You some fine lookin data

...now back that...stuff?... up!

A colleague at a semi-nearby university now faces my worst nightmare. His computer died, and he hasn't backed up his files-- teaching powerpoints, exams, or even research data-- since last summer. Fall, spring, and a summer all lost.

I am sure many of you are rolling your eyes at his carelessness, wondering how a person could let something as important as their teaching documents and research data go unprotected.

But I'll bet that a few of you are like me: well-intentioned but have no real process to backing up your stuff.

Prior to this week, some of my stuff was saved on a flash drive and some on my personal computer. Now I have the secretary ordering me an external flashdrive. (hooray! I found something for her to do!) Time to back dat data up.

Note: Don't youtube "back dat azz up." Don't. Stop. Unless you need some kitchen stripper pole action. In that case, knock yourself out. After all, it sounds like some of you need to take the edge off (due to the start of the semester).

How can a secretary make my life better?

No doubt secretaries could rule the world. I'm sure many of you save hours a week thanks to your departmental administrative assistant. I just haven't figured out how to do that yet.

This last week, we finally hired a competent secretary. She comes from another department on campus, so I already know her reputation.


Now the big question is this: can I give up a little control and have the secretary improve MY efficiency?

What do I need at work? Here's a short list to start: a grant writer, a dog walker, a grader, and a priest.

Can a secretary actually help me with any of that? If not, I'm not sure I'm interested.

Bathroom bacon

Today the women's bathroom smelled like bacon.

What the pork?

I know that you probably won't believe me, but I actually don't like bacon. I don't care for the flavor. The smell makes me feel ill (and not just because it reminds me of LargeU undergrads).

I suppose the bathroom could smell worse... but hopefully tomorrow's potty visits will be swine free.

There's no crying in finals!

I've had students cry before. I've had students blur their work with their tears.

But goodness.


I gave a final last night. At 7 pm. On the last day of finals. I knew my students would be exhausted from a week of finals (and partying). I knew their nerves were frayed.

Boy, did I underestimate the situation.

As the minutes passed, the waterworks started. To their credit, none of my students broke out into full sobs. They all hid their reactions (no pun intended!) quite well behind their hair. (I did not have any males cry...at least during the exam.)

I think that if my exam had been on the first or second day of finals, there would have been far fewer tears. I'm sure that with a little sleep and perspective, they will all be feeling better soon.


At least until they get their grades.

It's not really urgent

I'm not sure there is anything more pretentious than marking an email as High Importance. I am not any more inclined to read a red-flagged email than one that isn't MARKED WITH EXCLAMATION POINTS.

Actually, there is something email-related that is more pretentious: requests for receipts of email. Does anyone else get these? One of the dean's secretaries ALWAYS put one of these on emails she sends out. After I open the email, Outlook pops open a request for permission to send back a receipt of reading. Ummm.... no. I always click no. If people are concerned that I read an email, why not request IN THE EMAIL that I acknowledge reading it?

The funny thing is that usually these requests are attached to emails that clearly aren't urgent. Things like regalia order requests. Or lab report questions. Or fall book orders.

What do I consider topics worthy of the red flag? Notifications of free food. Or booze. Or cancellations of classes. Yup, that's all I can think of right now.


(By all means feel free to explain to me why URGENT! is an important feature for emails.)

pass the endorphins, please

N.A. and I haven't seen one another since New Years (more on THAT later). I think it's pretty obvious that I'm at an all time endorphin low.

Sure, I have chocolate. (Oh, sweet chemistry gods do I have chocolate.)

Yes, I could exercise. Currently, my exercise regime (haha..like I can really call it that) consists of my morning walk to work, excessive hopping and pacing during lecture, and afternoon post-coffee and liter of water sprints to the bathroom.

I haven't been to the gym since I defended my thesis.


I could blame the fact that I'm at work 12 hours a day and then come home for several more hours of grading.

But really, there is only one reason I haven't been skipping out for a noon workout: the showers are communal.

I'm not talking about little cubicles that require flip-flops.

I'm talking about one big room, 12 shower heads, and lots o' naked people.

Call me a prude, but I do NOT need to shower amongst my students. They do not need to see the state of my cellulite, lack of attention to my um...lady garden... or my tattoo.

(And don't even try to tell me that they won't notice or care. Because although I know they won't whip out their cell phones, I know I'll never hear the end of my Tinkerbell tat*)


So should I chalk this up to the ole UR list of neuroses, or would you balk at having to shower amongst the younguns?


*come on, do you REALLY think I'd have a Tinkerbell tattoo?

Movin' on up

As you may have guessed from previous posts, I don't like change. I like to be in control. Consequently, moving is one of my least favorite things to do.

Of course, this likely stems from the fact that I moved around a bit as a kid (four places before I was 10), followed by boarding school, and then moving each year in college (and then to a new research locale for each summer). Moving sucks.

Obviously, I am eagerly anticipating moving to TempCollegetown in 5 weeks. Not.

In order to minimize the suckiness of the move, I'm trying to get my packing done gradually, in a very calm and organized manner. To facilitate this, I participated in Coworker's neighborhood's very large, bazillion-family yard sale. I spent 8 hours broiling outside, but it was worth it: got rid of a few furniture items and three boxes of random crap. Well worth the slight sunburn.

So. Any moving tips that might help ease my pain? And does *anyone* actually like moving?