Life in the Slow Lane

It was very very busy, and now it's not.  When school ends for our kids there will be car pooling logistics and eventually summer travels but right now I have control over my schedule to a large degree.  I don't feel closure yet on the 2014-2015 academic year---reports to right, household chores deferred.  I am getting things done, but the list is long.

Eventually the loneliness will sink in---so few people around here at work.

Last Day of Classes

Even though it is a relief, especially in the Spring semester, to come to the end of classes, it still feels bittersweet.  It works well for me to use the last class meeting to summarize and then answer questions for the final exam.  It is decidedly not a triumphant feeling.  I and the students all seem to be completely drained.

Graduation is worse---saying goodbye to students I've worked with for four years.

Committee Work

I have done a lot of committee work in my career.  This confuses me since I am an introvert, and yet I find myself drawn to procedural solutions to problems that I care about.  That seems inevitably to lead to committee work, and ultimately, leadership.  I've spent over half of my career being chair of something, whether a department or a committee.

I've got good procedural reflexes and my integrity is pretty good;  people trust me more often than not.