Very "Tuesday" Tuesday

 Someone I know called Tuesdays "stealth Mondays" - because the weekend is still far off, and there are often problems.

I encountered a few today.

A student of mine, who struggled last spring but ultimately managed to get things together and do well in my class, was in two of my classes this fall. But they developed a scary health issue (could be a tumor) and they e-mailed me today that they were having to drop out in order to pursue a clearer diagnosis and treatment in a larger city with a better hospital. I wished them well and said I hoped things turned out well and they could come back in a future semester.

But yeah, it makes me sad. I hope if it's a tumor it's a benign tumor that can be surgically removed. 

I had another student who had a whole bevy of problems, one of which was they got bad advisement and got put in the wrong lab (!!!!) for my intro class, and they didn't figure it out, and are having to be moved to the right lab, and apparently the person who was supposed to be advising them (in the Advisement Center) is having health issues themselves and a lot of days lately I almost feel like there aren't enough of us who are even minimally together enough* to keep things going and I really wonder what's going to happen.

(*I would describe myself as "minimally together" - I get my work done but I'm not really doing anything *extra* and I'm tired a lot and some days I come home and play stupid mobile games instead of reading or knitting because it feels like more effort to pick up a book or a project). 

Anyway, it's off my plate now because my chair and another administrator have to be the ones to sort it out. I guess it was fortunate I found out (because I had to look the student's schedule up for another reason) but it ate part of my afternoon.

I did get a few errands run: before coming back to deal with the issue, I did get to the bank and the post office (I had promised some unwanted fabric and books to a couple of friends, and I wanted to get them sent out). Those were the two places that might have closed before I got off campus (as it turned out, they would have, when I finally got done). 

Then I left campus after dealing with everything. (including writing an exam for next week). The storage place was still open so I grabbed a couple tubs of yarn and a couple tubs of fabric. I have one unpacked, the other looks like it might have some "donate this" fabric in it (fabric that no longer sparks joy for me). 

But I also needed to get gas (was down below a quarter tank) and I really wanted to wash the car (there have been a LOT of caterpillars, I guess, and there's tons of "honeydew" and frass that winds up on the car (think caterpillar poop, only this is sticky like sap). I had to go to a second place for gas because there was a line at the first place and I didn't feel like waiting. (Also, a LOT of people were just "driving rude" today - I saw people run four way stops, and also merge aggressively or pull out in front of other drivers - in one case, in front of me)

Finally I got to the car wash. I couldn't go to the "disco car wash" I would normally do, because it's on the eternal-construction stretch of road (the city is threatening to fire and sue the contractor because there have been so many delays, but I suspect firing the contractor is only going to slow things down WORSE). So I went to what turned out to be their sister car wash on another street. Got in line, paid for my wash.....and waited. I was behind a police car and they seemed to be sitting forever. Finally one of the car wash guys came out and talked to the driver....and we waited more. Finally the car started moving, and the guy came to my car and said, apologetically, "We got backed up because the car in before (before the police car) was all covered in oil and we had to slow down [I presume to wash it more] and now we've lost the records of what people paid for" so I just showed him my receipt with the type of wash I wanted and he was able to enter it.

FINALLY I got through, so at least the honeydew is off my car. I also brought the tubs in but I've only emptied one of the fabric ones - I should at least do the other before bed.

Also, Walgreens is sending me nagging messages about being "overdue" for a flu shot, I am going to have to consider whether to get it Friday, or to wait another week. (There is a potluck at church Sunday and I'd rather not feel lousy for it, and who KNOWS now how I'll react to vaccines given my strong immune reaction to the second COVID booster....also next Saturday is Zoom knitting group and one of the people in there is a former nurse so she could at least check up on me after my shot)