Preparing for the week

Shortly I'll need to start packing for my week in Big Rapids. It's supposed to rain again later, so I want to leave before the rain grows heavy.

My husband had to spend most of yesterday with one of the job candidates. He left about one o'clock and squired the woman around both campuses. Then he came back home for a little while (maybe an hour). Then he had to go pick her up for the dinner with the search committee. He had previously thought he'd be home again by 8 p.m., but it was 9 p.m., and then (no surprise) his friend Dave (also on the search committee, who was at the dinner) called to autopsy the candidate. That made me angry. I knew I had such a short while left with my husband before I'd have to head back north and be away from him for a week, but Dave had to steal some of it. Dave is insufferable. Recently, during their trip to San Diego for their conference, my spouse and Dave had to spend a whole lot of enclosed time together in the airplane going and coming and at the conference interviewing candidates. He seemed to be rather tired of the man when he got back, yet every day, Dave calls at least twice (and sometimes four and five times). Every time my husband is polite and cheerful and seems to enjoy his conversations. And don't forget: they also see each other at work, with offices down the hall from each other. Is it any wonder that I have grown to feel nothing but anger and irritation with this man? He interrupts our naps, he calls too early in the morning, he calls back-to-back with "Oh, I forgot to tell you/ask you something," and he even calls with "Oh, I misdialled. I thought I was calling someone else." That, of course, never stops him from keeping my husband on the phone for half an hour.

I know--if my husband didn't like the man, he wouldn't put up with it. I'm the one who doesn't like Dave. Dave uses my husband. When they play golf, my husband goes by Dave's house and picks him up, then returns him home again after they have lunch together. Dave is a tightwad cheapskate with no manners or consideration for other people. He's rude, crude, and loud. And for some reason, my husband considers Dave to be his best male friend. He followed Dave from Georgia Southern to Central Missouri State, and then from there to here.

So here I am, having spent hardly any time with my own husband since Thursday night. He'll be gone all day Friday with another candidate, so this coming weekend won't be much better, if any better at all.

Okay. I'm done bitching now. I'm just going to have to endure until the job candidates' visits are over. Then, my husband and I (whether he knows it or not) are going to have a brief holiday together. No Dave allowed, not by phone, not in person, not by email. No golf. No baseball or football. I'm going to find some getaway that has no tv or computer access, and I'm going to turn off the cell phones.

Meanwhile, I've got lots to do. It's not easy trying to remember everything I'm going to need for the upcoming week, so I've got to start my list. Until next time....