unintentional dismount, then back up again

Some of us in equestrian circles call it an "unintentional dismount" when we're thrown or otherwise fall off the horse. In keeping with the title of my last post, I figured I'd use the metaphor to indicate that I'd been briefly in the saddle but didn't stay there: yesterday was a rotten day--perhaps because of emotional blow-back from the political insanity on campus, but in any event, I got essentially no work done: couldn't concentrate even enough to work on the glossary (which, quite honestly, doesn't require a great deal of heavy lifting, intellectually speaking). I've done better today, despite feeling physically crappy: I finally addressed that last critical source and have officially signed off on that first draft (stick a fork in it, done).

Having finished that, I've turned my attention back to the glossary--which led me briefly back into the "Science of Science Fiction" chapter. I felt a moment of anxiety, realizing that chapter wasn't as close to a completed first draft as I'd remembered. (Memory is very conveniently forgiving sometimes: "Oh, I don't need to worry about that any more." Oops.) But actually, it's helpful to sort of work back and forth between the glossary and the other chapters, as I am reminded what the book calls for. In this particular instance, I realized I needed to say something about the reference to a "sonic gun," and rather than spend a lot of time in the glossary explaining how/why sound waves could be dangerous, it's easier to simply send students to the Science chapter and get into it there.

Before I got to work today, however, I found myself impelled to touch back in with some stuff on campus, the committee stuff I can't quite let go. I don't remember if I mentioned that, along with the bad news about seminar hours on Monday, we also got the departmental election results, and I was not re-elected to the one campus-wide committee I've been on, despite the fact that I was rather deeply involved in some issues that committee is handling (having to do with withdrawal procedures, that sort of thing). That felt like a slap in the face, I have to admit--and I'm frustrated that I won't be able to follow through on the work that I'd started. (I did get re-elected to P&B however: that was good news.) But since I'm still the Queen of Scheduling for one more year, I realized I need to get the preference form for spring 2016 schedules out to faculty soon, so the other members of scheduling and I can do that work after the semester ends in May. And since I believe I'm picking up my duties as Evening (read "Adjunct") Supervisor as of summer, I asked Bruce's assistant to find out when he wants me around to help and what he wants me to do. All that was required was a phone call, but next week I will head to campus to return the book I just finished up, to get the materials for the spring 2016 preference forms--and maybe to check in with Bruce, if I haven't heard back from his assistant.

I just can't seem to keep away from the place.

Ah well. For at least the next few weeks, I should be able to stay pretty clear of the morass (emphasis on the "ass" part) that is NCC. There is a meeting of the Board of Trustees (in whom we have zero trust, I might note) on Tuesday; Paul plans to sign up to speak about the seminar hours thing, and I'm very much on the fence about whether to put myself through the emotional upheaval of going to the meeting, and if I go, whether to put myself through even more emotional upheaval by speaking. I keep trying to figure out what I'd say, but it's awfully hard to address remarks to people who have zero interest in listening. I can do something about that in my classroom ("get out"), but I can't do much about it in a BOT meeting. But like many many educational institutions, we're under attack, and I feel I should be in those trenches, too, doing my part for the war.

Well, that avenue of thinking is absolutely bound to get me worked up, so let me take a different path here. I have no grand ambitions for this evening; I'm just going to try to treat my body a little better than I have the past two days. I probably won't get much if any work done tomorrow, what with various life-maintenance things on the docket, but on Sunday, the first part of the radio play of the novel will be available on the BBC Radio 4 web-page, so we know what I'll spend part of Sunday doing.

As for now, a quick check of e-mail to see if anything fun is going on, then I pack my bags and leave Coffeed, since they're about to close. And tomorrow is, you know, another day or something.