The Post For Stuff You Wanna Tell People

[Parasaurolophus]

Thanks for the well-wishes, everyone. Yes, we'd been in consultation with the local police and others. Official channels were a little bit complicated because she's a resident of another province, and was taking the child with her back there, and unless you're careful that could look like kidnapping or be reported as such.

I'm relieved to report, however, that they made it onto the plane safely, while he stayed behind. So the (hopefully) most dangerous part is over, and now the hard part begins, but our involvement with that is necessarily very limited.

[Parasaurolophus]

The value of the government-funded postdoc I held five years ago has just been bumped up from $40.5k (then) to $70k (now). This is a very good thing, and, like, twenty years overdue.

Though I can't help but feel a little cheated, since I was pretty broke trying to live here on $40k five years ago, and $70k is a good chunk more than I made my first few years as a full-time, permanent faculty member here!

[Parasaurolophus]

Today, I came into possession of an early 18th-century book I hope to translate soon. Lo and behold, it came from the collection of a moderately well-known priest--sufficiently well-known to have his own English-language Wikipedia page!

It's especially sweet because it was lost in the mail for two months, and I'd given up hope (also, I got it for $90 and all other available copies online are being sold for $1500+). So, smiles all around!

[apl68]

Deepest congratulations on that find, para!

[Parasaurolophus]

I occasionally do a bit of translation or copy editing for another university's curriculum people. Today, I prevented them from abbreviating "assessment" in a course title to "asses".

I think I've earned my keep.

[Parasaurolophus]

Because I'm an idiot, I agreed to teach a fifth course (at another institution) in the fall. It's online, and one I've taught before, but still. Future me is going to hate past me.

[poiuy]

Because I'm an idiot, I agreed to teach a fifth course (at another institution) in the fall. It's online, and one I've taught before, but still. Future me is going to hate past me.

Let past you remind future you to look at your enhanced bank account from teaching course #5, and let future you figure out how to accomplish course goals with less effort.

[Parasaurolophus]

The tiny house was transported over (across two ferries!) yesterday. Unfortunately, it didn't make it up the gravel driveway to its final resting place. The truck was too big, and kept sinking and spinning. The driver and I dug and stabilized the driveway for three hours and came close, but no cigar.

So, it'll need an excavator and a smaller truck now, or maybe a crane. We'll see this afternoon. We were going to need the excavator anyway to spin it around, this just means somewhat more work. But it should be okay.

For now, it's parked in the driveway, which is the main thing. Albeit it canted at a somewhat troubling angle (for falling over on its face, not rolling away).

[jimbogumbo]

That was spectacularly redundant statement (doh!) in my copy and paste. In another forum that was the response when someone posted a question about a poller type being unable to find undecided young people.

[apl68]

Our regional electricity utility recently had a judgement against it for inappropriate fees or something.  They were required to give rebates to all of their customers.  It came on my most recent electricity bill.  After they had applied the $78 credit, my July bill was under three dollars.  Pretty amazing for a July air conditioning bill in this region!

[apl68]

Today I paid off our library's company credit card bill for last month.  We had two payments on there from different businesses, in different towns, for entirely different items--and they were the same to the last penny.  I saw the two payments next to each other and could hardly believe it.  What are the odds?