Already falling behind...

I keep losing track of what I decided to do in terms of triage; I was working on homework for the SF class and my brain seized up, so I transitioned to catching up on the Nature in Lit (at which point I thought, "Oh, yeah; I was going to do that first"). But I'm falling behind on P&B business, too: a "diversity training" thingy I have to sit through (one of those automated classes a little like the online defensive driving classes, for which--as long as you allow the timer enough time on each page, you could easily be doing something else entirely and paying virtually no attention), but more pressing, evaluating the promotion applications for associate and full . I think there are only three of them, but I am mentoring one of the applicants, so it behooves me to go over hers with the proverbial comb--and I do have to write the support letter for her application. I'm sure there's other shit I'm forgetting too.

I keep getting distracted by the desire to do some hunting around for information about various things, sometimes having nothing to do with work, though periodically I start hunting for critical material for the Nature in Lit students to use on essay 2--and to narrow down essay topics for the final one. One of the librarians, a wonderful colleague, has agreed to try to construct a LibGuide for the class: a LibGuide is a focused presence on the Library's web site that trims away a lot of information students don't need for the present moment and allows them to focus on what they need for the specific research assignment they have to do. The 101 students now have their own, which helps them with each of the three topics. Ages ago she created one on Left Hand of Darkness, when I taught it in 102; I'll refer my SF students to it for their final essay (as well as referring them to the materials I produced on sabbatical). Having one for Nature in Lit would be great, but I do feel more than a little embarrassed that I don't really have clear topics in mind yet.

Well, Presidents' Week is coming soon, and I can spend it noodling around with that stuff (around all the life maintenance that I'm cramming into that week).

Today I did bail on Advisement; my body kindly manufactured a bit of a sore throat, which was excuse enough to turn off the alarm, roll over, and try to get some more sleep. It was quite lovely to just sit in the office and do whatever I was doing, not being interrupted at random moments: "Can you work with a student?" "Can you see someone?" "Are you ready?" At least the folks at the front desk are asking; it drives me nuts when they just send someone to me. (There I am, looking intently at whatever work I'm doing, and I suddenly become aware of a hovering presence over my left shoulder: Eeks! A student!)

And class was ... well, nothing much. I think I may have lost four students out of the twenty on my roster. A few more were not in class today but probably will reappear with their essays at some point. I'll try to remember to check for uploads tomorrow (the deadline is before midnight tonight); as it's the first essay, I may email the students who are late, reminding them of the penalties.

Meanwhile, it is a dismal, rainy, cold day, and would have been perfect for curling up on the sofa to write, read, drink tea, nap. But getting out of the house is a good thing, generally speaking--and now that I've got "retire ASAP" on the brain, I want to save those sick days (as I get paid for 75% of those days when I go; if I could make it to a full 20 years, I'd get 100%--but that seems vanishingly unlikely).

Oh: and here's something. Today I wanted to find something on the web about clichés, why they're problematic, to post for the Nature in Lit students. I saw something from Oxford and thought, "Oh, that will be good." The first example cliché? "We're still as sick as a parrot about the result." Really? That's a cliché we've heard to death? Only the Brits, man. And all I can think now is the Monty Python sketch (in which the parrot, of course, is neither sick nor dead, just pining for the fjords).

But next time there's a P&B meeting like yesterday's, I know what I'll say: "I'm just sick as a parrot about this."