Greasing the slide to Hell

So today I had one of those ‘oh shit’ moments when you realize that you’re vastly underprepared for something.  With me, that moment was squarely centered on my bankruptcy class.  Just as I was settling down to sleep last night, my eyes popped open and I started to sweat as I realized that my exam is on Monday and I haven’t studied for it at all.  And I mean at all.  All semester, I kinda put it on the back burner, instead choosing to spend my time on addictinggames.com.  In retrospect this may not have been the wisest course of action, but then again I’ve never claimed to be particularly brilliant – evidenced by the fact that I decided to take bankruptcy in the first place.  Sigh…  The sad thing is that bankruptcy could have really been an interesting class except for a few minor drawbacks.  Number one of course being my charming professor who spoke in such a soothing monotone voice that he could have made a living charming kids with ADHD.  Second, the fact that last year Congress significantly reworked the bankruptcy code and now no one really knows if anything is still good law.  Since the laws only went into effect in October ’05, there haven’t been many cases interpreting the various new provisions.  So after the first few classes, when I would listen intently to a lecture only to have it summed up by the caveat “That was the old law.  We’ll have to see if it’s still good.”

I haven’t lost all hope yet.  There’s always the chance that I can be horribly burned at work tonight or get struck by a meteor, or get abducted by aliens.  The sky really is the limit.  

Also this morning I had the pleasure of undergoing my financial aid exit interview.  In sum, this is where they sit you down and gleefully remind you that you have mortgaged your soul for your education and that it would be better for you to go without food, heat, and shelter rather than miss a single payment.  Talk about uplifting!  Then they hook you up with this little amortization table that shows you how much interest you’re going to pay over the next ten to twenty years… I think ‘yikes!’ just about covers it.  Thank goodness I lived relatively frugally during law school (although that frugality will have been for not if I can’t ever find a job).  No wonder lawyers drink.

Oh and before I forget.  The one thing I remember from my bankruptcy class is that student loans are almost impossible to discharge.  So much for that plan…