Diligence, speed will help secure 2009 college aid

http://www.komonews.com/news/consumer/38334099.html

By Associated Press

Here are eight basics that parents of college-bound students who may not be doing all their financial aid homework should know as a 2009 aid season fraught with economic concerns begins:

1. Apply ASAP: Parents with high school seniors or returning college students should fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid now to have the best chance of receiving aid. This 102-question document is used to determine eligibility for federal aid, state aid and scholarships, and this year there are likely to be more applicants vying for less grant money.

"It's always a good idea to apply for aid early, but especially this year," said Lynn O'Shaughnessy, a personal finance journalist and author of "The College Solution: A Guide for Everyone Looking for the Right School at the Right Price." "The feed trough's going to be a lot more crowded, and schools may run out of money sooner."

Don't wait until your 2008 tax return to file; you can submit an online FAFSA at www.fafsa.ed.gov using estimated tax information to speed the process.

2. Don't rule out pricey schools: A high sticker price doesn't necessarily mean a higher out-of-pocket cost, especially at schools where significant merit aid might be available.

"Don't just apply to the local community college because you think it's all you can afford," said Lauren Asher of the Institute for College Access and Success.

3. Don't forget the profile: Remember to also fill out the CSS/Financial Aid Profile, used by many private colleges and universities to determine aid eligibility. The form and more information are at the Web site of the College Board, www.collegeboard.com.

4. Look at less selective schools: While you're shooting high, make sure you are applying to less selective schools than you might have otherwise to add to your margin of financial safety. Your student might qualify for a merit scholarship or get a good need-based package. Or it may just make more financial sense.

"In a boom economy we allowed our children to apply wherever they wanted and we said, 'If you get in, we'll make it happen,"' said Rod Bugarin, financial aid adviser for college consulting firm IvyWise and a former financial aid officer at Brown University and Columbia University. "Now families are saying 'Maybe you should think about other schools, other opportunities."'

5. Loss of home equity value won't help: Newcomers to the aid process may assume or hope that a big decrease in their home value will put them in line for more financial aid. That's not likely. Household income counts by far the most in the aid equation that also considers non-retirement assets, number of family members in the household, number of kids in college, and taxes.

6. Look for scholarships online: Private scholarships offered regionally and locally may help you fill the financing gap even if your student isn't brilliant. Some of the best-known scholarship search sites include Fast Web, Scholarships.com and the College Board's Scholarship Search (http://apps.collegeboard.com/cbsearch-ss/welcome.jsp). Also check with your high school guidance office.

7. Call aid offices: Don't hesitate to call the financial aid offices of schools your student is considering, for information on available aid or for assistance. A better financial aid offer from a similar school could also be valuable fodder to take back to the first-choice school this spring.

8. Be wary of taking on too much debt: Federal loan limits have been increased, and parents may be able to find money to finance their child's dream college even in the midst of the worst economic crisis in decades. But think carefully about the consequences of over-borrowing before taking on a huge debt burden just because you can.

Seattle: YES to Viaduct! NO to Tunnel!

http://www.yesviaduct.com/

Washington's governor, King County's executive, and Seattle's mayor recently announced they were in favor of replacing the viaduct, a 6-lane, elevated roadway, used by 100,000+ daily commuters, with a 4-lane tunnel with a capacity of 80,000 daily commuters.

On the face of it, it sounds like a crappy deal, and worse still, when you consider that it completely eliminates access to the areas north of Seattle (e.g., Queen Anne, Magnolia, Ballard).

Thankfully, someone has taken up the challenge and has filed an anti-tunnel initiative with a petition to block the construction of the tunnel.

While I'm not in favor of the petitioner's choice of viaduct replacement (a bridge spanning Elliot Bay), it is preferable to the idea of reduced capacity, reduced access, and the possibility of being stuck in a dangerous tunnel with no views.

The website: http://www.yesviaduct.com/

30 Rock: It just gets better

I recently watch the first two seasons on Netflix. Great writing, great performances, just an all-around great show.

I popped on to MSN.com this morning and they were advertising for a new episode (I'm assuming as much as we don't have TV service), so I clicked the link. I was treated to what is probably the best episode of the show yet. http://beta.video.msn.com/play/?g=f787aece-a7b2-4847-84fb-c064b964aad8&gt1=42003

Enjoy!

Obama: Kicking Ass, Taking Names

So the new man in charge has been in office all of two days. What has he done so far?

1. Frozen wages for those making more than 100 large
2. Signed orders demanding the closures of secret prisons and Gitmo.

He's done more in 2 days than Shrub did in all of 2008.

This is a man possessed and he will be one to contend with.

If he's as good as many hope, he will certainly set the bar for the next President (2016). The American public will accept nothing less than the best, going forward.

Seattle, Paramount Theater, Obama Inauguration: SRO

The Paramount Theater was open for the inauguration this morning. They opened at 7. Sadly, I dilly-dallied around the house a little longer than normal, and on the way there, we dropped off the dogs at day care. There were some folks obviously streaming to the theater, but not nearly as many as I expected. This was a good sign.

I headed into the theater and as I did, someone handed me a couple commemorative cards. I grabbed them, thanked the lady, and headed inside. A big line in front of the bar. People, people, people -- get control of yourselves...

I bypassed those folks and headed straight for the door on the first floor. I heard the usher tell the folks in front of me there were only a few single seats available, but that there may be some seats on the 3rd floor balcony. As they turned to leave, I approached the usher and told her I was looking for a single. She said there might be one or two near the front of the stage. Cool. I headed down the aisle, toward the front of the theater, scanning for a possible empty seat as I made my way down. Nothing. The place was packed. I even made it to the front of the theater. Zilch. Zippo. Nada.

I turned and beat a hasty retreat to the lobby. The crowd was buzzing and every time a shot of the soon-to-be first family (or Biden and spouse) appeared, the place went wild. Wow, what the hell have I gotten myself into?

Also worth noting: when bush or cheney appeared on screen, they got a nice healthy booing. How appropriate that DICK was in a wheel chair. The story is that he hurt his back while packing some boxes. I don't believe this story for a second. The last couple of days, I've seen several stories talking about the fact that the outgoing president and incoming president have teams devoted to unpacking EVERYTHING, putting it all into their respective spaces, and having all the boxes, wrapping, etc. gone by the time the family gets to the new home. Why would it be any different for the V.P.s? I suspect DICK couldn't bring himself to stand for the new president. What a poor sport, but given who I'm talking about, not surprising.

I scooted my way up to the 2nd balcony (why sit on 3, when you can have it on 2?). When I got there, and looked up, all I saw were people in seats. Not a single empty (non-reserved) seat to be found. I walked up the side aisle, scanning desperately for that one lone seat, but there was nothing. I eventually found myself on the 3rd floor balcony, and started making my way up. Whoa, I spotted what appeared to be an empty seat. I asked the gal sitting next to it if it was empty and she said yes! Woohoo! I made my way to it and just as I was about to sit down, the gals sitting in the row in front of this seat said, No, that seat's not empty. I looked at the chick how said it was and she said she was wrong and that it was reserved. Thanks for nothing...

I left the aisle and found myself working my way up to the last rows of seats. Nothing free to be found anywhere. I finally found myself at the very back of the theater, in an aisle behind all the seats. I was truly in SRO-land... This kinda sucked. I looked around, and found an open spot next to a wall. I quickly scooted over to get my place, set my briefcase down, and started peeling down. I had dressed for the eventual walk to school, and the bus ride home. It was in the low 30s this morning, so I was pretty bundled up, and now I was a steamy, sweaty mess...

Tops off, I dug into the camera bag, as I intended to document this historic occasion. I dug out the camera, and started trying to take some pictures. They were a complete disaster, and I didn't take a single one that is worth showing. I hate that camera. I guess I was going to have to record this event in my mind. I'll be lucky if I remember tomorrow that I'd even gone.

The screen they set up for the audience was pretty damn big, and the picture was nice and clear. I was amazed when they show the Washington Mall. A truly astounding number of people gathered there to witness one of the most significant events in American history.

In short order, here's how the event played out (order may be off a little).

• Aretha Franklin came out and sang America The Beautiful. She looks like a house on legs, but the voice is still pretty good.
• Biden was sworn in. Lots of cheering in the theater.
• Warren came in and gave a prayer. A fair amount of booing from the theater audience.
• A musical performance was given by... Hmmm, the only ones I recognized where Itzhak Perlman and Yo Yo Ma. The piece was a new composition by John Williams and was very forgettable.
• Obama was then sworn in. Lots of cheering! Bush is out, we have a new president.
• Obama gave his acceptance speech. Very inspirational.
• A woman came out to give a poem.

Time for me to fly.

I suited back up, headed out of the theater, and up the hill to school.

I'm once again a sweaty mess, but am so glad I made it out to witness this event.

Tonight, there will be beer!

A day off is not a day of doing nothing

Today is MLK day, a national holiday that is not observed by many companies. Of course, the Feds will take any excuse for a day off, hence no mail, no banking, no trading. All other working stiffs get the pleasure of taking the day off by burning a floating holiday, or getting their backsides nestled firmly into their workstation.

Being a student, I had no choice but to take the day off. I wanted to go to class today, but the teachers are slackin', so I have to take the day off, too.

Sigh...

Well, I can get some things done around the house, so I've spent the better part of the day cleaning the house, organizing, and doing general house maintenance. I think the wife will appreciate the effort.

One more day...

and the King of Nothing* will be gone. Rational intelligence will take its rightful place in the White House and common sense will be restored... After 8 years of corruption, ineptitude, and indifference, it will take a while to set things straight, but it will happen. Polls are showing that 65% of Repulicans are hopeful for what is about to occur across the American landscape. Time will tell, but it will have to be 1000x better than what we've suffered.

I will be watching on TV at school, I suspect along with a bunch of other students. We are to witness a significant milestone in American history and I'm damn glad to say I had my hand in it.


*Kudos to Seals & Crofts

I can see clearly now...

The wife just got home. I went downstairs to help her bring up some groceries she'd picked up, and set them on the kitchen counter. I looked out the kitchen window and... what the hell is that? Oh! My! God! It's Mt. Rainier!

We had a completely unobstructed view of Mt. Rainier when we moved into the house in 2002. Sadly, over the last few years, the view slowly disappeared as the trees in one of our neighbor's yards grew up and completely obstructed our view. I couldn't tell whose yard the trees were in (and am still not entirely sure), but someone bought the house below our next door neighbor and he has been doing LOTS of clearing of the lot. I heard some more cutting yesterday, but I just noticed the restored view. It's not completely cleared, but we can see about 80% of the mountain. I'm hoping that who ever is doing the cutting still has some more work to do and continues removing the remaining trees that obstruct the view.

For now, I'm going to enjoy the view while it lasts!

Ricardo Montalban (Mr. Roarke) is dead

I'm pissed. Maybe disappointed is a better word. I just found out on MSN.com that Ricardo Montalban died today. No, I'm not a Montalban-o-phile in that I don't have any memorabilia or DVDs of his work, and I certainly never considered Fantasy Island high art.

Why then am I disappointed? Because back in the early- to mid-80s he appeared on Late Night with David Letterman. He would have been in his late 60s/early 70s, but he was sharp as a tack, and traded jokes quite liberally with David Letterman over his Fantasy Island image, as well as his turn as a spokesman for Chrysler. Letterman couldn't resist bringing up the phrase "... rich, Corinthian leather..." which was always one of the highlights of the car ads of the time. There was absolutely no ego associated with Montalban that I could tell and he seemed quite comformtable with his legacy as an entertainer. Based on this one appearance, I envisioned that he would be a great person to have as a neighbor.

I always wanted to write a letter to him to let him know I thought his appearance on the show was great, and to wish him well in his retirement. Of course, I never did (I'm sure it would have seemed a little silly to him), but who knows, he may have written a short thank you in reply. I'm not star struck by anyone, but if I were to write anyone in Hollywood, it would have been him and Barbara Eden (who was also very gracious in an interview conducted by the biggest c-u-n-t in the news business, Connie Chung).

Will I ever write Barbara Eden? Probably not, and I'm sure I'll feel a twinge of regret when she passes, too.

Dinner and a Movie

Friday we (that would be the wife and I) got together with our friend for a movie, Slumdog Millionaire. Great movie, if you haven't already seen it. In the end, you know they boy and the girl get together, it's the weaving of the threads that make it interesting.

After the show, we decided to get a bite. Where to? Made our way to Broadway and encountered a Greek restaurant, The Byzantion. I like all things Mediterranean, so I was game. It was cold outside; nice, warm and fragrant inside. Got seated, got a beer, and perused the menu. It's a big one, with lots of options, so you'll probably need some time to check things over. I got the roast 1/2 chicken. This was no scrawny birdy, but a monster that took up half the very large plate with enough room for the salad that came with it. It was a bit steep at $15, but very, very tasty. I would definitely go back.

All in all, a great end to a hectic, first week back at school.

Anthropology prof is terrible: Buh-bye

After 3 hellish days of the worst instruction imagineable, I've decided to cut my losses and drop my Anthro class.

Yesterday we sat through a "lecture" that was on of the most disjointed things I've had the pain of sitting through. Today was worse.

She started by telling us that she was going to participate in a Mexican/Indian dance this weekend at UW and that if we showed up we'd get extra credit. For what!? Just showing up? How does that warrant any extra credit.

We then sat through a 40-minute rehash of yesterday's presentation, including a bunch of "new" info, some of which consisted of her telling us the most recent Anthro book she read, with a summary of said book. This all done via PowerPoint, mind you. The next few slides consisted of photos of her current professors at the U, along with quotes pertaining to the work they've done. How the hell is this relevant to what we're doing?!

The slide deck she used today was rife with typos, misspellings, and even an incomplete thought. The material is obviously not been prepared with the care that it needs.

She also wanted to thank the student who yesterday asked her to explain what Anthropology was. She explained that she usually teaches to grad students and had forgotten who she was speaking to.

If you want to attend a class where the students have the deer-in-the-headlights look on their faces, this is the class to visit.

Oh, BTW, the prof said today that's she's 25. Nothing wrong with that, I suppose, but I'd wished for a better instructor. At this rate, I can't imagine enjoying a single minute of her class, so I'm out of there...

Salma Hayek teaches my Anthro class

Ok, not really, but my new teacher is the next best thing.

Yesterday was the first day of the new quarter. I got there early for my first class and waited for the students from the previous class to file out before finding a spot. There in the front of the class was a student standing, for what I couldn't tell. Finally, the teacher about to vacate the room introduced the "student" as the teacher of my class. Hubba Hubba.

Turns out she's Mexican/Indian mix and what a nice combo the two make. It turns out she is a student, just not at the school I'm attending. She's a post-grad student at UW, and I'm taking the second class she's taught. If I were to guess her age, I'd say she's somewhere along the lines of 27ish. She still seems a little nervous and the curriculum seems a bit vague, but I'm sure it's not easy putting all this stuff together. Still, I wish it was a little better defined.

She dressed more like a student than a teacher. She wore a mid-thigh skirt, boots, and a white sweater over a low-cut yellow top that showed more cleavage than you'd expect to see at a plumbers convention.

This could be an interesting quarter.

It's a new year...

and it's been pretty uneventful. That's another way of saying I'm bored out of my mind.

My wife had a childhood friend stay with us these last 4 or 5 days, and "The Thing That Would Not Leave" finally left today. We've done absolutley nothing, or the closest thing next to it, in all that time. I think we're both suffering cabin fever, but too drained to do anything about it.

Hopefully, we'll get out of the house and do something tomorrow. We're thinking of maybe getting out and hitting the Lucy Exhibit at the Seattle Center.

Then, if my life couldn't get any more exciting, my wife has some friends swinging through town on the way home to California. We'll probably get together for dinner. I like her friends (all of them), but it's usually like this for the holidays, at it gets to be a bit much.

As I type this, I realize it could be a lot worse. We are lucky to have the many friends we do, as opposed to those who have no friends, so I'll stop bitching here, and head back upstairs to finish beating my wife at rummy...

Have a great new year.