Murphy's Law

I really hate February.  I used to not like it because it is probably the worst month in schools for both teacher and student burn-out.  There isn't any reason for the burn out - the month is short, you just finished a nice long break and Spring Break is around the corner - but the month seems to be a nadir. 

Now I hate it because it means financial aid applications.  Last night, I particularly hated it because my computer with my half done taxes crashed, which meant I didn't have the information easily available that I needed for the TWO different applications for MIT.  After trying to repair the software issue on my nine year old computer, I finally kicked my son off his computer (which he needed to do his programming job) because, after all, those were his applications. 

On top of that, our internet provider is not terribly reliable between 7:30- 9:00 pm, so the connection kept going down, which meant I had to redo several sections repeatedly.  

I am very sad that I spent the whole of Superbowl Sunday doing my taxes and not I have to re-install the software on a different computer and do them OVER.  I was very close to getting done - I didn't finish because I needed information from my husband, and he was - well, watching the Superbowl.  Not only do I have to do them over, but I have to re-do the FAFSA.  I have to do it for my daughter, as well as the College Board CSS thing, which, believe it or not, is worse than the FAFSA.  Plus, it costs money, but since it has the "extra information" place, it might save me from the dance with the financial aid office - the one where you explain, last year's taxes notwithstanding, our income is less than half of what it was last year, job loss yada, yada, yada....

I didn't have time to exercise, but going up and down two flights of stairs repeatedly looking for old tax documents (which I would normally find all neatly organized on the computer - grrrr) substituted for that. 

I did get them done, though - even though, since I didn't actually finish my taxes, I have to "update" (re-do) the FAFSA,  and do the whole IDOC thing for the College Board application.  I have years more of this, because number two child is heading to college, and right when he graduates, number 3 hits college age - if he chooses college. 

In the middle of that, I forgot I had to bring a breakfast food to our morning meeting (I was going to make a sweet bread braid), got to bed at about midnight, heard the alarm at 5 am and had to get up and make muffins in a hurry.  They aren't as good as the breaded bread recipe from my grandma, but they will work.  Maybe the fact that they came out okay means that Murphy's Law will let go of the day and let it all sail smoothly.