Help is at hand/Help is not at hand

Sitting in the Frank Tate with an umbrella, my bag, a water bottle, and some snacks to keep me awake (sssh don’t tell).  I’ve been working on my first year psychology assignment, and I’m up to the part where I have to talk about the way we percieve motion using ACMI’s Screen Worlds as a platform. I know it will be easy, and what’s more, I know I will enjoy it.
I’m very glad to have things to do that I actually enjoy in my course at Melbourne Uni, for once.
Today, I have been to two noteable places.
1. ACMI, where I was just checking that what I planned to write checked out, but ended up talking to a massive Kiwi Christian bikie guy. Odd, I know. The situation played out exactly the same way nearly every other indepth conversation I ever have with strangers goes:
a) a comment about me having an accent that suggests I’m not from Australia (… I’ve never left Australia. Went to Tasmania, once? Does that count?)
b) a comment about me obviously just being back from my job, and what do I do for a living? (I get this no matter how casually I’m dressed, and I’ve never had a job. Sigh.)
c) some form of sad story from that person (not that I mind, although it worries me that I look like I’m sympathetic when I always feel like I’m giving off very indifferent vibes).
Lemme see… Old ladies, op-shop volunteers, people handing out fliers (who actually forgot to give me a flier in this case, didn’t even tell me what it was about), cosplayers, a really tall dude from America in the shopping line, and now a Tough-Ass-Looking-Bikie-Dude-From-New-Zealand, have all done the above to me.

aaand

2. I went to EPSC! Ron, of the T&O Program variety, got me an appointment with the very nice Andrew of the Very Helpful variety, who made my course plan “work.” By which I mean: oh my god I have a real course plan now! It only took and a quarter years but yaaaay! My only minor disappointment was that there was a breadth subject I reeeeeally wanted to do but I guess I’ll just go to the lectures.

In other news, I did not get the financial aid scholarship I was hoping for this year. The rejection email came at an appropriate time, that is, I was just telling a friend I couldn’t sponsor her for Live Below The Line (where she would be living off $2 a day for food) as I was doing it whether I wanted to or not. Days like these I’m thankful for friends and lovers who take pity on the needy.

In other other news, I think I’ve finally got the knack of studying. I didn’t even realise I was capable of getting into zen-like study mode, but it turns out all I need is a decent location.

Random thought: Frank Tate is my favourite of the gymnasiums.

In all probability this is unrelated, but check this out if you like old films, hard to believe I hadn’t seen it before!
Metropolis: A fantastic movie.