on the credit card bill. Hanna and I stayed at Jim's apartment, and we spent all weekend hanging out as a family. We did a bit of shopping and a lot of eating at delicious restaurants. I have some great new ideas for food that I want to try out, including basil pesto hollandaise (over salmon, perhaps) and sweet rosemary cream reduction (over french toast or waffles.) It was wonderful to see the family, to spend time with my parents and sister and Jim. ♥
-I moved! (In which our heroine Gets Her Own Place.) This past weekend, I moved into my new apartment. I've only lived there two days, but I love it. I love the cute cozy space, I love the location, and I love love love living alone. I feel so much happier, freer, and generally more comfortable than I have since... well, since moving out of my old single dorm room. The apartment is small-ish, but not claustrophobic (like some places I looked at), which is fine-- there is enough room for all my things, including a place for my books, and a smaller space means less heating costs. It's one floor up, so there is less noise from the street and hopefully less bugs. Inasmuch as a city as small as Galway can have "districts," it's in the more artsy bohemian district. The only downside is that it doesn't have internet yet-- I'm currently writing this from my cubicle at the college-- but I'm looking into that and should have the router ordered by next week. In the meantime, I can check my email and whatnot here at school.
Upcoming events in ayla's life: this weekend, my cousin Alex is arriving in Dublin! He is running in the Dublin Marathon on Monday 27 October, because he's crazy, and then will be spending a few days in Galway, crashing on the futon at my new apartment! (Yes, I have a futon in the living room!) I will be heading to Dublin on Sunday, likely with a friend or two, and staying over to watch Alex run in the marathon. How exciting!
Monday, October 6, 2008
Indecision 2008 (Or, Vote for Tim!)
Sorry for the deluge of posts, but something even more interesting today happened, and I felt I should share.
I got my absentee ballot in the mail today! (I get to vote before you, nyah nyah!) This is what an absentee voter looks like:
I very glad that I'm voting absentee, actually-- I've been so out of touch with Michigan and Ottawa County that I was surprised by a number of things on the ballot. There are medical marijuana and stem cell research initiatives! Though, if Michigan ("The State That Banned Gay Marriage and Only Votes Democratic Because of the Labor Unions") passes a medical marijuana bill, I will be very shocked. Pleasantly so, but still. Also, it looks like Ottawa County is FINALLY trying to get rid of that "no beer or wine sold on Sundays" crap. (But liquor is ok. If they keep it, come Christmas break I'm going to go to a restaurant on a Sunday and order a glass of wine. When the server informs me that, sorry, can't sell beer or wine on Sunday, I'll say "Right then! Five tequila shooters. Line 'em up.")
Anyway. The most surprising thing I found on the ballot would have to be this:
(Click to enlarge)
Tim Winslow? As in, Tim Winslow, Spring Lake High School class of 1999, who sat next to me in band? Yep. According to timwinslow.com won the primary on 5 August.
So, Tim Winslow officially has my endorsement for state rep! Vote for Tim!
(Man. You think you start feeling old when your friends are getting married and having babies? Try when people you went to high school with are running for government offices.)
I got my absentee ballot in the mail today! (I get to vote before you, nyah nyah!) This is what an absentee voter looks like:
I very glad that I'm voting absentee, actually-- I've been so out of touch with Michigan and Ottawa County that I was surprised by a number of things on the ballot. There are medical marijuana and stem cell research initiatives! Though, if Michigan ("The State That Banned Gay Marriage and Only Votes Democratic Because of the Labor Unions") passes a medical marijuana bill, I will be very shocked. Pleasantly so, but still. Also, it looks like Ottawa County is FINALLY trying to get rid of that "no beer or wine sold on Sundays" crap. (But liquor is ok. If they keep it, come Christmas break I'm going to go to a restaurant on a Sunday and order a glass of wine. When the server informs me that, sorry, can't sell beer or wine on Sunday, I'll say "Right then! Five tequila shooters. Line 'em up.")
Anyway. The most surprising thing I found on the ballot would have to be this:
(Click to enlarge)
Tim Winslow? As in, Tim Winslow, Spring Lake High School class of 1999, who sat next to me in band? Yep. According to timwinslow.com won the primary on 5 August.
So, Tim Winslow officially has my endorsement for state rep! Vote for Tim!
(Man. You think you start feeling old when your friends are getting married and having babies? Try when people you went to high school with are running for government offices.)
What I've been up to, part 3: social life
(In which our heroine makes new friends and says goodbye to old ones.)
On Saturday 27 October, I went to Dublin for a concert. I was seeing Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls, who has just released a mighty fine solo album. I went alone, not having any friends here that listen to her music. I was a little nervous about this, because I've never been to a concert alone, but I know Dublin pretty well and I was confident that I could find ways to entertain myself. I took the train down to Dublin on Saturday afternoon and booked a hostel near the venue. I hadn't made hostel reservations in advance, so it actually took a couple tries before I found one with vacancies. Citi Hostel had availability, though, and it was only €15 a night! (Most Dublin hostels are at least €25/night.) I'll just say this: you get what you pay for. It was the sketchiest, dirtiest hostel I've ever seen in... but, it had beds and a roof, so really what else do you need for one night.
Anyway, I went down to the venue about an hour before the doors opened, and right away made a friend in the queue! I was standing right behind a nice young (18-year-old) Welsh guy named Dominic, and we struck up conversation almost immediately. He too was there alone-- he had friends who originally were going to come, but then backed out at the last minute. We chatted for the hour before the doors opened, and then we became concert buddies, finding places to stand together-- there were no seats, just open standing room. Dominic, as it turns out, was doing a guest DJ set at a goth club after the show... and that club was right around the corner from my hostel! After we'd been chatting for a while, he invited me to the club. I accepted, figuring that since it was so close to my hostel, if it was boring or he got creepy, I could just leave without a problem. As it happens, it wasn't boring at all and he was a perfect gentleman, so we had a fun time chatting and dancing all evening. And now I have a friend who lives in Waterford!
Anyway, as for the concert itself... holy crap.
It was one of the greatest concerts I have ever seen. She just put out a solo album, called Who Killed Amanda Palmer?, and the whole premise of the show was that Amanda Palmer has been killed and this was a wake. There was an emcee who announced the opening acts, saying things like "We are gathered on this sad occasion to mourn the passing of our dear friend..." There was a table onstage with wine bottles surrounding a framed photo of Amanda, and both openers kept up the wake idea, dedicating songs to Amanda's memory. The first opener was a badass cellist called Zoë Keating, who played beautiful haunting instrumental cello pieces, and the second was a guy called Jason Webley. Jason Webley plays the accordion and sometimes guitar, and reminds me of a cross between Tom Waits in weirdo-mode and a crazy homeless man. (I loved him.) After the openers, the emcee made another speech, eulogizing Amanda Palmer, with a background of eerie violin and cello music, while the backup crew did slow interpretative dancing.
My attention was fixed on the emcee saying "But her spirit will always be with us, and perhaps if we all concentrate she will one day appear among us again..." when I felt hands touching my back and arm. I turned to see a ghostly, ethereal female figure, a gray lace veil covering her to the waist and a gray ruffled skirt trailing behind her. She moved slowly and silently through the crowd, between Dominic and I. We both stared, and then Dom whispered "Hi Amanda!" After she had vanished between the people ahead of us, Dominic and I looked at each other, identical giddy looks on our faces, and shared a moment of fangirly glee, pointing and mouthing "Amanda Palmer touched me!" and suppressing uncontrollable giggles. I would like to reiterate that: Amanda Palmer touched me! She made her way like to the front of the crowd, while the haunting violin-cello music played and her crew did their slow dancing. When she got to the foot of the stage, the crew reached down, pulled her up, lifted her over the piano, and set her on the bench. Then she ripped off the veil, flung it behind her, and began jamming on the piano. Best. Entrance. Ever.
The whole show was wonderful. She is an amazing performer with an absolutely mesmerizing stage presence. She played "I Google You," a song that (my favorite writer) Neil Gaiman wrote for her! The last song she did was "Umbrella"-- yes, the Rhianna song-- and she played a sparkly pink ukulele; then, for the encore, the openers came back on with her and they played Bon Jovi's "Livin' On a Prayer." Hilarious. Someone has kindly put together a youtube video with clips of the performance, so you can see bits of the whole show, including her fantastic entrance.
I returned to Galway the next afternoon, with just enough time to eat dinner before going out again. One of my great friends here, Meg Ryan (no relation) moved back to New York on Tuesday 30 September, so she, Jenn, and I decided to do a pub crawl before she left. We only went to about five or six places, and it was a pretty early night, but I did go to some pubs I'd never seen. The next night, Monday, I went over to Jenn and Meg's apartment (now Jenn and Bri's apartment) for dinner and movies and hanging out one last time. Meg made meatloaf and veggies, then we made caramel popcorn together for desert. The whole evening was full of loud jokes and rather edgy laughter. We were having fun, true, but the whole time we were fully conscious that Meg was leaving the next morning. Sure enough, saying goodbye was very, very sad, and we both were on the verge of tears when I finally left after midnight.
Meg is now back in Rochester, looking for jobs. I'm hoping that I'll be able to visit her sometime in the next year, perhaps next summer. Because when your friends and family get scattered to the winds, it's just an excuse to travel and see them.
On Saturday 27 October, I went to Dublin for a concert. I was seeing Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls, who has just released a mighty fine solo album. I went alone, not having any friends here that listen to her music. I was a little nervous about this, because I've never been to a concert alone, but I know Dublin pretty well and I was confident that I could find ways to entertain myself. I took the train down to Dublin on Saturday afternoon and booked a hostel near the venue. I hadn't made hostel reservations in advance, so it actually took a couple tries before I found one with vacancies. Citi Hostel had availability, though, and it was only €15 a night! (Most Dublin hostels are at least €25/night.) I'll just say this: you get what you pay for. It was the sketchiest, dirtiest hostel I've ever seen in... but, it had beds and a roof, so really what else do you need for one night.
Anyway, I went down to the venue about an hour before the doors opened, and right away made a friend in the queue! I was standing right behind a nice young (18-year-old) Welsh guy named Dominic, and we struck up conversation almost immediately. He too was there alone-- he had friends who originally were going to come, but then backed out at the last minute. We chatted for the hour before the doors opened, and then we became concert buddies, finding places to stand together-- there were no seats, just open standing room. Dominic, as it turns out, was doing a guest DJ set at a goth club after the show... and that club was right around the corner from my hostel! After we'd been chatting for a while, he invited me to the club. I accepted, figuring that since it was so close to my hostel, if it was boring or he got creepy, I could just leave without a problem. As it happens, it wasn't boring at all and he was a perfect gentleman, so we had a fun time chatting and dancing all evening. And now I have a friend who lives in Waterford!
Anyway, as for the concert itself... holy crap.
It was one of the greatest concerts I have ever seen. She just put out a solo album, called Who Killed Amanda Palmer?, and the whole premise of the show was that Amanda Palmer has been killed and this was a wake. There was an emcee who announced the opening acts, saying things like "We are gathered on this sad occasion to mourn the passing of our dear friend..." There was a table onstage with wine bottles surrounding a framed photo of Amanda, and both openers kept up the wake idea, dedicating songs to Amanda's memory. The first opener was a badass cellist called Zoë Keating, who played beautiful haunting instrumental cello pieces, and the second was a guy called Jason Webley. Jason Webley plays the accordion and sometimes guitar, and reminds me of a cross between Tom Waits in weirdo-mode and a crazy homeless man. (I loved him.) After the openers, the emcee made another speech, eulogizing Amanda Palmer, with a background of eerie violin and cello music, while the backup crew did slow interpretative dancing.
My attention was fixed on the emcee saying "But her spirit will always be with us, and perhaps if we all concentrate she will one day appear among us again..." when I felt hands touching my back and arm. I turned to see a ghostly, ethereal female figure, a gray lace veil covering her to the waist and a gray ruffled skirt trailing behind her. She moved slowly and silently through the crowd, between Dominic and I. We both stared, and then Dom whispered "Hi Amanda!" After she had vanished between the people ahead of us, Dominic and I looked at each other, identical giddy looks on our faces, and shared a moment of fangirly glee, pointing and mouthing "Amanda Palmer touched me!" and suppressing uncontrollable giggles. I would like to reiterate that: Amanda Palmer touched me! She made her way like to the front of the crowd, while the haunting violin-cello music played and her crew did their slow dancing. When she got to the foot of the stage, the crew reached down, pulled her up, lifted her over the piano, and set her on the bench. Then she ripped off the veil, flung it behind her, and began jamming on the piano. Best. Entrance. Ever.
The whole show was wonderful. She is an amazing performer with an absolutely mesmerizing stage presence. She played "I Google You," a song that (my favorite writer) Neil Gaiman wrote for her! The last song she did was "Umbrella"-- yes, the Rhianna song-- and she played a sparkly pink ukulele; then, for the encore, the openers came back on with her and they played Bon Jovi's "Livin' On a Prayer." Hilarious. Someone has kindly put together a youtube video with clips of the performance, so you can see bits of the whole show, including her fantastic entrance.
I returned to Galway the next afternoon, with just enough time to eat dinner before going out again. One of my great friends here, Meg Ryan (no relation) moved back to New York on Tuesday 30 September, so she, Jenn, and I decided to do a pub crawl before she left. We only went to about five or six places, and it was a pretty early night, but I did go to some pubs I'd never seen. The next night, Monday, I went over to Jenn and Meg's apartment (now Jenn and Bri's apartment) for dinner and movies and hanging out one last time. Meg made meatloaf and veggies, then we made caramel popcorn together for desert. The whole evening was full of loud jokes and rather edgy laughter. We were having fun, true, but the whole time we were fully conscious that Meg was leaving the next morning. Sure enough, saying goodbye was very, very sad, and we both were on the verge of tears when I finally left after midnight.
Meg is now back in Rochester, looking for jobs. I'm hoping that I'll be able to visit her sometime in the next year, perhaps next summer. Because when your friends and family get scattered to the winds, it's just an excuse to travel and see them.
What I've been up to, part 2: adventures in registration
(In which our heroine fails to pull one over on the Gardaí)
So, it's that time of year again, when I need to register with the Irish government as a legal alien. Last year, the process was fairly painless-- just a lot of waiting in line. I expected this year to be similar.
The only worry I've had about the whole thing is that one of the requirements for registration is health insurance that covers you in Ireland. Well, I'm an American in her mid-twenties, too old to be on her parents insurance, without a job that would provide it, and poor. Of course I don't have any health insurance! What I do have is my old insurance card-- expired, but nothing on the card indicates this. And last year, it worked just fine, and I was able to register.*
Well, this year, I once again gathered my registration materials (plus a book to read) and headed to the Garda National Immigration Bureau office at the buttcrack of dawn. Waited in line for two-and-a-half hours, alternately reading and dozing. Finally, when my number was called, I handed the stack of papers to the Garda. He looked at them all, and then picked up the insurance card. He stared at it so long I began to get worried, turning it over and over, and finally said "There's nothing on here that indicates that you're covered in Ireland."
Crap. I'm not, of course. I'm not even covered in the 'States. So it looks like my clever ruse didn't work this year. Disheartened, I went home and looked up insurance policies online. I can get a basic policy for €40 a month, which isn't too bad, so I bought that online on Saturday (after depositing my stipend check). Now, I just need to wait until the card comes in the mail, and I'll be able to go back and register-- with real health insurance this time. If money gets too tight later on, I can always cancel it, and then buy a policy again when registration time rolls around next year.
*NB: I know why insurance is required-- Ireland has socialized medicine, with great medical services for anyone who needs them. In return, however, EU citizens pay taxes toward this service. Understandably, they don't want people who don't pay EU taxes to take advantage of the medical care they haven't paid for. I am entirely sympathetic to this. However, I can count the number of times I've been sick enough to need a doctor on one hand, if we discount high school sports injuries. I'm a pretty healthy, resilient person, so I have no intention of ever needing to use the hospital services here.
So, it's that time of year again, when I need to register with the Irish government as a legal alien. Last year, the process was fairly painless-- just a lot of waiting in line. I expected this year to be similar.
The only worry I've had about the whole thing is that one of the requirements for registration is health insurance that covers you in Ireland. Well, I'm an American in her mid-twenties, too old to be on her parents insurance, without a job that would provide it, and poor. Of course I don't have any health insurance! What I do have is my old insurance card-- expired, but nothing on the card indicates this. And last year, it worked just fine, and I was able to register.*
Well, this year, I once again gathered my registration materials (plus a book to read) and headed to the Garda National Immigration Bureau office at the buttcrack of dawn. Waited in line for two-and-a-half hours, alternately reading and dozing. Finally, when my number was called, I handed the stack of papers to the Garda. He looked at them all, and then picked up the insurance card. He stared at it so long I began to get worried, turning it over and over, and finally said "There's nothing on here that indicates that you're covered in Ireland."
Crap. I'm not, of course. I'm not even covered in the 'States. So it looks like my clever ruse didn't work this year. Disheartened, I went home and looked up insurance policies online. I can get a basic policy for €40 a month, which isn't too bad, so I bought that online on Saturday (after depositing my stipend check). Now, I just need to wait until the card comes in the mail, and I'll be able to go back and register-- with real health insurance this time. If money gets too tight later on, I can always cancel it, and then buy a policy again when registration time rolls around next year.
*NB: I know why insurance is required-- Ireland has socialized medicine, with great medical services for anyone who needs them. In return, however, EU citizens pay taxes toward this service. Understandably, they don't want people who don't pay EU taxes to take advantage of the medical care they haven't paid for. I am entirely sympathetic to this. However, I can count the number of times I've been sick enough to need a doctor on one hand, if we discount high school sports injuries. I'm a pretty healthy, resilient person, so I have no intention of ever needing to use the hospital services here.
What I've been up to, part 1: Money makes the world go 'round
(In which our heroine might have the best advisor ever.)
Sorry I've been so absent from the blogosphere! I started PhD school last week, and things have been a little bit busy since then. So I'm updating this in three parts. Part the first: Money matters.
I met with my supervisor, Dr. Lionel Pilkington, on Friday 26 September, ostensibly to set out a course for my PhD work for this semester. We did that-- I'm spending now until Christmas reading all that I can-- and then I mentioned that I was worried about not getting my first stipend payment on time; it was supposed to come that day. At this point, I hadn't gone to the bank to check if it had come (it's a direct deposit) so I wasn't sure if it had or not. Lionel immediately started to get nervous, especially when I mentioned that I won't be able to pay my rent next week if it didn't come, and asked that I come back and let him know whether or not the stipend came through. I went down, checked, and found-- nope, it hadn't come through. Crap. So I went back and told Lionel. He immediately got on the phone with the department secretary, who informed him that, for unknown reasons, everyone except me got their payment. Lionel got very upset about this, calling it a disgraceful and unconscionable situation. I won't go into details, but he spent the next twenty minutes making phone calls and running from office to office.
The end result: I got my stipend check the following Friday, and until then he got me €150 out of the English department petty cash to live on! He was also very concerned that this wouldn't be enough to tide me over, and told me a couple times that if I need more, just go back to the secretary and she'd fork over some more cash for me. (I have to pay it back, of course.)
What an awesome guy! I was incredibly grateful that he immediately went to bat for me like that, jumping out of his way to help me. So I have a supervisor who is passionate about my project, who for some reason is very impressed by my work and believes in me, AND is willing to come to my rescue when I'm having difficulty with the school. What more could I ask for in an advisor?
So I picked up the check on Friday 3 October. They issued it as a check instead of a direct deposit because, theoretically, I should have been able to withdraw from it right away. I took it to the bank, set up a wire transfer to my American bank account (long story involving an overdraft, which should now be taken care of), and asked if I could withdraw from the check. "In an hour or two," was the reply. Ok, I could live with that. But about 6 hours later, I tried to take money out, and the check hadn't cleared yet. It hadn't cleared on Saturday at noon, and now it hasn't cleared yet, 72 hours after depositing it. I'm beginning to be worried that it won't clear for five business days, which is what normally happens with checks here, which will mean that I won't be able to pay my rent until this weekend-- a week and a half late. (Luckily, Julie is very flexible about that sort of thing.) There is, of course, more petty cash available for my living expenses, but still. Uncool.
I really hope that whoever made the mistake-- and last I checked, no one can figure out who to blame-- has straightened things out, and this doesn't happen every month.
Sorry I've been so absent from the blogosphere! I started PhD school last week, and things have been a little bit busy since then. So I'm updating this in three parts. Part the first: Money matters.
I met with my supervisor, Dr. Lionel Pilkington, on Friday 26 September, ostensibly to set out a course for my PhD work for this semester. We did that-- I'm spending now until Christmas reading all that I can-- and then I mentioned that I was worried about not getting my first stipend payment on time; it was supposed to come that day. At this point, I hadn't gone to the bank to check if it had come (it's a direct deposit) so I wasn't sure if it had or not. Lionel immediately started to get nervous, especially when I mentioned that I won't be able to pay my rent next week if it didn't come, and asked that I come back and let him know whether or not the stipend came through. I went down, checked, and found-- nope, it hadn't come through. Crap. So I went back and told Lionel. He immediately got on the phone with the department secretary, who informed him that, for unknown reasons, everyone except me got their payment. Lionel got very upset about this, calling it a disgraceful and unconscionable situation. I won't go into details, but he spent the next twenty minutes making phone calls and running from office to office.
The end result: I got my stipend check the following Friday, and until then he got me €150 out of the English department petty cash to live on! He was also very concerned that this wouldn't be enough to tide me over, and told me a couple times that if I need more, just go back to the secretary and she'd fork over some more cash for me. (I have to pay it back, of course.)
What an awesome guy! I was incredibly grateful that he immediately went to bat for me like that, jumping out of his way to help me. So I have a supervisor who is passionate about my project, who for some reason is very impressed by my work and believes in me, AND is willing to come to my rescue when I'm having difficulty with the school. What more could I ask for in an advisor?
So I picked up the check on Friday 3 October. They issued it as a check instead of a direct deposit because, theoretically, I should have been able to withdraw from it right away. I took it to the bank, set up a wire transfer to my American bank account (long story involving an overdraft, which should now be taken care of), and asked if I could withdraw from the check. "In an hour or two," was the reply. Ok, I could live with that. But about 6 hours later, I tried to take money out, and the check hadn't cleared yet. It hadn't cleared on Saturday at noon, and now it hasn't cleared yet, 72 hours after depositing it. I'm beginning to be worried that it won't clear for five business days, which is what normally happens with checks here, which will mean that I won't be able to pay my rent until this weekend-- a week and a half late. (Luckily, Julie is very flexible about that sort of thing.) There is, of course, more petty cash available for my living expenses, but still. Uncool.
I really hope that whoever made the mistake-- and last I checked, no one can figure out who to blame-- has straightened things out, and this doesn't happen every month.
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