First name basis?

My god, it's only Wednesday, and I'm exhausted. It's the first week of the semester, and this transition from doing absolutely nothing to doing absolutely everything is pretty rough.

Here's a story today. I teach at this extension site right near where I live. It used to be in a seniors' center, where we got one tiny classroom and it always smelled like cabbage soup. Now it's a new building, and since we have multiple classrooms, we have classes going on simultaneously. It means a lot more students, and last semester I pitched the idea of doing some writing tutoring at this location, and it was approved! So, it's been my task over these last few days to get in touch with these instructors, inform them of my tutoring hours, and ask them if they'd like for me to come to their classes to do a little talk about the writing center. 

I met a couple instructors on Tuesday when I was there teaching. Today they're having evening classes, so after I had a long day at the school, I came home for a few minutes, and then left again to go meet the instructors who would be teaching tonight at 6. I went in and had a good talk with another English instructor. Then I walked over to the other classroom, and I had to wait for the instructor to show up. When she did, I said, "You must be...Liz?"

She kind of nodded and said, "I'm Professor Green."*

Like hell. Sure, she didn't know who I was, but I was standing at the front of her classroom and I obviously already knew her name, so she could probably assume I wasn't a student. Anyway, I proceeded to introduce myself and tell her why I was there, and I got the fake-polite responses that indicate that she isn't going to tell her students about my tutoring hours there. It's one thing for her to not like the writing center (a lot of instructors don't), but it's another thing for her to deprive her students of something that might be valuable to them in other classes besides hers. I just don't get it. Well, I can only do my part.

*Name changed to cover my ass.

Six things

Widget tagged me recently, and I can't resist a tag.

6 unspectacular quirks:

1. I hate putting laundry away and putting clean dishes away. I don't know why, but I just hate it. I don't mind the cleaning part, just the putting away part.

2. I really want to get my picture taken in one of those little photo booths where the pictures come out on a reel. I've done it before, but I've been wanting to do it again. Rich and I are rarely in a place that has one.

3. I like getting rid of stuff.

4.  I'm really into ghost and psychic-related stuff. I often watch Psychic Kids, Paranormal State (both on A&E I think), and even A Haunting on Discovery. 

5. I detest talking on the phone. At work this week, the writing tutors are supposed to do "faculty outreach," which means calling them or talking to them in person and reminding them of our services, etc. It's a way to generate more business at the writing center. Anyway, as awkward as it was today hanging out in the adjunct office and pitching the writing center to people as they came in, I much preferred it to the awkwardness of calling on the phone.

6. I can't drive with the music playing really loud or even somewhat loud on my car stereo. I generally keep it just barely audible, which tends to drive my passengers nuts, but if I have it too loud, I truly cannot concentrate. I've decided that my multitasking has a limit. While driving, I can pay attention to the road and think about other things, but I can't pay attention to the road, think about other things, and listen to the radio. 

There you have it. Six unspectacular things. Now, the rules for this are below, and I'm supposed to tag people. I really don't remember the last time I actually tagged anyone. Let's go with:  Tracy, c.a.b., Bearette, Candace, English Dork, and seriously j.  I probably won't follow the last rule because I'm feeling a bit lazy. So there. 

1. Link the person who tagged you
2. Mention the rules on your blog
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours
4. Tag 6 following bloggers by linking them & leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they have been tagged.

Anal expulsive?

Bearette posted a link to this personality quiz, so I thought I'd share the results. 

Your personality tendencies in a nutshell...

You enjoy making plans and commitments but you sometimes don't follow through. You feel comfortable with routine, but you are also quite receptive to new experiences. You are calm and logical for the most part, but some things worry you more than others. You are typically respectful toward others and dislike confrontation. You show some tendency towards being reserved in most social situations.

YouJustGetMe.com's guest psychologist Dr. Peggy has a little more, uh, informal interpretation of your traits...

About those "Casual" and "Disciplined" bubbles... Conscientiousness is not one of your defining traits, meaning that you are neither anal retentive nor anal expulsive. What does that mean? In a nutshell, you keep it together fairly well, but you do not suffer too much if you let things fall through the cracks every once in a while. If you make plans with a friend, chances are good that you will show up at the designated time. Then again, something better may come up or you just might forget. Either way, you're good. Another possibility is that you are very conscientious about some things, but more relaxed about other things. For example, you might demand the utmost rigor and discipline in your scholarly/work life, but keep your home looking like a garage sale gone terribly awry, with various articles of clothing and personal belonging strewn about. Where's Fido? Hopefully he hasn't been eaten by the alien life that has developed since the last cleaning.

About those "Traditional" and "Alternative" bubbles... Openness is not one of your defining traits. This means that while you do value creativity and artistic expressions to some degree, you are also equally comfortable with conservatism and things that are more plain and simple. Depending on the context, you may be more interested in concrete ideas versus abstract thinking, and vice versa. It could also be that you are highly open in some areas, and more conservative in other areas of your life. Maybe you're the type of person who has quite the vivid imagination and are chock-full of enthusiasm for different concepts, but prefer to stick to "safer" foods that you recognize. Raw fish anyone? NOT.

About those "Unemotional" and "Neurotic" bubbles... To quote the Hershey chocolate company, "sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't." That pretty much sums up your score on the trait of emotional stability. There are times when you feel such intensity of emotions, mostly negative, that you just want to lie down and spend the day thinking about how you can score Prozac. In other contexts (like when you are on your meds), you feel just fine - calm, happy, ready to face the day. The emotions cancel each other out and you look like you are dealing with life fairly well statistically. Another possibility for your middle scores on emotional stability is that some things push your button more than others and when your buttons get pushed, you stress and freak. What's that I hear? Is that your mom calling? For the most part though, you are the epitome of grace under pressure.

About that "Cooperative" bubble... Your scores would suggest that you tend to be more agreeable than you are competitive. What does that mean? For starters, it means that you have a fairly strong tendency to believe in social harmony and cooperation. You are a nice person. You want people to get along and do the right thing - for each other, for the greater humanity. That's not to say that you are a total pushover, but that you believe in the niceties of life. This is probably why you are very popular with people and have many friends. The difference between you and someone who is very high in agreeableness is that you have a bit of an edge. Maybe you laugh when people fall down and hurt themselves, maybe you secretly occasionally think people suck. Whatever it is that's holding you back from winning Ms. or Mr. Congeniality, that's also what makes you more interesting.

About that "Introverted" bubble... For the most part, you are a fairly reserved person, who thinks before you speak and cogitates on all the facts before you act. You may be very successful and work hard for your goals and dreams, but prefer to celebrate your successes outside of the limelight as you do not like to bring attention to yourself. Is it difficult for you to meet people because you have to force yourself to greet the world on its terms? You may fall into one of two categories - you secretly wish that people would talk to you so that they can see what an absolutely wonderful, interesting, and charming creature you are OR you secretly (not so secretly wish) that people would just go away. It's not inaccurate to say that the life of an introvert is much like being underwater at a community pool, which is somewhat isolating but tranquil until you reach the surface of the pool and have to contend with the "noises" of everyday life. Because you have some extraverted tendencies, you may find the world at large a little more welcoming than your introvert "thoroughbred" sisters and brothers.

I find it interesting that a lot of these categories show me as a little of this and a little of that. The "bubbles" it's referring to are these little balls labeled with two opposites ends of the spectrum for each category. One ball is bigger than the other depending on how much you fit into of one side of the spectrum. In all of the categories, my bubbles were almost identical in size. It could be a problem with the quiz itself, but I'm more inclined to think that it does actually represent how I am. I'm very much a  "sometimes" kind of person. Sometimes I'm this way, and sometimes I'm pretty much the opposite way. When I'm in social situations, like a party, I tend to be pretty reserved unless I'm very familiar with the people. It's difficult for me to start a conversation or keep one going. If, however, I'm teaching a class, I have no problem keeping a conversation going or talking about my own opinions or ideas. 

I really like the "cooperative" category. How true it is. I really do like for everyone to get along, but you wouldn't believe the crap I'm thinking about that goes unsaid! In the end, though, it rarely seems worth it tell people what I'm really thinking because of the confrontation that would ensue. Occasionally, things do slip out, and that is why, as it says, I won't be Miss Congeniality. 

Ups and downs

Yesterday I was a real mess. I don't want to go into details, but I'm dealing with a medical issue, and half of that issue is my stupid insurance company. Anyway, yesterday was something like a sick day for me, even though I'm not working. I didn't leave the comfort of the couch except to occasionally go to the bathroom. 

Today I vowed to leave the crap of yesterday behind until I have to deal with it again on Tuesday. I have other things that needed my attention. 

I made some good progress on my class planning, and to top it all off, my writing center schedule changed for the better. Instead of having to get to work to start tutoring at 8 a.m. each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I now get in at 9 a.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, and instead of having a split shift on Mondays, I'll work one solid shift and be done with it for the day. It's much more streamline, and I'll get a little more sleep two days a week. They have me tutoring a couple hours at the extension site where I teach as well, and those hours look like they're going to work out nicely too. It seems like a minor deal, but it really lifted my spirits. 

We got a new front door installed today also. Its primary improvement to our house is that it lets in a lot more light in our entry. More light in my life is just what I needed today. 

Shameless promotion

Hey, everyone. Please, please, pretty please go vote for my fabulous friend Tracy's photo here. Just scroll down a little ways and then after the photos, there's a place to vote. She's #2, the one with the crazy hair standing by the busy road :) 

Free your mind, and the trash will follow

I recently signed up with my local FreeCycle group.  By recently, I mean early this morning. If you don't know anything about it, I'd highly recommend you check it out. If you know about it but haven't signed up, do it now! 

Basically, it's like a local eBay but everything is free. You can post stuff you want to give away and you look for or post things that you'd like to have. It's so simple yet genius. I posted three pairs of dress shoes this morning, and within a couple hours I had someone who wanted all three. Granted, she didn't come to pick them up like she said she would, but I'm still optimistic. I've looked through a bunch of older posts, and while a lot of is kid-related (clothing, baby stuff, etc.), there were a few things that looked appealing. I've seen free books, exercise equipment, furniture, and even hay. Right now, I'm hoping for a mini trampoline!

I suppose I should update

I'm tired of looking at that baby post, and I'm sure you are too. Here are some tidbits:

I'm finally making headway on the service learning projects for my students in the fall. "In the fall" now means less than two weeks from now, so I'm happy that things are coming together in time. 

I think I need a haircut. I'm sure you all know that I'm trying to grow it out, but the dye-jobs this summer did a number on it. Plus, my hair's at a length where it sits right where the collars on my shirts are, and that bugs the crap out of me! It's not quite long enough to put it back or up in anything other than a little ponytail, but I don't think that's appropriate for my work look. Now I just have to find the right cut that's not so short it drives my husband away. 

I've been working on painting the shutters on my house. We thought it would be good to add some visual interest to our house with some color, but, like the rest of the house, the house isn't real wood. It's some kind of vinyl-plastic-type material, and even though the paint I bought said it would stick to vinyl, it doesn't. I'm pretty bummed out about this because it means I have to go back to the store and either return it or see if there's a clear coat that we can put on it that will protect it. If there is, then that's one more step in the process and more work. If there isn't, then we'll have to go and buy new, already-painted shutters, which will cost a lot more than we'd like to spend on this. 

It's looking more like we'll be moving to Maryland next year, although Rich keeps giving me odd percentages: 60% Maryland, 10% San Diego, and 30% somewhere else (Connecticut is an option too). These percentages change pretty regularly too. Frankly, I don't care where it is anymore; I just want to know. 

I was irritated to find out that the gummy vitamins I ordered from Amazon to replace the giant horse pills I used to take don't contain any calcium or iron! I specifically bought "adult vitamins," thinking they would be like Centrum or One A Day, but they're not, and I didn't have the option of reading the label before I bought them. 

I watched some men's beach volleyball last night, and Philip Dalhausser showed up in one of my dreams. I suppose of all the Olympic athletes to choose from, he's a good candidate. Some might say with his bald head he looks a bit phallic, eh?