That satisfying feeling of figuring something out...

There was very little to do today in terms of helping Cathy with adjunct (and FT) scheduling, so I was able to go to the little "panic" workshops offered by the good folks in Distance Ed; I needed help understanding Grade Center. Both the staff members who were there were busy with other faculty (one of whom was clearly way out of her depth), so I was asked to go ahead and sign in and to interrupt with questions. I didn't want to interrupt, so I simply started clicking around on stuff--going back to the very beginning in some ways and making sure everything made sense for the changes I've made since I initially got the course approved. As I did that, I thought I'd take a look at Grade Center, mostly to make sure I could ask my questions in intelligent ways--and as I was looking, lo and behold, I managed to figure something out on my own. That was a teensy triumph--but you know, we'll take those wherever we can. The other questions I still had were relatively easily answered.

So, I came back to the office to get ready to make photocopies of my FTF classes. I found a few more errors in the SF syllabus (and it took me three tries to get them all made and uploaded onto Blackboard, for anyone who loses a syllabus during the semester). Then I started working on the 101 syllabus--and the changes I absolutely know I made are not in the file I have here at work. The date on the file apparently is meaningless: my fear, again, is that I copied in the wrong direction, copying things off the thumb drive and onto my hard drive, in the process erasing all my hard work. I really hope not--but I won't know until I get home.

I copied everything else for the first week, though, and I may come to campus briefly tomorrow to copy that 101 syllabus. (That rather depends on how long it takes me to get it fixed and right on all the various transportable devices, not to mention my computer at home.)

In any event, being unwilling to duplicate effort--in the (perhaps forlorn) hope that I have the correct syllabus at home--I stopped work on the 101 and started working on the Online Nature in Lit. The fact that I did some of the work so early--and have since changed my mind about things--means I have to go through everything with the proverbial fine-toothed comb, as little changes tend to proliferate like tribbles, and trying to track them all down and fix them is a snorting pain in the ass. But it does need to be done.

So, I haven't actually made any forward progress, dammit--though all the work I've done today did, in fact, need to be done.

I have to dash out of here pretty soon, as I have a PT appointment (and have to deal with rush hour traffic to get there). I need to shove a bunch of stuff into my tote bag, so I have it at home, if I need it. And I have to water the office plants--which I told myself I would do hours ago and completely forgot until just this minute. And no, since you ask, I did not, in fact, look at that steaming pile of handouts from last semester that I noticed at the end of the day yesterday. I just noticed it again, having blissfully forgotten all about it until just now.

If I'm this scatter-brained at this stage of the game, it doesn't bode well for the start of the semester. But at least I got through today without having to help Cathy put out any particular fires, which is a relief.

I may post tomorrow, if I have time before I head out for the evening. Or not. Probably not Saturday. Very likely on Sunday. I know you can't sleep until you know when the next blog post can be anticipated.