The Venting Thread

[apl68]

The latest one was for several hundred dollars of miscellaneous supplies, including paper clips shaped like a treble clef and custom-printed sticky notes.

I have this vision of a music prof ordering frills, all unaware that admin is getting ready to shut down the entire music major.

[Vkw10]

The latest one was for several hundred dollars of miscellaneous supplies, including paper clips shaped like a treble clef and custom-printed sticky notes.

I have this vision of a music prof ordering frills, all unaware that admin is getting ready to shut down the entire music major.

Hah! I thought another education faculty putting together teaching kits, but it was actual a public administration faculty request. Must have been seriously obnoxious, since the administrative assistant actually forwarded to me for review. She's generally good at gently suggesting people would really find the basic supply cabinet items sufficient.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

The latest one was for several hundred dollars of miscellaneous supplies, including paper clips shaped like a treble clef and custom-printed sticky notes.

I have this vision of a music prof ordering frills, all unaware that admin is getting ready to shut down the entire music major.

Hah! I thought another education faculty putting together teaching kits, but it was actual a public administration faculty request. Must have been seriously obnoxious, since the administrative assistant actually forwarded to me for review. She's generally good at gently suggesting people would really find the basic supply cabinet items sufficient.

Wow. I guess some people really need to have those personalized sticky notes.

[RatGuy]

Air conditioning crapped out. Again. Always on the weekend, right? At least this time it's only 85 outside, and it's not the brutality of early August.

[Larimar]

Holy coincidences, Batman! Had to have AC repair people come here today too. They said a broken compressor had caused a power snafu that in turn did bad things to the circuit breakers. The're going to look into getting parts and cost estimates and call on Monday. Yes, thank goodness it's not August or mid-July. I don't deal with heat well.


Larimar

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

Air conditioning crapped out. Again. Always on the weekend, right? At least this time it's only 85 outside, and it's not the brutality of early August.

Do you know how to check if it's the run start capacitor?

[Wahoo Redux]

Oh for pete's sake.  You are a middle-aged man.  You are not a 20-something.  Yes, your longtime girlfriend is imperfect.  You are also imperfect----my God, man, you are really imperfect.  She is not your ex-wife, but this is good, damn it, because she is your EX-wife.  And you broke up with your girlfriend, then went all the way to the west coast to win her back, and against her better judgment she moved all the way back.  You mollified her with many promises (I heard them first-hand) and now...

Is that the idea!?!?  That you have a consensual three-way swingers love triangle?!?!?!  No, no, no.  Never gonna work.  And you are not a 20-something!

I mean, geeze.  Fortunately I am not close enough to either of you to be wrecked by any of this, but it sure is disgusting. 

You're a nice guy.  Now grow up.

[RatGuy]

Holy coincidences, Batman! Had to have AC repair people come here today too. They said a broken compressor had caused a power snafu that in turn did bad things to the circuit breakers. The're going to look into getting parts and cost estimates and call on Monday. Yes, thank goodness it's not August or mid-July. I don't deal with heat well.


Larimar

Yeah, they said it was our compressor as well. The suggestion was perhaps a lightning strike (we've been having some storms lately) since part of it looked fried. In any case, it's under warranty. It just means it can't be fixed until Tuesday. But this unit is only 2 years old and it seems as if something's always wrong.

[Parasaurolophus]

FFS this is the fifth meeting about the mixed-modality courses at the satellite campus. All five have been devoted to crafting this one-paragraph description of the courses being offered (and it sucks).

There are real issues I'd like cleared up--like how we do the work-integrated learning component period, let alone during COVID. Or whether we're still supposed to teach these as mixed-modality courses. Or whether we're still being paid for a course and a half.

Why why whywhywhywhy? Move. The. Fuck. On.


EDIT: Just to add, the meeting was called to address issues pertaining to teaching at the satellite campus during the pandemic. There was zero indication that we'd still (and only) be talking about this POS document that the coordinator can't be bothered to work on outside these meetings.

[theblackbox]

FFS this is the fifth meeting about the mixed-modality courses at the satellite campus. All five have been devoted to crafting this one-paragraph description of the courses being offered (and it sucks).

There are real issues I'd like cleared up--like how we do the work-integrated learning component period, let alone during COVID. Or whether we're still supposed to teach these as mixed-modality courses. Or whether we're still being paid for a course and a half.

Why why whywhywhywhy? Move. The. Fuck. On.


EDIT: Just to add, the meeting was called to address issues pertaining to teaching at the satellite campus during the pandemic. There was zero indication that we'd still (and only) be talking about this POS document that the coordinator can't be bothered to work on outside these meetings.

Let me join you in solidarity against the meetings that go nowhere when there are so many things that we need to actually accomplish right now! So much redundant chatter with so little progress forward, no matter how many times I provide the out-of-meeting work or structure suggestions. I'm not in *charge* of the meeting, so there are limits on how much I can force the meaningful issues (and I test those limits every time).

[mamselle]

New category of nonfunctional behaviors: learned haplessness.

Everytime someone tries to do something nice for this person it turns into a big deal, takes longer, costs more, and/or never achieves the desired result.

They are still a valuable person and a much-loved friend.

But every effort to help or make things nicer backfires....!

M.

[RatGuy]

I've been informed that I should no longer wear Hawaiian shirts as "they are the unofficial uniform of the alt-right." Can I at least still wear my jean shorts?

[Vkw10]

Budget freeze, people! Absolutely no spending! Zero, zilch, not one penny!

The budget freeze is still on. The hiring freeze is still on. The travel ban is still on. All three are likely to continue for many months. Want to help me figure out who gets laid off first?

[science.expat]

Budget freeze, people! Absolutely no spending! Zero, zilch, not one penny!

The budget freeze is still on. The hiring freeze is still on. The travel ban is still on. All three are likely to continue for many months. Want to help me figure out who gets laid off first?

Can you spill and fill and get rid of the deadwood?

[the_geneticist]

Budget freeze, people! Absolutely no spending! Zero, zilch, not one penny!

The budget freeze is still on. The hiring freeze is still on. The travel ban is still on. All three are likely to continue for many months. Want to help me figure out who gets laid off first?

None of the deans/deanlets/high admin will be cut.  But they will lay off the cleaning crews, office staff, and lab prep folks.  I bet they will even hire more administrators to "help" with the crisis.