Synesthesia

Are you a synesthete?  I am.  Mine is number form and/or time space synesthesia.

It was only very recently that I learned the whole of human experience does not "see" numbers, dates, time, history. Nor do they apply a three-dimensional model to all of these things. I do.  I always have. I always will and I think it's pretty cool. I was reading an article (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2010/04/02/the-rare-humans-who-see-time-have-amazing-memories/) when I came across this topic and to be quite honest it shocked me. Does this mean something is wrong with the way my brain is wired or does it mean I can contribute to things in a way very few others can.

I admit, I know nothing about synesthesia and am now on a quest to learn more. Not because I feel odd or special for being a synesthete but because I would love to know how the Hell people can do math, know what day it is, or recall history and events if they cannot see it in a three dimensional space with applicable color and heat. Seriously, if you can't fold numbers upon themselves to get a result or know the color to determine addition or subtraction/multiplication or division how do you come to an answer?  How do you know what the day is or where it lies in the week and how on earth can you recall history if you can't slide down a path to the exact date of the event?

The coolest part is I can draw all of this out for anyone that asks.  I just need enough room and enough colors.

I want to hear everyone's comments. How do you do math?  How do you know what day it is?  How do you when the heck "Columbus Sailed the Ocean Blue" or when Cleopatra reigned supreme if you can't actually see it?

Student Loans

I was just online to make a monthly payment.  This being my 256th month.  I know what you're thinking.  Good for you Becca! Your mortgage is almost paid off!

 Sadly, no. It was a student loan payment.

But Becca, you used to have so much money, why didn't you pay it off earlier? I wanted to and I was told I would be all paid off in 10 years back when I started paying in 1992, back when I was still living in poverty.  So I just kept paying.

Ten years came and ten years went and then around 2004 the last $6k-$7k seemed to just stop getting smaller. Bankruptcy, moving, a horrible relationship that almost killed me, moving, unemployment, etc., etc., etc. and I just stopped paying attention.  Until today.  Life is good now.  I can take time to look into things and I noticed this evening that I still owe a couple of pennies under $7k.  Where has the nearly $20k of payments gone to since 2004?  Has it all been 100% profit for a bank?

Something is very wrong with my student loans and I am going to ask for an entire accounting of every account and every penny paid since 1992.  If they can't provide it I'm going to court.  Enough is Enough!

Can we please go back to the College system that Thomas Jefferson wanted for the United States and that existed, at least in California, before Ronnie Raygun became Governor.  You know the one where college was free.  The United States cannot compete as a nation if students need to first willingly enter a life of poverty just to get an education.

Do you have a student loan that you need to vent about?  Please share it here in the comments.