Death & Taxes

My accountant, Sarah, started helping me with my taxes this weekend--and because my university does nothing with any expedience, I still don't have my 1098-T form, which will help determine my refund (Education Tax Credit). It's stressful, I tell you! I just want to go ahead and file and be done with it, because my application for aid for the Fall of 2006 semester is utterly contingent on my tax return info...

Oddly enough, the great state of Maryland may be giving me money this year. Usually I owe them some minor ducats (somewhere in the range of 4-30 dollars).

In other news, I did make some headway with my program on another front. I confirmed with the department co-chair this morning that the instructor of my choice can serve as my thesis advisor (the dept. co-chair swears he wrote me to this end before, but acknowledged that the e-mail may have been misrouted). And with his approval, I can take an "extra" course in tandem with my Thesis & Publication class to meet the 2-class minimum requirement to get financial aid. All of my required courses will have been taken (and must be) before I enroll in the thesis process, but I'll have to pay for that class out of pocket unless I take another course as well. The government won't lend you money unless you're at part-time status.

In any case, things are looking up.