Isostatic adjustment time

I always picture that at the end of a semester. Isostatic adjustment (also called post-glacial rebound) is changes in the Earth's crust after a glacier has left....the land slowly (though not that slowly, on a geologic time scale) begins to rise back to something like its pre-glaciation level.

For example: Chicago is rising a few millimeters every hundred years or so because of this.

That's how I visualize the end of the semester. The glacier of grading, of student problems, of added duties melts away and I slowly return to my normal equilibrium. I haven't, just yet, this semester, I'm still half-expecting another visit from my problem student.

I still can't quite believe that Monday evening, if everything goes as it should, I'll be on a northbound train. Yes, I have things to do over break - I have a paper to probably rewrite one last time (though I've worked on it off and on the past few weeks) and a paper with my former advisor to work on. And my dad wants me to help clear stuff out of his emeritus office over at work, I guess he's decided he doesn't want/need that office there any more and they need it for a new faculty member. And there are probably some other 'round the house jobs he can't do because of his knees, and which my mom is a little bit chicken about doing. (Living alone, I have learned to do a lot of things I thought I would never otherwise do).


I'm also dealing with OMB THE DRAMA in one area of my volunteer life. Someone who is doing something on a volunteer basis right now but could "bump up" and request to be paid, but isn't, is complaining about how they have "no free time now" and how they really want to give it up but they'll hang on doing it for one more week, bla bla bla. I'm GUESSING it's that they want to be fussed over and told how valuable they are. And I'm so done with that. I actually muttered, "Join the club" when I was told the person complained about "no free time" (the person in question was not present.) I think the solution is for the person to acknowledge that if what they are doing is valuable, and if there is money to pay for it...they should just go for it full-time and accept the paycheck for it rather than doing it as a volunteer and complaining about how much work it is. I don't know. There are probably other issues involved here that I am not seeing.

I think that's my biggest frustration in dealing with people: there tend to be issues I do not see and I generally expect people to behave logically, except sometimes those unseen issues cause them not to behave in ways that seem logical to me.

I do understand the person's need (if that is what is going on here) to be told that what they are doing is valuable and to be fussed over a little. Even someone as averse to being the center of attention as I am likes to be fussed over a little and be told they're doing a good job.  And I'm guessing different people have different thresholds for this; some people need a lot of praise and input ALL THE TIME (and yeah, that can get a little tiring, to work with someone like that), some of us just need the occasional "Hey, good job" tossed our way when we are deserving of it, to balance out the complaints.

I would also observe that I do a certain amount of volunteer work for no pay (but isn't that the definition of volunteer work). Yeah, it stinks when it's a day I'm tired but I still have to woman up and go prepare and do the work, but you know? Being an adult just stinks sometimes.

Honestly, what bugs me more about the volunteer work than having to go and do it after a full day of for-pay work is when someone who isn't helping out complains that I didn't do whatever-it-was exactly the way THEY would have done it. Not that I'm doing it WRONG, mind, it's just....I'm not doing it as RIGHT as they would like it to be. I've learned (mostly) to let that go in one ear and out the other, but it does get more difficult when I'm tired.

I did go down to the quilt shop to spend my $20 "loyalty card." For one thing, I needed a new rotary cutter blade. The last bit of cutting I did - ALL THE PIECES for the "Skinny Dip" quilt (that's the name of the pattern, it's just simple bars of fabric) led to the cutter starting to catch, which means there's a burr on the blade or a dull spot. I know there are blade sharpeners out there but I've never looked into getting one. I might have to - like everything else, the price of the blades have gone up. Then again, I think I've made five or six quilt tops since the last time I changed the blade.

I also did buy the Cape Ann by Oliver and S Jelly Roll I had been looking at, plus a small amount of a "paper doll print" for the narrow border on the quilt I am planning with it.

Yes, yes, I have lots of jelly rolls ahead and little time to sew. But for me, being able to buy one (especially on sale) is a cheap form of therapy....I can look about it and think about what I will make with it, I can look at the fabrics and be happy. One of the problems with quilt fabrics is that many of them are printed for only a few months, so if you see something you really want, you more or less need to buy it when you see it - I've had too many instances of "thinking about" a fabric, just to find out it was gone forever when I finally decided to buy some.

I did sew a bit on the "Skinny Dip" quilt blocks yesterday evening. I may do more of them this afternoon after I finish the numerous things I have to do to close out this semester. I think I need some time at the sewing machine.