There’s something in the air

It’s snooze gas.

I’m going to be amazed if I can say awake long enough to get my grading done this weekend!

Responsibility weighs heavily on my shoulders

I have the most amazing job in the whole world. I get to do something new everyday and get paid to sit and learn new things in my spare time. We have an amazing system that allows us to apply for money to go to conferences and see what other people in our field are doing. I get the chance to explore new things and work with students and colleagues that continually challenge me and keep me asking why.

Now that I have tenure, I am more relaxed. I have the freedom to really enjoy what I do again and not worry if I am doing it in such a way that the students will like. I didn’t worry so much about what they thought of my when I started. I worried more about if they were actually learning material.

But along with all of the good stuff that tenure brought, it also brought a lot more responsibility in areas that I am not enjoying so much. I am now expected to be, not just a good departmental citizen, but a good college citizen. More committees, more meetings, more responsibilities.

One of my latest responsibilities involves having to evaluate and judge students’ and colleagues’ ideas. And it really stinks. There is only so much money to go around and we’re going to have to say no to some of them. And it seems like it is always the same people we are saying no to. I don’t like saying no; I was everyone to be successful. Everyone wins! But we just can’t do it.

It was easier when I was just a peon on the committee. Now that I’m chair and in the sciences (where aa majority of the proposals are from), everyone is looking to me to make the final decision.

I am a GREAT delegator. I like to collect ideas and suggestions and sort through them and make the final recommendation based on what the collective comes up with. That way, I don’t have to take all of the blame if something goes wrong. I have to share the glory, but I’ve always found it was sweeter that way. But this time, I think it is going to be pretty much up to me.

I never thought I would say this, but I miss being untenured, just a little, tiny bit.

Watch out below!

Everything that dangles is fair game.

I love my hometown

I love the fact that when I am driving by Walmart, and I see the guy who walking along and waving an American flag, the first thing that comes into my mind is: “Where is his beagle?” and not “Crazy.”

I know that on Saturdays, every Saturday and not just football or basketball Saturdays, it is not worth driving in front of the mall. You’ll be stuck at the light for at least one cycle and probably two because of all of the traffic. It is worth the extra half mile to drive the back roads.

I am pretty sure that the Tuba Museum isn’t really an attraction, just a restaurant. I haven’t been in there, but driving past it almost everyday for four years makes be think that a sign in the window that says “chicken curry” doesn’t mean they are advertising the color of the patina on a particularly beautiful tuba.

It’s not so much that I love where I live, but I do love the feeling of belonging, of being in on the joke that people tell with every purchase and turn of a car. I like finally knowing the secret shortcuts and the best place to buy bread and the worst place to get sushi.

I think this is one of the reasons that traveling stresses me out so much. When we pick a restaurant for dinner, I am always afraid that I’m missing the BEST place, the place where all the locals go just down the street. That’s why I always let (make?) Husband make the choice of where we are going to eat. Coming home is always such a treat; I’ll be in on the local secrets once again.

Home isn’t perfect, but it’s where I know all the best places and secret places to visit.

_____

Sorry for the infrequent updates this year. I won’t say it’s the semester from hell, but it is the semester where I’m at work late a lot. Husband and I only get to eat together on Monday and Friday night during the week. Either he’s late or I am. It means that I’m falling asleep on my feet as soon as I get home. Good news though, I’m traveling to Florida over Spring Break and to South American in May. Expect lots of fun pictures then!

Back in the saddle

Wow, the first week of classes really took it out of me! For the first time in about a year, I spent my Friday night asleep on the couch. Friday night couch time was a regular occurrence when I first started teaching, but in the past year or so, I could actually stay awake for an entire Friday night movie. This Friday, Husband put in Notting Hill and I was asleep as soon as Alec Baldwin shows up uninvited at the Ritz.

What scares me is that the week was only four days because of MLK Day! How am I going to make it through an entire, full five day week? Three afternoons of lab! I’m working on my patience this semester and that takes a lot of energy. I have to keep reminding myself that even though I announce something at the beginning of lab, by three hours later, most of them have already forgotten what my name is, much less some obscure direction about a chemical concept that they don’t understand. It shouldn’t be any skin off my nose to repeat the directions for them. That’s what I’m trying to convince myself of anyway.

It also doesn’t help that Husband’s and my schedules are completely orthogonal this year. I have to stay late on Tuesday and most Thursdays; he has a late night on Wednesday. I guess we’ll be eating a lot of frozen food this semester.

I spent the day today alternating between working and feeling guilty about not working. I put in a good four hours on the really sucky stuff like program reviews and emailing students about presentations, but I know I have a lot more to do. I have two labs worth of lab pages to look at, a pop quiz to write and a manuscript to start writing. Part of the procrastinating problem is that I forgot my charger at school this weekend. And with an hour long drive to get to the office, I have been reduced to sneaking downstairs and plugging in my computer when Husband is sitting in his chair using his.

Today, I’ve proofed several student essays the old fashioned way – paper and pencil – to save on my battery. Usually I read everything on the computer and add my notes using the “add comment” feature on Word. I started doing this because I didn’t want to haul all of the paperwork home, but now I try to rationalize it by saying that it is green. Less paper = less strain on natural resources. But I can’t decide which is more of a strain – the power that my computer uses during the editing process or the power that is required to produce and print two pages of paper.

I am going to give myself the rest of the night off. I think a long, hot bath and a good book will be the right start to the week ahead. Right after I write that pop quiz. (PS – It’s going to have hybridization on it. Don’t tell my students.)