count 'em, two hours

I have now spent two hours trying to get the loan consolidation form to go through. I've retyped all the info four times. Meanwhile, waiting for pages to load on the Tanzania connection to the internet, I read a blog by a 9th grader - thought longingly of the days when all that existed was school and boys and telephones with no finances or futures to worry about, and then remembered that I never liked those days all that much anyway. In fact, they were sort of miserable. I remember people telling me, "These are the best years of your life." and I'd think, "Are you mad? If this is the best it gets, I'm quitting." I'd much rather be in Africa, waiting for my loan consolidation to go through and missing the Ethiopian Circus (??) that is going on at ViaVia, meeting great people every day, without a moment in which to be bored.

On the verge... on the verge...

Okay, giving up and leaving this office that I've been in for over 12 hours.

Oh, first, get this: I went to an ATM today to withdraw money and COULD NOT REMEMBER MY PIN NUMBER. I've typed it in so many hundreds of times, but my brain was in Africa mode, not debit card mode, and it took me four tries to withdraw money. I kept saying to IE, "I think there's a... no, wait, maybe a... I don't know." But suddenly it all came clear.

Okay, home. There's court all day tomorrow.