not vanished into the ether

Despite all appearances to the contrary. We’ve actually been really really busy at work, clearing all the little seniors who think they’re graduating in August. I should be doing that right now, but it’s kind of making my head spin around. This time of the day I find my patience has thinned out to nothing. When I realize I’m sitting here muttering things like, "What in the holy hell are you taking that class for??!!?? You don’t need THAT class, you need THIS class, and these OTHER five classes,  just like that audit that you reviewed with us and signed says!!!! You’re NOT GRADUATING UNTIL 2010, WHY ARE YOU WASTING MY TIME!!!!" ….well, then it’s time for a break.

Yeah. I get a little tired and cranky this time of the day.

And I just haven’t been a bit interested in getting online at home. I think because it is so pretty– the weather is gorgeous, it’s hot and sunny and just perfect. So I’ve been walking after work and then lounging about on the deck and don’t want to get sucked into InternetLand.

And there’s not the first interesting thing going on around here. The Queendom is running along quite nicely, at least for now. New Guy started Monday and is wonderful.Just as we suspected, he’s smart, catches on very fast, has a good sense of humor, and has been here before I am all week. And I get here by five till 8. I just don’t see any need to be here any earlier than that – and that’s really really good for Chronically Late Woman. I’ve been here nearly a year and I don’t think I’ve been late more than once or twice. And that was just a couple of minutes. Everyone thinks I’m very prompt, which is kind of funny. Well, maybe I finally am. I don’t dread going to work, which helps quite a bit. But New Guy is always early. New Guy also gave us a list of the days he needs off  because he’d already made reservations – it’s several 4 day weekends and I think maybe one week, starting in September and ending next April. I was very impressed that he plans that far ahead. I can’t imagine planning vacations out for the next year this far in advance. I actually don’t think I’d like to plan them out THAT far ahead. Even if it was possible for someone as slapdash as I am.

Oh, I did have a clash with the Ass’t Dean – a very minor clash, but still kind of annoying. Ass’t Dean is very loud and has a very clashy sort of personality – very abrasive, and she also has a tendency to kind of be a bully if she thinks she can get away with it. And she is also not at all our boss – the dean is. But anyway,  New Guy asked me on Monday if he could wear shorts. Because it’s like 5000 degrees in here on a warm day. Since we have no airconditioning on our floor and his office is this little wide spot where files used to be so he has no ventilation at all, and especially since the Dean told me quite some time ago that she really doesn’t care how we dress as long as we’re decent, I told him yes, he can by all means wear shorts. Drama Queen and I both wear Capris, and we’ve both been known to wear long shorts since it does get extremely hot in here. That’s always been perfectly fine, so I couldn’t imagine how it would not be fine for him to wear shorts.

So yesterday, his second day, he comes in in shorts (long shorts, that are nearly to his knees and are dark blue and are not denim and are very dressy and neat), so as soon as Ass’t Dean sees him she says, OH, YOU CAN’T WEAR SHORTS!!!!!

"I told him he could!" I hastened to say. So she goes on and on about how it’s not professional and we need to all look professional and shorts just aren’t professional!!! The dean is out on vacation this week so I assured her that although I’d taken "I don’t care what you wear" to mean that non-sloppy shorts in the 5000 degree heat are fine, I’d check with the dean again on Monday and I’d clarify her position on nice neat non-sloppy shorts in the office. There is actually history behind this – the dean before our current dean had a very stringent dress code, which was apparently brought on by someone who is no longer here wearing short-shorts and cut-off midriff tops. In fact, he hired me (and left before I started) and handed out a copy of the dress code at my interview. So before I even started the job I bought some new clothes because we were pretty casual at College of Ed too. Anyhow, I see her point, but it was kind of annoying. Poor New Guy who was just doing what I told him was okay.  And it’s certainly not fair for women to be able to wear capris when men have no similar cool alternative. I’ll just see what the dean has to say about that.

Another factor is that Drama Queen wears the most AWFUL outfits – she’s very overweight and she wears tops that are about five sizes too small and her stomach hangs all out below them. And often wears stilleto heels so she kind of projects an image from an entirely different profession than the one we try to project.  And nobody ever says a word about that. So I really think nice neat New Guy should be permitted to wear his nice neat shorts.

Anyhow. New Guy is great. And Drama Queen has been here every day and has even been on time every day. And I’ve heard no drama at all coming from her office. Aggravation Receptionist is still recovering from having her wisdom teeth out – she got some kind of infection from that and ended off having to have more stuff done last Friday, but seems to be on the mend. Until the next disaster strikes.

And that’s about IT. Since we’ve finally got New Guy, I’m taking a bunch of days off until August, which is quite exciting. Long weekends mostly, and we’re planning a Charleston Trip next week. So I’m all happy about that. And.. now it’s time to go. What a quick and boring entry!