Shuttle Drama

 

This morning was very, very, very cold. I sat in my car waiting for the shuttle, but it didn't come. Finally i got out of the car and walked to the bus shelter, thinking the shuttle wasn't coming because the driver didn't see anyone waiting, so maybe he thought we were all working from home on such a cold morning. I saw the shuttle just parked down the way, which seemed odd because we were supposed to leave at eight, and it was eight. I began walking toward it, and then it started slowly driving toward me... and meanwhile a second shuttle came blasting down the road toward us. Other people had seen me get out of my car, and they must have thought I knew something, because then they joined me at the shelter. We watched the second shuttle pull abreast of the first one and stop, then the drivers had some sort of confab, and one of the other people waiting with me said, "Uh oh, some shuttle drama this morning?" Finally the second shuttle pulled up to us, and the driver said the first shuttle had a mechanical failure. "And on such a cold morning!" I said, and he said, "That's the reason why it happened." At that point I had been outside for five minutes, but it was zero degrees F, and -13 F with the windchill, so I was a little cold. I messaged my coworkers to say I might be late, and one said, "C'mon, get everyone out and push!" and another one said, "My old beater that sits in the driveway didn't want to start on this cold morning." I said, "I feel ya, car - I didn't want to start on this cold morning either!"

As usual, I drank my coffee in my adult sippy cup on the ride into work, and I even got there with two minutes to spare. Then I poured myself another cup of coffee to warm up... and just after I'd finished it, the chair asked if I wanted some of her special, strong coffee to warm up. After that my FitBit said I'd had 52 active minutes, which it bases on my heart rate, which must have been racing after all that caffeine. Who needs exercise when you can just overcaffeinate yourself?

It was so cold out that I didn't want to walk outside, and the meeting room upstairs that overlooks the lake was free until three so I walked there for my morning break and for lunch. However, toward the end of my lunch break, people kept peeking into the room and asking to borrow chairs, so I headed back downstairs. There was this cute drawing on the chalkboard in there.

There was also a mysterious message that the stage would be dark so bring a light, which I assume was aimed at the balalaika orchestra that practices in that room.

At the end of the work day, I went to a party to celebrate the graduates of the program. I made a woven paper heart basket but forgot to take a photo, and it's in my office so I can't take one now. I also had some glogg and some treats. It did make me a little wistful, because right now I feel like a part of the department, but once I'm in FART 5, I'll just be an anonymous financial person with no connection to academia, like I could just be working at a bank. If I'd wanted to work at a bank, I'd be working at a bank. It's so frustrating. Then I had to leave for our Union meeting, where we discussed the FARTs and other movements to go to "shared systems," or whatever they're calling it, which some people think is a prelude to contracting these services out. I can just imagine getting laid off two years before I could officially retire. Maybe I'll move to Panama and pick bananas or something. At least it's warm there.

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