And Why Are You In College??

Conversations like this make me wonder...

phone: ring, ring

me: "Z Department, this is Dr. X"

caller: "Ms./Mr. Y?"

me: "No, Dr. X"

*silence*

caller: "I need to speak with Ms./Mr. Y."

me: "DR. Y is in class."

*silence*

*more silence*

me: "Would you like to leave a message?"

caller: "Yeah, I'm not going to be able to come to class. I have a doctor's appointment."

me: "What is your name?"

caller: (gives name)

me: "And which class are you in?"

caller: (gives class)

me: "I'll leave Dr. Y the message."

caller: "OK"

*click*

Sometimes, I seriously hate sharing a phone line with another faculty member. Neither of us give an attendence grade but students are always calling Dr. Y to say they can't be in class for this or that. I tell my students to either email or mention it in class but that they don't need to report to me on where they were. The only exception is lab where there are in-class grades assigned. Also, it seems like it might be a good plan for the students' to know what information they plan to convey before calling. The silences were what killed me. I mean, they were fairly lengthy as far as 'I want to leave a message' silences go. And a 'thank you' would not have been out of line on the student's part either. Boy, I am soooo glad it is the end of the week. I'm really feeling very annoyed with silly people and it's not PMS-related.

Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend!

Disturbing

I had the unfortunate luck to witness a most disturbing event this past weekend. An auto in a demolition derby nearly exploded. The flames in the interior of the car were immediate and overwhelming. The driver got out but he was ON FIRE! He fell on the ground and people had to pat him out. They airlifted him to a hospital that specializes in burn victims. We believe that the hose from the 5 gallon tank in the backseat to the engine was leaking and that's what caught fire which led to the entire interior being engulfed.

I had never seen a human being on fire (for real) and I never want to see that again.

Oh, and since I live in the most backwards area EVER, there was no ambulance on the premises for the event. It took somewhere around five minutes for it to arrive. The helicopter arrived less than a minute later. It seems like this is the sort of event that would warrant medical personnel be on-site. Not cool. I hope I move before I suffer any injuries.

Get Fuzzy

Well, one of my "distractions" is the comic Get Fuzzy. Maybe it is because I lived in Edmonton for a while and got a chance to see Calgary and a lot of Flames fans but something just today's comic made me laugh out loud.

Anyway, check it out: Get Fuzzy

The "Project"

Okay, so I "bought" a house. Which is a nice way to say that I borrowed excessively from my mother for a downpayment and that every extra minute and cent goes to the place. I think it bought me. Anyway, the chore this summer was to paint the exterior. I had July and the first two weeks or so off in August. I figured that was plenty of time. Oh, ho, ho, ho. What a fool I am. First, I had more than two weeks of vacation built into that here and there. And it's been holy hot prompting warnings not to be outside, let alone doing laborious activities.

Here are some before and after pics of the area I've worked on. I've also managed to clean out TONS of roofing material from the gutters. And I don't think tons is really an exageration. They were filled to the top with stones. Heavy shit, that roofing stuff. I think the part I am most happy about is that I have finished the section where I have to climb on the roof to paint it. Man, what a chore dragging all of the necessary stuff (including a step ladder) up the extension ladder. I suspect there was an easier way but being new at this - I have no idea what that would be.

Enough chatter - here are the pics:

House when I moved in. A little overgrown with vegetation.

Trees growing into the kitchen and the ivy growing into, well, everything are removed. That deforestation left some nasty peeling paint. Ugh.

Well, I'm certainly nowhere near done with this "little" project but here are a few 'after' photos just to give you an idea how it's coming along.

Oh look - it could be worse!!!

It's been hovering around 100 degrees F for the past week. This week will improve as we are forecased to drop back down into the high 90's. But I see from the recorded highs that, in fact, it could be worse. Much worse. God help me. Why did I move here!?!

Triple Digits!

It just ain't right. 100 degrees F. Feels like 106. Oh wait, that's just what the radio DJs say. I would say it feels like 1000000006 fucking degrees! OMG! My air conditioning unit can only keep the house cooled to a "comfortable" (considering the alternative) 82 degrees. It's set for 78.

In other news, I was recently introduced to a tapas restaurant in Kalamazoo that is fantastic. The food was very tasty and the portions (as far as tapas go) were HUGE. I still live and die for San Chez but what a welcomed alternative. One of my best friends suggested the place when I was there for a visit earlier this week. Unfortunately, I'm getting old and have already forgotten the name of the joint. I am sure, however, that I would be able to locate it again.

My house painting is progressing at a painfully slow pace. I should have pictures up next week.

Speaking of next week, classes start! It doesn't seem real. I would be perfectly content to continue on my merry way getting up when I want, prepping/painting for as long as I can stand it, and drinking beer every night. Okay, really I set my alarm so I can do work outside before it becomes hell reincarnated and I've only had two beers in as many weeks. The important thing is that I could do all that stuff above. As of next week, the alarm will be set whether or not I want to set it. And work will be done, whether or not I feel like it. And people will look at me strange if I start drinking beer with lunch in my office. Sigh. The summer off thing is brilliant but the get back to work thing really blows.

People always seem so jealous of the summer off thing. I would just like to mention here that I take a severe pay cut to do this job. I made more in industry as a B.S. eight years ago than I do now. I love my summer off but I don't love my paycheck. Make a choice people and stop thinking the grass is always greener.

Actually, that last paragraph is meant for people who will never read this blog. Sorry to my regular readers (mom and sis) - I know you know how it is.

Oh, and WalMart is scary. I bought a pair of flip-flops, a tank top and an ugly skirt for less than $10. How is that even possible? I hate that place. It makes me sad that I live in an area where it is basically the only option. Walmart or Payless and Goodwill.

My weeds await pulling. Since it is only almost-nuclear outside, I suppose I should get to it.

Have a good weekend!