No, really. It's been an adventure.

I started this at 11:20am by contacting the federal student loan live chat to see if I could get information on what my loans my look like after consolidation.

40 minutes later, I have no useful information outside the fact that some of the repayment options are bullshit and want me to pay 6k per month. Fuck that noise. Also the agent told me to go talk to the people holding my loan.

So, it's now noon, I'm already one cup of coffee down for the day and I already have the "I've seen some shit" thousand yard stare. Dig through the loan holder's website, no live chat, just a number. Great.

12:10pm, I call them, wade through the voice activated menu that doesn't understand what I'm saying half the time. Get put on hold. It's the inoffensive nu-pop-jazz garbage with the painful "clap/smack". I miss cisco hold music.

12:20pm ringing! A bit of silence, and..."Please rate your agent :)" Are you fucking kidding me.

12:35pm Round 2.

1pm I finally get the damn information I need.

1:45pm ohthankgodit'sdone.

So, to close the story, my consolidation got approved in Sept. Heard nothing about the IDR and my forbearance was running out. Called the loan folks about two weeks ago to see what was up. The lady I spoke to said that she's submit something to push it through and I'd hear something by "next Friday (the 17th)".

The 17th came and went without any news, though my account did get put into forbearance until March 2024. Okay, whatever. Well, IDR finally got approved today.

...Now I just get to resubmit my IDR again when my taxes come in next year lmfao.