Good Times Interruptus

Every time the PCC Community Ed bulletin arrives I look at all the classes and feel tempted to take something. This spring in the name of trying to get out there and DO SOMETHING FOR ME, I finally signed up for two classes. Get Started in Painting was weekly, Bookbinding was just on one Saturday.

So first I register online. Easy and quick and I do so without giving them my SSN. Then I never hear back from them and so I call to find out if I registered. They ask for my SSN and I give it to them and they say, "No, you did not register." So I register again using my SSN. They tell me I can not do Bookbinding because it is full.

Stick with me here, people. I know this is confusing but just listen. About a week later I get a class schedule in the mail that is derived from registering online the first time without my SSN. I am registered for both Painting and Bookbinding. So I call because I think I have registered twice, once without my SSN, once with, and sure enough that is the case so they have to drop me once from the painting class that I am enrolled in twice.

Time passes. We send in a check for the tuition for both classes. It comes time for me to go to the first Painting class. My husband comes home early for"Daddy Daughter Night" while I proceed to drive to the class. It takes me almost a whole hour to get 18 miles in rush hour traffic. I am not relaxed. I am wondering WHY I even decided to do a class at this time of day in this location, but still, Painting will be great. I have been thinking a lot about what I will paint and how the class will go. I arrive at the class to find out THERE IS NO CLASS. It has been cancelled and I was not called. When I call the next day to find out why I was not informed, they explain that it's because I dropped the class. Of course I did drop the class, but only once. I should have still been registered. I need a bigger font for this FUDGE because it is being screamed!!!

I then have to make sure that I am still registered for Bookbinding, since they have no record of me registering. Sure enough, I still am, but during that phone call the person I spoke with misspelled my name thus creating a THIRD record for me in the system. IDIOTS! (Yes, to be screamed like Napoleon D. would.)

I am totally dejected that I am not taking a painting class. It was going to be good for me to do something creative, to hone a new skill. I'm wondering why not many others in this huge metropolis were interested in learning to paint. Maybe because they know a community college isn't exactly the best place to learn how to paint. I'm wondering where else I could sign up for a different painting class, a class that won't be cancelled. Still, after just one time doing it, I will not miss driving through rush hour traffic just to get "some peaceful time for me."

To sum up: the next time the PCC Bulletin arrives, I will think twice about getting myself mixed up in any of their community ed nonsense. During one of my many phone calls, the kind registration lady ended our conversation with, "Welcome back to school." School Schmool. In the space of two weeks this hellish process has taught me NOT to go back to school. The last time I spoke with them they still hadn't received our tuition check, most of which they will have to refund. Let's see how quickly and correctly that happens. And who knows what shenanigans will happen when it's time to go to Bookbinding. I'll most likely pierce myself in the thumb with a binding tool and up spending my free time at the hospital.

Comments

Robin said…
Hey Tia,

I think they offer community ed painting classes at both PNCA and at Oregon College of Art & Craft. Even further out, I think Marylhurst does. Marylhurst has a really nice campus. At PNCA the parking would probably be a bitch but I always wanted to take a class at Oregon College of art & Craft because the campus (way up Burnside, past the Zupans, in the woods) seemed like some kind of east coast private prep school. I wanted to go there and live my dream of being an east coast preppy kid. But I never did it.

Still, kudos to you for making time for yourself!