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Location: Upstate, South Carolina, United States

I think that the Meredith Brooks' song, "Bitch," summarizes me rather nicely. Or, if you prefer, X. dell says I'm a life-smart literary scholar with a low BS tolerance...that also works!

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

My New Life: The Beginnings


Ok, before I detail my first day running around Clemson, let me just share with you a picture a friend sent me. It's Alex holding Jared. Now, you have to understand that my son, Jared, doesn't really like men. He likes girls. It's a long story as to why he doesn't really like men and why his relationship with his father can be, at times, awkward. Regardless, it's always amazing when he decides he loves a guy. Alex is definitely on that list. In fact, Jared has let me know on a number of occasions that no adult male ranks higher than Alex in his life (his best friend who is his age--and only real boy who is a friend--is Jake, and Jake ranks highest total on the boy list...haha!). Anyway, I thought this picture was cute! Since this is a pre-haircut photo for Alex, he will likely kill me for sharing it. I'll have to rely on feminine wiles to save my ass.

So, yesterday I had to run around Clemson. I needed to get as much set up as possible since classes start on Wednesday. Then I found out that because my background check hadn't come back yet--the perils of a new hire--I couldn't do SQUAT as far as getting my email, playing with blackboard, getting an ID, getting my parking tag, etc. I had to get a temporary parking tag to help me out until the rest of the paperwork gets in.

The first thing I noticed about CU is that it's freakin' HUGE. If I needed to go from one end of Premiere Tech to the other, it just didn't take long. This is just not the situation at CU. The best thing to do is cry for joy when you find a parking spot, sacrifice your goat in thanks, and then DO NOT MOVE THE CAR. That will result in parking space lossage. Walking, instead, is the best option. It's part of the health plan: walk, walk, then walk some more. You will not catch me wearing uncomfortable shoes at school. That would be the death of me. Whatever I ate for lunch was burned off by the end of the day. I think I'll be losing weight, something my lazy ass self needs anyway, so eh.

The campus is actually pretty. I was surprised I felt that way since I'm totally biased about Duke having such a gorgeous campus that none other can compare, the end. But yes, actually, CU's campus is lovely. That's a good thing since I will be enjoying a lot of it as I walk here and there daily.

As I walked down the halls and found my office (to be shared with three other lecturers), I realized that if this were either of my alma mater schools, I'd feel rather wierd then being able to teach there. At USC, I had a fellowship so I never had a chance to teach. Of course I never taught as an undergrad at Duke. But what if I went back NOW to teach? To walk in the classes and sit on the desk up front (of course sit ON the desk!) instead of in a desk in the back in the very same rooms would be strange, to say the least.

My first day there, everybody was super nice to me and helpful. I badgered Amanda a lot--something I feel vaguely guilty for because she was SO incredibly busy for a variety of reasons--but that was great to know I had somebody there TO badger. The woman who hired me is fantastic. I sat down and talked to her for about a half hour. I was able to meet one of "my" graduate students--a first year who will be doing two out of the four writing labs for the classes I teach. She seems friendly and individualistic. I think she'll be relieved that I'm the teacher she has to work with. Well, once she figures out how laid-back I am about "whatever it takes" to teach the kids and how I'll support whatever she wants to do in the lab as long as it helps the kids, I think she'll be glad at least.

I was given an ancient laptop to use. Hey, that's better than nothing!

One of the primary lessons I learned yesterday is that faculty meetings are BORING. Sigh. At Premiere, we never were included in meetings or anything because adjuncts were a lower rung on the totem pole there. Here, lecturers are full staff in how they are included. I'm even supposed to go to a retreat on Friday with the crew. So, anyway, I went to my first meeting. They voted on folks for committees, and I didn't vote because I had NO clue who was what. They also discussed the budget. Amanda had warned me about this, but...let's just say that I wish I had a dollar for every time they mentioned "to meet the goal of being a top 20 school" or some variant thereof. Anyway, the one part I found interesting was the ways that the department had found to raise money to help pay for other things. None of these ways involved "making the students pay a nameless fee," so that was cool. My biggest shock at the meeting? A teacher from Tech was there too as he was hired full-time. This fellow was the last person I expected to see at CU, so I was caught off-guard.

The last big surprise was a fantastic one. See, I was already excited because I was going to work less (I only teach four classes vs. the five to six classes I taught at Tech; no Writing Center hours at CU needed, vs. 10 hrs a week at Tech) for about $5k more a year. They gave the lecturers a raise this summer! So, I just found out yesterday that it's actually less work for $8k a year more than I made before. WOOHOO! Now I can afford to do whatever is necessary for my cat (my kitty is older and was just diagnosed with hyperthyroid...he's a good boy and deserves to be all patched up if I can manage it...at least now I know why he was waking me up for food, hungry, all the time, drinking more water than normal, and yowling a lot more).

So, things are looking up! I need to meet my other lab teacher and do more reading for the classes. I need to tweak the syllabus, email some people, and get everything straight for tomorrow. Most importantly, I need to get INTO the system after my background check comes back. After all that, I think I'll just sit back in awe of my good fortune. When Angie sent me the email about the lecturer positions a few months ago, I honestly had no idea if I could get one of the positions. And now! Here I am. Life is quite good!

14 Comments:

Blogger Kira said...

LMFAO

Ok, excellent point ;)

6:00 AM  
Blogger Grant said...

Background check not in? Tell them they'd better damn well give you what you need or you'll go on a Random Killing Spree (tm) like you did at the last place. Tell them they didn't fail to hire you back, there was nobody left alive in HR to process the paperwork. That should take care of the whole background check bit.

7:17 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

WE GOT A RAISE????? WOW!!!!

I knew I shoulda gone to that faculty meeting. Sadly, I wasn't finished with my other stuff by then. And I was actually supposed to be attending 2 faculty meetings at at the same time - one for AAH and one for HEHD.

I take it we get $3K more per year? Woohooooo! I bet since I'm dual employment, it'll mean an extra $500 a year after taxes. That's almost a ticket to Hawaii though.

I will be in my office more tomorrow - 516. Hope to see ya arond. =o)

7:25 AM  
Blogger X. Dell said...

That must be quiteanadjustment. Perhaps adjusting to class size,and having to say no to late adds will also bean adjustment. But I'm sure you'll manage just fine.

8:36 AM  
Blogger xwy said...

Welcome to corporate America, Uni style. Employee meetings are boring regardless of what field you work in.

Woohoo on the raise!!

8:42 AM  
Blogger Canoes under my shoes said...

If by "feminine wiles" you mean sexual favors...then yes, I imagine you will have to rely on that to get his forgiveness.

In two weeks, all of your newbie junk will be a distant memory and you will be rolling with your new job. I'm glad it's going well for you!

2:21 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

I can't believe I didn't recognize myself on that pic...Hmmm unless I click on it, I can't see my glasses. I usually have trouble recognizing myself without the glasses lol...

Terrible, terrible haircut...
There will be much spanking and pleasure for this infamy! I mean pain! Hmmm pain=pleasure?

6:25 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Not to dampen the spanking fun, but I did want to come back to say it's a very sweet picture.

Also, I hope Chian is okay. Our little Buttons was sick this weekend, but since it wasn't an emergency, I was going to hold off until Monday. I decided to try my dad's cure all for animals - a can of salmon. Raven was livid that she did not get any of this wonderful treat; but Buttons was bounding all over the house, playing like a mad kitty, before 24 hrs had passed after having the salmon. Is there any medical evidence to explain why, I wonder? Anyway, I'll ask my dad (who can go on to ask my grandma) if there are homeopathic things that could help Chian too. It's amazing what my grandma knows about these things, even though she can't explain it technically.

8:19 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"dampen the spanking fun"... That was a weird way to say it... You know what I meant. I am horribly overworked today; blogland, you'll have to overlook my strange wording of things.

8:21 PM  
Blogger Jezzy said...

I'm so glad about your new job! That's just great!

btw - Alex - very, very cute.

11:17 PM  
Blogger Gary said...

I have to say that I hate meetings. Especially the ones that don't start on time.

Congratulations on your new position.

7:44 AM  
Blogger Joseph H. Vilas said...

Not only did Alex not recognize himself in this picture, but also I thought he was... someone else. I'm scared to say who, but I think the hair length had a lot to do with it.

1:39 PM  
Blogger Rachel said...

well done on the job and good luck for it.

5:40 PM  
Blogger Kira said...

Grant--that'll only work if I tell them that you'd help me with the killing spree. Then they'd be scared!

Angie--yeah, we got a raise! There's my cat-hyperthyroid money right there. Plus, that might end up being my "Alex needs car ins. to drive the car" money as well. Life is good. Also, it's possible that there is a homeopathic version of treating hyperthyroid, but I think I would end up in the same position as the meds: giving him stuff forever. The irradiation therapy, although expensive, at least offers a 98% cure rate!

X.dell--are you kidding me? My old class size was 23 to 25. Now it's 19. I am stunned. One of my four classes only has 16 people in it, too. WOW! That'll be so much easier!

Angie#2--oh yeah. I'm learning that boredom is part of the picture. Still, I'd rather be bored and invited than wonder what happened and not be invited (my old circumstance).

Amanda--Owen is allowed to share my desk. I'm just not sayin' where anybody is sitting is all :) (I bet you anything Alex'll laugh his ass off when he sees that...man, it's great to have a male in my life who loves me for just the rascal I am!).

Laura--he looks so slick with his new haircut too, so I know he's not pleased with me for posting this one. Oh well. I already made up for it last night, so I think he's ok with it now ;)

Tim--oh yeah, Jared is SO with you on that one. This boy has all the time in the world for a woman, but none for a man.

Alex--a spanking, a spanking! And then...the oral sex!

Jezzy--thanks for backing me up on the cute factor on that picture:)

Gary--oh, I have no doubt that I'll hate meetings too in the very near future. However, for now they are novel!

Joe--if you were thinking "ROB", you die ;) Haha! Well, Rob did have longish black hair and blue eyes for a while, and Alex had his glasses off in this shot. Alex also has a much more pronounced jawline, less pronounced nose, and shorter stature (I think Rob has about 6 inches on Alex).

CC--glad to have you back!

Rachel--thanks! Sometimes it feels like a dream because it's so much better than what I had. I don't want to wake up.

2:26 PM  

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