Friday again

I love Fridays. Who doesn't? Of course, being a teacher, I never have Fridays "off" (nor the weekends), but there's something celebratory about Fridays.

I spent two nights in Big Rapids because of thunderstorms. As we were sitting in the advising seminar, thunder and lightning crashing all around, I was glad to be indoors rather than outside or even having to drive somewhere. We learned a bit later in the day that four construction workers on campus (near my office building) had been hit by lightning. Two are still in critical condition. Rather than taking my chances with the weather, I stayed Wednesday night and drove home yesterday morning, arriving in plenty of time to share a pot of coffee and breakfast with the spouse. He acts as if he genuinely misses me when I'm gone, which is sweet. I genuinely miss him, too.

My mother-in-law's hip replacement surgery has been scheduled for August 18. We are debating what to do. I'm supposed to be part of the Faculty Teaching and Learning Orientation for New Faculty on August 18. My husband will be in Chicago for a few days the early part of August for a conference. It's a very busy time of year for us, yet our sons want us to visit them, and now it appears that we (or at least my husband) will need to be flying back to Louisiana. My dear mother-in-law lives alone and will need professional help for a few days, if not a few weeks, but we aren't really capable of such medically oriented healthcare. Stress!!

Back to the advising workshop: my new department chair was part of it, a learner as I was. He also had attended the CWP Celebratory Dinner, so I feel I have a head start with getting to know him. He's young, eager, and hard-working, but I do wonder if he isn't feeling overwhelmed. His wife is expecting a baby in October. They have one child, and apparently she's had several miscarriages, so this is a tense and stressful time for them.

I spent some quality "me" time at my favorite arts and crafts store yesterday, spending too much money, of course, but getting some great bargains and fun things like photo mouse pads for a dollar each. I do love Michael's. And Hobby Lobby. And JoAnn's. And Office Depot, Staples, Home Depot, Lowe's.... I hardly ever go into any other kinds of stores (except grocery shopping). If I get in touch with my feminine side, it's not in a Victoria's Secret or the stiletto aisle of a shoe store; it's in the dollar bins at the artsy-craftsy stores. And bookstores. I must not forget bookstores, my home away from home. I could LIVE in bookstores, especially the ones with Starbucks. If someone could find a way to combine bookstores with arts and crafts stores and coffee shops, I'd be their eternal customer.

Right now I'm reading my fifth (or is it fourth?) Henning Mankell book about Swedish detective Kurt Wallander. On one hand, the heavy reliance on exposition and the awkward dialogue bother me, but I tend to forgive Mankell for those things because I'm reading him in translation, my Swedish being a bit rusty. :-) His plots are interesting, well formulated, and provide amazing insight into Swedish life and values. I had honestly never had any desire to visit Sweden until reading these novels and seeing the Masterpiece Theatre Mystery series. Now, I'm thinking that if and when I ever get to England, I might want to also go to Sweden.

Much to do today, so I'd better begin.