Monday, March 19, 2007

My shitty morning day

It's a good thing that I got to come home early, because during the four hours that I was out of the house this morning, a bunch of annoying things happened.
  1. Early this morning D wakes up with a fever and tummy ache
  2. 8:30 I arrive at my office to find that it is STILL over 75°F even though the thermostat is turned to 60°F. (I called twice about having it fixed over the last two weeks).
  3. 8:35 Find a voice mail from the building services people saying that they had addressed the work order about the office being too cold. They calibrated the thermostat, so it should be working now.
  4. 8:37 Discover that cover (which must removed to adjust temperature) has been locked, so I am now unable to turn the damn thing down to a reasonable temperature.
  5. 8:39 Open windows and point fan to suck in cool air from outside (it was about 40°F outside)
  6. 9:00 Upper level class
  7. 10:30 Frantically go over today's lab with TA
  8. 11:25 Exam review in freshman class. Annoying students who always talk during lecture are talking again. I stop and look at them and say "do you have a question?" No. "Well, please stop talking."
  9. 11:26 Students are talking again (just quieter). "I can still hear you," I say. We weren't talking. "OK- I guess I am just hallucinating, then."I am sooo sick of these people. H thinks I should tell them to leave. Any opinions?
  10. 11:55 Find email from editor that there are still several changes to make to the accepted paper. List attached.
  11. 12:00 While packing up to come home, so that H can come in for a meeting (since D is home) I get a NASTY paper cut on my left pinky (I never realized how much I use that finger for typing, btw) Blood starts pouring out immediately. I take 5 minutes of searching my purse before I find a band-aid.
  12. Oh yeah- it's raining today, too.
  13. ETA: I just received a notification from NSF that a pre-proposal has been 'discouraged'. This is the the third year we were going to submit the thing- it was encouraged both other years and almost funded last year. WTF???
OK, I am thankful that none of these are serious, but jeez! What a fun first Monday after spring break!

5 comments:

Seeking Solace said...

You need a total do-over! Have a drink on me!!

Oh, and I would tell the talkers to not let the door hit them on the way out!

Terminal Degree said...

What I learned for managing junior high kids works just fine on college students:

1. stop speaking, stare at talkers
2. next time, ask them to be quiet
3. the next time, say it again and use their name (if you know it)
4. use a warning "If I have to ask you again, I'll ask you to leave"
5. finally, calmly ask them to leave: "You are disturbing students who've paid tuition to learn about this class, not to hear you talk. Please leave now."
6. If they don't leave, call the campus police. Refuse to start class again until they are gone.

The other students will thank you.

Chaser said...

Terminal degree speaks my mind. Given that you aren't allowed to throw them out with a good twist on the ear, her advice is the one I'd follow.

MommyProf said...

I ask them to leave. I only have to do it once and the whole class shapes up.

Psycgirl said...

Once I told a student to not bother coming the next day if he was going to keep talking. He stopped.