Fuck I'm tired. I'm back from college earlier than expected since changes happened as usual and there weren't classes this evening after all, but hot dang I'm tired. First off, not all classes are evening-only. Monday evenings I have algorithmic and databases. Tuesday evenings I have initiation to video game development. Wesnesday from 12:30pm to 5:00pm I have algorithmic and databases, then an hour later I have programming. Thursday from 1:00pm to 10:00pm I have vector algebra and finally Friday, I have programming in the evening. Thankfully this week I don't have classes Wednesday afternoon and day off Thursday, that way I have a chance to adapt. Now for the most annoying thing, bus cards. Back in Trois-Rivieres, all you needed to do to get one was go to your college's students association and buy one, so I expected it to be even more simple in the big city where technology is so much more advanced... LOL!

I asked the bus driver where to get one (btw, it takes five minutes to get to the college even with traffic lights, not ten. Suck it, Google Maps) and he told me I needed to go to the big metro station and print one. I asked a guy at the bus stop and he told me the same thing, except that the metro station was about half an hour of walk away from the college (keep in mind that I only had enough change to take the bus once, so I NEEDED to get that bus card today). I went to the college and tried to find S-130, the room where the email told me to go, but rooms jumped from 129 to 133 so I asked around and nobody had any idea, so I explored (good thing I left an hour and a half early so I'd have time to get that card and explore and everything... also I expected to get off at the wrong bus stop) and got lost two times before I found the guy I chatted with the most during my tests (the Latino-looking one who wanted to learn how to make cheats and spent most of his time reading mangas and emulating games... even in class) and he told me 107 was the right room, not 130. So I sat down and we chatted some more for an hour till the responsible came and told us that there was yet another change (so rare!) and that we needed to go to 030 instead. During that hour I learned that he comes from a family of six (Latino alright) and that family was really important for him, which is why he still lives with his parents and siblings and has a laptop instead of desktop 'cause the house just doesn't have enough space for everyone. That's why he doesn't know much about PC-gaming and more about emulation and stuff; space saving and low money.

So we went to 030 and listened to the introduction and everything, I got my schedule (I hate it already but at the same time I love it because video games development finally), agenda, etc etc. I asked once again for the bus card (which I now know is called OPUS card) and this time I got a different answer... though I wish I hadn't. I need to get my students card, THEN ask for a proof of collegial attestation, THEN go to the students association and get a form, THEN fill it and go to a specific metro station to get ANOTHER photo taken, THEN go to ANOTHER metro station and finally get my card. So much for advanced technology. Then it was time to go to the administrative office (wordreference apparently doesn't know French well-enough) to pay the semester fees and get my students card and stuff, but as I was about to ask for the proof of collegial attestation, I finally got the call from the Programme Reussir guy and we set an appointment for tomorrow at 11:00am because Tuesday morning/afternoon is now literally my only "free-time" (read time for anything more important than homework)... also apparently changing my address isn't enough to make my cellphone number local 'cause he said it still counts as a long-distance.

After that I asked the secretary for the form, I filled it and mentioned I needed two proofs of collegial attestation, so she said no prob. I then (why not) asked her about the OPUS card and she told me the same thing. Proof of collegial attestation, students association, form, but then she told me they'd tell me what to do next since they're the ones who take care of it. But she also told me that I'd only get my proofs tomorrow so there's nothing I can do today. Thankfully by that time, I had gotten lost another time and somehow ended up on the other side of the area that's under renovation, and there was an ATM there so I withdrew 20$ and changed it for change at the students store, meaning I can last three days and a half without that damn card... but I still get the feeling I'll be using the taxi quite a bit tomorrow since it sounds like I have a LOT of places to go to. I mean, at first they told me the Programme Reussir guy was at the same place as Emploi-Quebec but when he called me, he said a big NOPE, so that's yet ANOTHER different place.

Once I arrived back home, I did my research for real and found out that things are a lot simpler than they seem to be. Y'see, you actually don't need a physical copy of your proof of collegial attestation, since you print it on the spot at the big metro station which is 40 mins from the college (I'll have to take the bus to get to the metro station, then take the metro to the big one. Good thing is that any bus will do since the smaller metro station just so happens to be right next to the bus terminus). I'll still need the form I get from the students association, though, so here's what I'll have to do tomorrow.

1) Leave around 10:30am to take the bus to my appointment
2) After the appointment, cross the park and walk to the college which conveniently happens to be barely 600m away from the Programme Reussir guy
3) Grab and fill the form at the students association (and grab myself something to eat at the same time)
4) Walk to the bus stop in front of the college, take the bus to the terminus, take the metro to the big metro station (40 minutes trip)
5) Get my photo taken AND get my card on the spot, without any other trip needed to someplace else
6) Enjoy unlimited bus/metro/train trips for 45$/month
7a) Look at the time and decide whether I have time to go back home to take a breather (I probably will), or
7b) Go wait at the college and play Pokemon FireRed till my class starts (while drinking coffee, maybe a mokappuchino)
8) Go back home and collapse, then finally catch up with my streams and videos Wednesday afternoon... but...

Oooo, a but! You're expecting drama, aren't you? I mean, with my terrible luck and how events usually turn out (especially since I repeatedly jinx it because I never learn) that's to be expected. Well NOPE (hopefully), GunZ 2 FINALLY came out on Steam. The first one was amazing and without a doubt the best MMOFPS (TF2 can go cry in a corner), so I've been hyped for the sequel for YEARS (read 2009)! Well, it's out now, it's finally out! Sort of. See? There's still a little place for drama! Y'see, I wasn't the only one super hyped for this game, soooooo... the servers overloaded and went boom within a few minutes and they're working on a Day One patch that they should release by the time I'll be asleep because I'm going to bed early now.

If there's anything good from all this, though, it's that the agenda looks pretty nice.