Not quite done

 Today's main accomplishments were

- writing my syllabi for next semester

- finding the rooms I will be teaching in come spring when we are exiled out of the building (construction)

- doing the accumulated laundry so I can pack late tomorrow (a lot of stuff I dry by hanging it up, so it takes time)

The syllabi went okay but made me realize a couple of other complicating factors for next semester (like: in the tiny lab I'm using, where will people put their backpacks? I guess I open up the disused office where I'm storing stuff and tell them to leave them there)

Finding the rooms started out okay - one was in the chemistry building, there was a sign up indicating you needed to call the chair (with his office number posted) if you needed to get in. I know him a bit from having served on committees; he's a nice man. So he came down and let me in and showed me how the computer/projection set up in the room worked. He also noted that since it was an 8 am class, it would be a good idea for me to request a key because the rooms tend to be locked that early in the day. (So when I did get back to campus, I filled out the form and sent it to him, as he indicated. He must have gotten right on it because I got an e-mail from physical plant later on telling me the key was ready). Granted, they are going to have to share OUR building next year when theirs is being renovated, so there's a reason to be a good host, but....I think also he understands the disruption and unpleasantness and wants to make it as easy for us as he can.

Then I went to another building. It was unlocked, so I thought I could just find it on my own. No, I couldn't. Lots of buildings on campus have idiosyncratic numbering systems, and this one does too.

So I went and found the nearest departmental office, and opened the door. There were two women in there, one was the secretary, another was (I figured out later) a friend of hers. I smiled ingratiatingly and explained: "I'm one of the people who's going to be exiled from Biology come spring, and I was wondering if I could get a little help finding my room...." The secretary started to say "yes, of course" but her friend - being funny - said loudly "no, of course not"

Because I am who I am, I recoiled a bit and prepared to go try to find the room myself. 

And yeah, maybe don't joke like that with people you don't know? I mean, the secretary did show me the room (and leave me to figure out how to use the computer and projector). 

But the "joke" kind of rubbed me the wrong way and affected the rest of my day. I interpret that sort of thing as fundamentally hostile and it's just....weird to me. Maybe it's a dominance thing? Maybe I'm reading too much into it? But it did make me uncomfortable. 

And yes, I know, I'm "too sensitive" and I've gotten worse about that since the pandemic, where I seem to have fewer interactions each day, so a bad one looms larger. 

After that I was just tired, needed to eat, didn't want to go back and finish my syllabi without food. But I also know I had used up all the milk and had to go to a grocery. So I thought - do I go now and get even hungrier and grumpier, or do I go home and try to shift with what few things I have left (that's not in a can that would generate a lot of leftovers). So I went to one of the small local places that does a breakfast all day and had eggs and sausage (and I think something in the sausage disagreed with me slightly) and cinnamon french toast.

And then went back and finished the syllabi. Oh, I have to go back and do one last sweep of the labs that will be closed down come January to be sure I didn't forget anything, and I have to probably post the syllabi on my LMS. 

This afternoon and evening, I did the laundry; the last load is drying now.

Tomorrow I guess I pack (in addition to the other things) and try to grab a little time to knit more on my mom's socks. I may  well not have them finished, but oh well. 

At least we do have the pulpit filled for January, and likely most of February, so I don't have to make time to try to start a sermon.