To Do List

1. finish grading and hand back 1.3 million papers (because this is last week i see my students. next week is finals and there are no classes--my students don't have a final with me).

2. write the final version of this stupid curriculum stuff i said i would do (and am doing with a colleague; a colleague who, btw, has canceled all her classes this week ...) for the department. for a stipend. half of which, due to some asinine tax law, gets lost before it gets to my paycheck. this needs to be done by wednesday or so. lol.

3. continue to watch, and then grade, the 150 student speeches that started last week and go through this week. and we had so many disasters, sick people, etc. that were scheduled to go last week but then had to push back to this, the LAST POSSIBLE WEEK TO DELIVER YOUR SPEECH, that each class is going to TAKE FOREVER. (i joke with them, "i can sit here all night watching you give speeches. you guys know i have no life." which is [cough] true. but it doesn't mean i'm not insanely busy. i don't tell them that part.)

4. then, in less than two weeks, review and submit final grades for my 150 students. my stomach knots just thinking about this.

5. find a mini-storage unit in my town for my belongings. i decided not to take anything except clothes and pets up north for summer because even though GOD KNOWS I WILL NEVER LIVE IN THIS PART OF THE STATE (this little town devoid of all art and culture) AGAIN, there's no point in dragging it up north, and then dragging it back again to whatever respective warm teaching position i find. (i'm looking for something on the ocean without 9 months of winter each year. minnesota loses in both these vital categories).

6. speaking of which, and this really should be #1 on list: FIND A GODDAMN JOB FOR THE FALL. no, i haven't heard anything back (anything good anyway) from anywhere. no, i don't know what i'm doing. no, i don't even have any good "leads" at the moment. SIGH. please don't ask me about this. i'll let you know if i hear anything, i promise. i'm applying and searching for things all time. i get my hopes up ALL THE TIME. for nothing, apparently. it gets increasingly depressing.

7. pack up entire house. hahahahaha. i'm only living here for less than three weeks now. have i started packing things? do i even have A BOX??? are you kidding me?? i did, i should add here, buy packing tape at the grocery store last night. this is a start. maybe i'm in denial. maybe i'm stressed and busy beyond measure. maybe i ... just need to get some freaking boxes.

8. find a sub-leaser. so i don't have to pay june and july rent. because i'm breaking my lease. fuck.

9. [insert here all the million other things, such as getting dogs and cats their flea treatments, taking care of parking tickets, taking care of terminating HR stuff, having meetings and more meetings, figuring out the morass of healthcare "this is not a bill" bills piling up from my two freaking neurologist visits, changing addresses, seeing about getting prescription pills for summer, seeing my dear friends before i leave this state ... sigh.]

10. oh yeah: find a job in minnesota for the summer. i really don't want to be a temp again. i'd rather waitress full-time or eat broken glass shards than be a temporary secretary 40 hours a week, because that might really put me over the edge. (i think i'm standing there right now anyway, peering over and debating).

so, i'm not going to be posting for awhile. my cousin bridget sent me this hilarious video yesterday (below) and if you either a) know any engineers, and/or b) know any cats, you will laugh your ass off. now i'm going to go have a small nervous breakdown and then get started on my list.

an engineer's guide to cats