dramafest summer 2010

My Beginning Algebra UCLA extension class got canceled due to low enrollment. I had to scramble to Santa Monica College, which started at the same time to try to get into a beginning algebra class. The teacher said he would add me even though I had missed three days of class and we had a quiz that day. Luckily all that I missed was a review of the math refresher class I just finished and I was able to complete the quiz.

It got worse. I have four days of homework due Monday and a test on Chapters 1 and 2. The bookstore was already closed because its an evening class and it would be closed for inventory on Friday. The bookstore is not open on the weekends.
My search for the book adventure began!

There was someone on campus selling the book through a flyer they left, but they wanted $140 for it used. It cost $155 new at the bookstore. I tried emailing a few people I knew that had attended SMC to see if they or someone they knew had the book, no dice. One person told me there was a bookstore across the street form the school that had it but they were only a few dollars cheaper than the SMC bookstore. This would be my backup. Ordering on amazon would not get me the book until Monday afternoon at the earliest so that wouldn't help either.
I looked at the Los Angeles Public library and other surrounding libraries online. They only had earlier editions of the book. The SMC library has that book but they too are closed on the weekends.
Craigslist listings for the book were old, so the people had already sold it. One person sent my info to his classmate beacuse he wanted to sell his book, but he never contacted me.

I started emailing people on half.com and amazon.com where it said ships from California. In my email I said, I live in Los Angeles, I added this class late. I have homework due and a test on Monday. I will meet you in person to buy this book and pay you cash."
Two people responded from Northern California so this did not work (California is a HUGE state. It takes something like 10 hours to drive from top to bottom).

One girl in Los Angeles was willing to do this! She emailed me back around 11pm Friday night. She called me and she sent her friend to meet me with the book. We met at the 7-11 at Venice and Sepulveda after midnight. It was so sketchy like we were doing a drug deal, but for a textbook! I got the book safely and today I am catching up.

This class is GMAT GOLD! We did a bunch of word problems at Thursday's class and I am still having problems figuring out the wording to set up an algebraic problem. I think this is going to help me a lot. Plus its way cheaper than UCLA extension. Now I can use that money toward the GMAT Prep class that starts in August and I will have the basic skill set for quant that I didn't have before.

All this prep may push my application back for another year, which ideally I do not want to do. If I start in fall 2011 I will be 28; 30 when I graduate. if I start in fall 2012 I will be 29, 31 when I graduate. I want to have myself on a career path earlier rather than later because my biological clock is ticking in the back of my head.