i gave in.
i finally admitted it's going to take a new battery to keep my ibook running, and knowing that there was free shipping and an educational discount, and the current 12" ibook battery would fit (and work), i decided to purchase one.
along with that, i decided to upgrade iLife. the upgrade was cheap for educational customers... but I also found a page which says $19.95. Methinks I may have to call and get $10 back.
I hope I'll get it this week... we'll see.