Back to School

Last Wednesday I drove up to the University of Utah to get a new parking permit for the new school year. I also got my bus pass and bought three of the now 8 books I need for my four classes, half of which are just for one class. It was strange to think that, if they offer the right classes at the right time, I could have a Master’s degree before that parking permit expires. That is just so very strange.

I have managed to get all but three of my books for under $25. Two of my books are about $30. And the last book, which really isn’t a book at all, but is just xeroxed copies of a whole slew of articles that were bound together, is $45. That’s just sickening to me. And I can’t get it cheaper anywhere else because it isn’t a book, it’s a two inch thick “packet” that was made specifically for our class by our professor. (Can you still call it a packet if it has an appendix?) The monopoly of the business was just eating at me today over that. I considered for a minute just taking the very well cited sources of everything in the packet and looking them up myself. After thinking about that idea for a little bit though, I decided the $45 was the cost of the convenience of having it all already in one place. That still doesn’t make it seem any better that I spent that much for a cheap bound xerox book when I only spent $15 for a text book I’m really interestsed in and excited about.

One nice thing about taking so many classes this semester, I have to leave work on time every day. School lets out at 3:30 and I can leave at 3:45. If just one person stops me on my way out the door to talk for a minute or two, I’m late for class. That will be nice. Because without that I can easily stay till 5:00 every night. I’m really going to have to keep up with my grade book this year because I won’t have time to play catch-up.

Every so often when I am up at the University of Utah campus, I think to myself that maybe I should get a U of U patch or something (I collect patches). But my heart just won’t let me do it. I can get a degree from the U, but my heart will always belong to the Y. There is no doubt my blood runs blue.