another special talent

I guess ANOTHER one of my special talents is being able to make myself go do stuff even when I really don't feel like it. At least I can when I feel like people are depending on me.

At least there wasn't MUCH about the ongoing school funding mess, other than some other faculty from other small state schools talking about how their morale is equally low to ours, and some people talking about how spouses who were schoolteachers were marching at the Capitol today.

They did change one thing that displeases me: they used to reserve a particular lot for the judges. No more; the lot was open to all. I got the LAST parking space in it (and I was almost a half-hour early). I had felt on the edge of tears driving up and there WOULD have been tears had there been no spaces, because I wouldn't have known where I COULD park, despite having a placard that supposedly would magicially exempt me from a ticket anywhere on campus (it stated that I was judging the science fair).

It did get a little better when I went in: a few people I knew and recognized, was able to sit and talk for a while before judging. We had a crew of six people and only 13 posters to judge, so it didn't take us long. (And we mostly concurred; some years there's one holdout who either liked a project the rest of us saw a lot of flaws in, or who believed they found a fatal flaw in a project the rest of us thought was mostly well-done. And yes, one must remember these are junior high and high school students and are not necessarily as sophisticated in their thinking as college students are - though I will say I've seen a fair few high school projects I'd be proud of if one my college students did it.)

Some of the projects were good; some were not as good. One of the enjoyable things, sometimes, is talking with a student after you've kind of sized up their project and seeing what kind of future directions they want to go in (if they are continuing the research). One young woman, when I suggested what seemed (to me) an obvious extension said, "Oh, wow, I never considered that but that's a good idea" (I hope she does it) and it does make me a little sad: how is it I can look at other people's research and go "Hey, have you considered doing xyz" but when it comes to coming up with research ideas for ME to do, I have such a hard time? (I do have a possible idea for the summer, though the summer isn't REALLY the idea time for it - it's looking at litter decomposition and what soil invertebrates are attracted to "litter traps" of different kinds of plant matter, which would probably be better in the fall, but at least maybe I can do it as a pilot study and work out some of the kinks).

And I got a free lunch. We don't get paid, in fact these days, we don't even get gas money reimbursed, but at least the cafeteria there will feed us. Because my team got done a little early, I got over there before the rush and was second in line for the "pasta dishes made to order" (in past years, I just grabbed some random entree because there were too many people stacked up at the pasta station). So I got bowtie pasta with chicken, spinach, garlic, and marinara sauce, and I put (probably too much, given the sodium) parmesan cheese on it. Their pasta there is always good and I am happy when I am able to get it.  And I had a piece of chocolate-frosted angel food cake. And I got to sit with a couple other judges and talk a little with them (that's where I heard the concerns about morale other places).

But yeah. I did it, despite the dread and heart-not-in-it I felt upon rising this morning. I guess I'm glad I did it. I hope it was a good experience for the students. But I admit I get tired of all these extra things I'm doing and then have to hope and pray it counts as service or productivity or whatever in my post-tenure reviews. (Another thing we talked about at lunch was "work creep" - how there's a growing expectation on many campuses that you're available essentially 24/7 - and this seems to get worse if you teach online - and how that's also a morale killer)

So anyway. Back on campus. Apparently my exam was successfully given in my absence. I need to update the next Soils chapter slides and post them, then grab my work, head home, and maybe run out and get what groceries I need - they are predicting freezing rain (what the HECK, 2018) for us for tomorrow and I doubt I'll want to go out at my usual 7 am shopping time, even though I loathe grocery shopping on Friday afternoons.

I also have to deposit the check my parents sent. It is for the full amount that the plumber quoted as an estimate. I am embarrassed that at nearly 50 I still have to accept money from my parents, but, eh....I went into a less-profitable line of work, I guess, and also, I was probably more spendthrift in the past 2 or so years than I should have been (but that has changed, and even if it does make me a little sad to have No Treats, I'm going to stick to that now)

Thoughts for the weekend:

- need to muck out guest room to be ready for plumbers Monday.

- I think part of this evening is going to be spent cocooned in a blanket and with some of my stuffed critters (don't judge me). Interestingly, my "tuck up under my arm while I read" companion of late has been the Spitfire I made. I don't know why I'm so fond of her: she's less show-accurate than many of the other critters I've made, and yet, there's something pleasing about her to me. And I guess maybe as a secondary character, I can "headcanon" a little more about her. (One thing being that in her off hours, she likes to read mystery novels, which perhaps seems not too outrageous for what is essentially a pseudo-law-enforcement pony)

- I might make myself some kind of baked good this weekend, given that I've cleared out the kitchen a bit. Maybe I buy a fresh batch of yeast and try making some kind of sweet bread, maybe even one loaded up with either Apple Pie Spice or Cake Spice. (Any more, I find that a nice yeast bread or cinnamon roll is more enjoyable to me than cake. I might have to look in my Farm Journal cookbooks to see if they have anything that looks particularly good, or I think my Finnish cookbook has a spiced sweet yeast dough in it...)

- ??? I don't know, other than practicing piano again (lessons started last night and that makes things a little better, the promise of me doing something FOR ME and also having a person who is generally supportive and cheerful (my teacher) to interact with every week. Honestly, some people pay counselors? I pay people like my piano teacher for similar reasons).