Light at the end of the tunnel
Aug. 8th, 2006 10:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sailorhathorThe last few nights have been stressful. I don't want to get into a big explanation now, but basically the student loan people never leave you alone, and can hunt you down even if you are tucked away in some corner of Hell. They were all set to start garnishing my wages to get the loan paid back, and had picked the amount of 15% per paycheck for some reason. Well, of course I freaked pretty bad, because 15% is about equal to my food money for the month. Food and one of my blood pressure meds, really. Or food and aol. Whatever. It was bad.
After waiting all weekend to talk to anyone helpful, since everybody's closed on the weekend, I finally got a light at the end of the tunnel. All my paperwork that proves, "I make chump change and you taking 15% out of my pay would fuck me so hard I'd be begging for Vaseline" has been sent off, and also, I am consolidating my loans to stave off this garnishment. Because, again, garnishment = fucked. The lady at the student loan place I talked to was very nice. A bill collector who is nice and doesn't send me into a panic attack, it's a miracle! But it makes sense, since consolidating my loans means I become the Dept of Education's problem. It also means I can pay based on my income, which rocks, since I could never afford 15%. So, I finally got the application filled out online, printed out some forms to sign, signed them, and overnighted them to the DOE so they get them ASAP. We've got to have some excuse to stop the garnishment, which means some sort of paperwork has to be in and processed before August 16th. (That is the deadline, then the garnishment would start.) She assured me that this would buy us the time to stop the garnishment from happening. I sincerely hope she's not just blowing smoke up my ass, because if they garnish me even one time? Fucked. Means I am either going to the food bank or eating nothing but ramen for a while, which sounds good in theory, but isn't very happy nor nutritious in practice.
I'm not as worried about it since I've got all my forms in or in the mail. But there's still that little voice in the back of my head that likes to see me panic that rarely shuts up.
What lesson have we learned from this? Federal student loans WILL be paid back, unless you are not working at all. They will hunt you down like the dog that you are. Consolidate! You'll be paying your loans off for the rest of your life, but at least you can eat.
In other still bitchy and cranky news, I just can't get well. I'm full of phlegm. My throat is just brimming with lovely congestion, I get short of breath, and it hurts to take a deep breath. Either that, or I cough everytime I do it. Some days, I feel like absolute shit, with no energy, and all I want to do is sleep. Some days, like today, I am so light-headed I'm afraid I'm going to pass out. I already feel bad, so this could be a good time to try the new medication my doctor gave me. If it has bad side effects, what's another way in which to feel awful? Bring it on.
I'll probably also get some expectorant. Body, why do you produce so much snot? It's really way too much.
After waiting all weekend to talk to anyone helpful, since everybody's closed on the weekend, I finally got a light at the end of the tunnel. All my paperwork that proves, "I make chump change and you taking 15% out of my pay would fuck me so hard I'd be begging for Vaseline" has been sent off, and also, I am consolidating my loans to stave off this garnishment. Because, again, garnishment = fucked. The lady at the student loan place I talked to was very nice. A bill collector who is nice and doesn't send me into a panic attack, it's a miracle! But it makes sense, since consolidating my loans means I become the Dept of Education's problem. It also means I can pay based on my income, which rocks, since I could never afford 15%. So, I finally got the application filled out online, printed out some forms to sign, signed them, and overnighted them to the DOE so they get them ASAP. We've got to have some excuse to stop the garnishment, which means some sort of paperwork has to be in and processed before August 16th. (That is the deadline, then the garnishment would start.) She assured me that this would buy us the time to stop the garnishment from happening. I sincerely hope she's not just blowing smoke up my ass, because if they garnish me even one time? Fucked. Means I am either going to the food bank or eating nothing but ramen for a while, which sounds good in theory, but isn't very happy nor nutritious in practice.
I'm not as worried about it since I've got all my forms in or in the mail. But there's still that little voice in the back of my head that likes to see me panic that rarely shuts up.
What lesson have we learned from this? Federal student loans WILL be paid back, unless you are not working at all. They will hunt you down like the dog that you are. Consolidate! You'll be paying your loans off for the rest of your life, but at least you can eat.
In other still bitchy and cranky news, I just can't get well. I'm full of phlegm. My throat is just brimming with lovely congestion, I get short of breath, and it hurts to take a deep breath. Either that, or I cough everytime I do it. Some days, I feel like absolute shit, with no energy, and all I want to do is sleep. Some days, like today, I am so light-headed I'm afraid I'm going to pass out. I already feel bad, so this could be a good time to try the new medication my doctor gave me. If it has bad side effects, what's another way in which to feel awful? Bring it on.
I'll probably also get some expectorant. Body, why do you produce so much snot? It's really way too much.
