As I mentioned previously, I am taking two online classes this summer. One of them is an Accounting course. Before I knew it the first assignment was due and I did not have time to get to the bookstore to buy the book for the course. A good friend of mine, also taking this course, loaned me the book so that I could complete the first assignment. This week the second assignment is due, as well as a test. So I thought it best to get myself down to the bookstore to purchase the book yesterday. To my dismay, the bookstore told me they no longer had that book. The course would be switching to the new edition of the book in Fall, therefore, what they had was all they had and those were sold out. Perhaps I should contact the instructor was the suggestion given. I tried the library and felt pleased to find the book available for checkout, although it was the fifth edition rather than the sixth. But honestly, how different could it be? So it might be off a few page numbers. I am an intelligent woman, I can deal with this. Just to be sure, I thought it best to contact my instructor for approval to use the fifth edition. Although this would entail renewing the book every two weeks, or at least until I could get a used copy shipped to me from an online textbook seller, it seemed like my problem was solved!
An hour later the instructor answered my email to explain that with each new edition the homework problems change, and since our homework assignments were based on problems from the book, this edition would not work for me. However, she would check to see if she could locate a copy of the correct edition for me, perhaps from another instructor. In my head I was wondering how likely that might be? I had already paid for the course and since summer classes already started, I did not want to switch to a different class at this point. Feeling defeated, I sent a text message to the friend who had the correct book and asked her if I could again use her book. In fact, I told her, I might need to borrow it on a weekly basis for the remainder of the course. I had now turned into "that friend". The annoying one who never had her "stuff" together. The procrastinator who waited until the eleventh hour to prepare for anything. I was now the friend who expected others to run to my rescue for a problem I likely caused myself by not buying the book earlier, by not planning ahead. My dear friend told me it was not a problem and that is what friends do for one another. Bless your heart Kathi! Though I was still feeling bad recalling that the movie Shrek says "That's what friends do. They forgive each other." It doesn't say anything about friends loaning one another textbooks when one friend is ill prepared for summer classes and really needs to get her act together! Even though she reassured me it was not my fault considering even if I had purchased it sooner, there would still be someone in my shoes, without a textbook, as clearly the bookstore did not have enough of them, possibly thinking some people would drop the class?
Finally, yesterday afternoon, my instructor emailed me and let me know she found a copy of the book in the sixth edition for me and I could pick it up in the Business and Information Office at school. This instructor will forever be known as the instructor who saved me! Thank you thank you thank you to infinity!! Last night I was telling this tale on Facebook and suddenly up popped a comment that cleared up this entire book debacle. "So what you are saying is they could not ACCOUNT for all of the students taking the course. Maybe that was your first assignment." Maybe it was, or maybe it was a life lesson about the importance of planning ahead!
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