What a Friday!

This is the setting of the Tim Wise lecture, but its tranquil appearance certainly does not reflect the content. I loved it and hope I can do his words justice as I try to summarize what he said and pass it along to the Dean of Students. Williston Northampton is a beautiful school and I was informed that academically my school is not "regarded" as Tier 1 or 2...I guess I am consistent. When I was in student personnel years and years ago, I was at the NON-academic powerhouse school of a state's colleges or universities - CCSU, Ohio University, Southwest Texas State, Wichita State (except this last one - thanks to Boeing - was a engineering powerhouse) - guess I did not set my bar too hard either. But on to earlier in the day.

Another early "week before reunion" start of my work day. We are having "a bit" of turmoil in the office so I am trying to keep focused. Yesterday the boss was fixated on "dress code" for reunion...it was a bit like arranging the deck chairs on the Titantic...but I think it was more about she has no idea how to move away from the minutia and do some big picture thinking about her bunch. The unfortunate thing is that she decided to pick clothes as her fight, during a week when people who needed to be focused got off task, the ones who were looking for a reason to avoid doing what they were supposed to be doing could sit back and say "I am not breaking my back for her."... and the new Head sent out an email saying "tell me how you really feel and what I should know about the school" - I hope her computer is flame retardant! Bad combination of events. AND it was a birthday day and I made a beautiful chocolate cake (if I have to say so myself) and the birthday celebrant loved the Ripken brothers' book I bought for her (and her son) - but it was a strained setting sitting around the table with the boss who had just alienated half of the party attendees and the other half knew it was coming. It was strange to me that the boss approached this on an individual to individual basis rather than in our weekly (when it works for her) staff meeting...but we did have one this past Tuesday. Very strange.

But I moved through the day "unscathed" and for you who know me...you know that I make people like me IN SPITE of my look. So the fact that I was not the first one she called in was very interesting and not lost on my other co-workers. So I just kept plugging away - logging in 14,608 steps for the day on my pedometer which I wore for the first time yesterday. (I found two in my cousin's kitchen drawer when I was helping her clean and she did not want them...). I guess I do go back and forth across campus a lot during the day.

My plan was to leave for Massachusetts at 6 p.m. or so, so when the rain stopped at 5 p.m. I decided to take my walk that I could not take at lunch because of the rain. When I got back to collect my stuff, the boss called me in. Knowing that I had to leave, I listened to what she had to say and told her I would gear my wardrobe based on what duties I am assigned, the weather report, and the direction of the my co-workers who have been at past school reunions - something she and I had not. Then I got in the car and headed north.

1 hour and 3 minutes per mapquest and I made it in just about that. They started promptly and I was headed home about 10 p.m. Two Fridays in a row of Letterman!

Another turn in my day was an email from one of the "twist of fate" people who has been a part of my life for many years. I always love that when someone out of the past pops into my present. It was sort of a college day in that matter - my old roommate called and said that she had gone by and given my mother a plant for Mother's Day and had set the bar for my mother's real children to step up by Sunday. Again, someone who I had not heard from for 30+ years and then when I moved home she popped back in and now she is called "our other sister"... it is comforting to me to know that these "twist of fate" people (people who became part of my life as I stumbled along my life course) are out there for me - whether it is my new dance class classmates or people who I have known for years and years.

My cake success got me signed up for another one next Friday. A co-worker is leaving school and in another twist of fate - her dad was School Board Chair for our town Board of Education when my mom was on the school board and later he was the President of CCSU when I went there. And one of her best friends was my best friend's sister. Small world. And - really finally - another small world deal. The school librarian went to the lecture to, and came with a friend who was a returned peace corps volunteer along with her husband and whose daughter is a current PCV in Kenya and I am sure I am going to find out when she shares my sister's name with her husband that their paths have crossed in the past. I love that stuff.

Better get to going over my notes before my thoughts disappear and before I head to the office to start preparing the reunion packet "stuffings". Have a great weekend.

PS: Corpse flower blooming at UCONN...reminds me of what I saw last year at the Smithsonian Botanical Garden!