Tuesday, February 16, 2010

I know this

I know none of you are reading this, and I know this because I got one single comment on my last blog about our beloved Captain Phil.

But I feel like I should be writing something, anything at this point because I really enjoy doing it and that's what matters, right.

Last night, while trying to sleep, I realized that I haven't been a freshman in high school in 20 years. Twenty years! I started to freak out a little, and Jay tried calming me down by pointing out that kids that just got their licenses weren't even born when I graduated, and surprise surprise, I felt worse. Fucker. Absolutely no help at all, but thanks.

And the reason I am thinking about being a freshman, is because I will be heading back to school April 5. I applied and was accepted to The Art Institute of Seattle in the Culinary Arts program. I will officially be in the Baking and Pastry program, and will graduate in a little over a year. Because I graduated with a 3.7 (which isn't impressive if you know that I was a t.a., took CWP (Current World Problems, which basically consisted of watching the news)stoned every day, and accounting the last semester of my senior year, so I would basically have to be in the special ed. department to NOT graduate with at least a 3.7), I got some great scholarships, along with some grants, and good old financial aid. All I've had to pay is the application and program fee, and the rest comes 6 months after graduation. They were able to tell me my monthly payments up front, which helped out a lot. I like knowing how far in the ass I'll be taking it beforehand, it helps me relax a little.

Anyway, Jay and everyone else has been telling me to take classes on baking and pastry for years, and I finally just decided to check out some schools. When it came down to it, I didn't want to take a class here or a class there at a community college. Not that they don't have some great programs, but it wasn't what I was looking for. I guess if we're going to go into debt for school, it had better be a good school that has some weight to it. Luckily, Jay was on board. I loved the woman that would be my adviser, she answered all the questions I threw at her while taking me on a tour of the Culinary Arts building. I have to say I got a little moist when I saw the industrial size stand mixers I would be using. Sweet goodness, I was beyond hooked at that point. And to make it all the more appeal ling, the school is right on Elliott Bay, so all the windows face Puget Sound. It was breath taking. I was even more impressed with the fact I can take all my classes at night, 2 days a week. The more she talked, the more doable it seemed. And then came the part of the tour I had been dreading. Financial Aid. I swear I heard "Dun dun duuuuuuunnnnnnnnn" when I walked through the financial aid officers door.

Luckily, she calmed me down and said that most people, bad credit people included, received close to, if not all, of their tuition through financial aid, scholarships and grants. After filling out the paperwork, she checked it out, and without giving me a for sure answer, she said my chances of getting most of it not all of my schooling paid was pretty high. Let's face it, we are a single income family for 5 people. She gave me all the information to go home and fill out, along with my FAFSA information. And the minute I got home, I filled it out online and had it back to her the next day.

A few days later, the news came that the Board loved me, and I had full financial backing that covered not only my tuition, but my uniforms and supplies, too. I was so very excited!

Anyway, I cannot wait for April 5 to get here. I go in for my uniform fittings and to get my supply case full of knives and pastry products early in March, and I cannot wait to play around with them.

The best part of all is knowing that if Jay kicks the bucket at some point, I will have something in place to help my family along. I have been a stay at home mom for almost 7 years now, and what I knew back then is out of date. I know that all sounds morbid, and I've put off thinking like that for years. But as my best friend, Melissa, pointed out, burying my head in the sand doesn't mean it won't happen.

9 comments:

Claudine said...

Good luck on your studies. I'm sure you can do it as long as you set your mind to it.

Meg Kathleen said...

I'm reading! And congrats on going back to school. As somebody who is currently going to school in the evenings I can assure you the whole financial aid thing isn't so scary.

Ed said...

Jay is a lucky effer.

Of course he is excited and supportive.

He's going to have a pastry chef for a wife!

He's going to get so fat.

Lucky bastard.

Meanwhile, my wife will continue to burn water and I will rely on fastfood for subsistence.

Jay Ferris said...

I stand by my suggestion that you should switch gears and turn this blog into a "the life of a pastry student" kind of thing. Pictures, thoughts, recipes, successes, failures, etc.

And I'm somewhat unnerved by what you consider to be the "best part" of all this.

Fat Sparrow said...

Congratulations!

I am reading, I'm just super busy getting ready to move half-way round the world whilst trying not to have a nervous breakdown, sorry. It's made it a bit hard for me to keep up with the blogs. Mainly I just ignore my own!

Real Live Lesbian said...

I sooo wanna be your neighbor right now! lol I had a chef neighbor once and it was heavenly!

You are going to have a blast!!!!

Brooklyn said...

I'm SOOOO excited for you! I can't wait to hear all the shenanigans...

Crystal said...

I am reading, but I never have anything funny to say and knowing you and Jay, I feel like I need to bring it. Or at least try.

I suck.

Also, you can send me pastries anytime. Wanna make my wedding cake? Of course, that means you'll have to come down here.

Kelly said...

Proud... and now scared that you have professional knives. ;-)