i got no problem with saying goodbye

I hate coming back from breaks longer than the weekend. It always takes too long to get back into the work-focus thing and this is the time of year where no one can afford that extra day. Plus, since I teach on Mondays, I had to get myself back to it faster than usual. At least I only have to give the kids their last practical exam this coming Monday and then it will just be the usual pile of grading. Yay...

School-wise, I had a really awesome meeting with my advisor today. My project is coming along nicely and I might have an actual story to tell! So that is super exciting. I even figured out who will likely be on my committee, so I just need to email them and set up a meeting for the beginning of next semester. So really, I just need to get working on writing my thesis proposal. I think technically the department wanted me to have submitted it by the end of this semester, but there was a hold-up with my animal protocol, so I think it will be okay? Whatever, I am making actual progress.

Also, every time something good happens and I get positive feedback, I am reminded of what I was missing in my old lab. My advisor definitely doesn't hover or micro-manage, but he takes the time to sit with me and point out where things are good and where they need to change. Really, sometimes you just need someone to say that you did something right. :D (Of course, as I type this, I am currently waiting for the data collection computer to update and hoping that I didn't fuck up my file transfer. If I did... then I will have lost a couple hours of data and will have to change the setting around, which would not be awesome).

And now for some fun things?
White Collar is coming back in a month and a half. I am so charmed by that whole show and now I have a deadline for catching up! I haven't been watching Misfits, but I didn't like Rudy that much so....? Not sure if I will pick it back up again. Um... Merlin happened, yeah. (grrr). I still don't know why everyone LOVES Once Upon A Time and will stay over here in my corner of "omg I love Grimm even though the main character is kinda boring, but I love everyone else".

Mostly I just need Sherlock to give me something new. I NEED IT.

Also, last night before I went to sleep I re-read XDay and remembered all over again why it wins as my most favorite manga series of forever.

So yes. Hi Livejournal.

friends, i need some advice

So here's the deal. The parking office rejected my appeal to remove *only the late fee* on two $100 parking tickets (which would total $66 less dollars I have to pay). I am more than willing to pay the base ticket, but I don't think I should have to pay the late fee.

My reasoning:
I got a series of tickets in early October (my fault, I had parked my car in a spot I don't walk by and since I don't move my car during the week, I didn't catch them). That week, it rained several times so I had some tickets, but for all I knew, there was 1 missing or something. On the 26th, I logged into the online system and paid everything listed under my license plate number. Later that night, I logged in again to make sure everything was cleared and it looked like I was fine. Several weeks later, a letter shows up at my parents' house charging me late fees on tickets given the 7th and 8th of October.

I logged into the system again and discovered that these two tickets were indeed under my plate number, but they had not been before. I called the parking office to see what was up (and to ask to get rid of the late fee) and was told that they could see my payment on the 26th, but that the other two were added on the 28th. I should note that you have 21 days to pay a ticket; the 28th is 21 days after the 7th.

The lady over the phone told me to fill out an appeal online. I did. I got a letter today saying that it was rejected.

Is it worth it for me to set up a hearing? I legit will hand someone $200 cash to pay the full ticket, but I don't think the late fee is fair. What does a hearing even entail?

Halp? :|