Secret Memo

If you are using the photocopier and it stops and tells you to load paper into a tray, do as the machine suggests. Don't just walk away. Because when you do this, your copying job doesn't get deleted. It stays in the machine's brain. This is true even if you log out of your account. Then when someone like me comes along who is willing to put paper in the copier, your job automatically gets completed. If, say, you were photocopying documents that you wanted to be confidential, well, they're not confidential any more, since they are streaming out of the machine and it is hard for me not to notice them.

Halfway to Summer?

We're at the midpoint of spring term. So in some sense we're halfway to summer. I'm looking forward to it. I will be traveling less than usual, and so will get to settle in and hopefully enjoy summer in Maine. I'll have some major work to do, but it still should be nice.

Spring term is slugging along. I'm enjoying my classes, but things are really busy. Much busier and a little weirder or something than they should be. I'm not sinking, but I'm working really hard and just barely staying above water. There is a growing number of things that I'm behind on and it's starting to get troubling. I owe some grant reports and am behind on some correspondence. I just haven't quite had the time or energy to deal with it all and get caught up. Nor have I had the time to sleep as much as would be healthy.

And things are just odd. COA is in the midst of a strategic planning process which is at times surreal. Lots of people are on edge about it. The draft documents we've received have been less than inspiring. It's hard to know how to engage in the process, whether or not I should engage, and whether or not my (or anyone's) input is welcome.

The last two months have been the warmest on record in Maine. And the oil spill in the Gulf sounds horrific. It's hard to imagine how much damage and destruction will follow.

But the warm weather has brought spring to Maine very early. Flowers are about two-three weeks early. Lilacs will start blooming next week. Today was achingly beautiful. Warm and sunny and summery. Made it hard to get a lot of work done. I bought a bunch of plants for the garden and did some yardwork and laundry and went for a short and very slow run. I continue to slip farther behind, but it was a wonderful Saturday.