and it's Tuesday

 Already a hard week. It's still brutally hot here, to the point where I replaced what was going to be one of my few field labs with the "trapped inside by bad weather" version of it (with simulated organisms) that I wrote years back for an extremely rainy summer.

The heat is really unpleasant and distressing; I think everyone feels it. I retrieved the washers I spray painted for another lab from one of the (non climate controlled) outbuildings and it about did me in, as did working in the teaching lab in the part of the building where we're down to "portable" AC units. 

So I'm punting to a "bead based" lab. They'll still learn the calculations, it won't be as fun, but I won't get overheated and if there's anyone with worse heat sensitivity than I have, they won't be in danger. 

I am VERY ready for the heat to break but it could be another month. Not sure if I'll make it.... 

And something happened. I can't give details; it's a personnel thing, but if it's what I think it is, it's sad and upsetting and while it doesn't directly affect me it still affects me because I care about people and also random unpleasant changes upset me a lot. And its quite a thing to have sprung on you without fully expecting it. 

This has been the worst start to a semester - between this, no AC, the cyber incident, and several other things - that I have had. I'm actually wondering if the universe is telling me to quit a few years short of retirement and, I don't know, find a whole new career in something else. Well, the universe picks LOUSY economic times to hint that, I doubt I could FIND another decent job. 

***

Added a couple more rounds to the "collection of columns" sock, but didn't have the energy to do much (I got home later than I planned because I tried to work on my "annual productivity report" after everything else but didn't get far (They're due next week; I hope I can finish it Thursday - tomorrow will be too busy)

I thought about working on Bankhead but I might have just enough left on it for Thursday's exam, and I don't want to start something new. 

***

I took the two tubs of books to the library. They seemed happy enough to get them and said they were accepting up until the 21st when I said I might have more. I have to decide quickly if a few "more expensive/more like new ones" I have should go there, or if I should save them back in case I ever get down to Sundrop again and could trade them for store credit (and replace several books with one)

*** 

I am considering putting "Far from the Madding Crowd" aside for a bit and either restarting "The Enchanted Greenhouse" or reading another one of the light-fantasies I have, because life is heavy and I need something light and ideally funny. 

I don't like that there aren't "happily ever afters" in life (or if there are, looks like I won't get one) but at least I can have them in my books. 

***

This came in the mail today; a friend of mine's sister had a lot of these Happy Meal toys and was sending ones out to people her sister suggested.

 Hello Kitty as Godzilla! I don't even know if the local McDonald's got these or not, and anyway, they're all the way across town and I don't eat Happy Meals.

(When I was first learning to walk, my dad nicknamed me Zillah, short for Godzilla, because I "walked so stompy" (except I think all babies kind of do? but I was a first child))