The new school year starts at UMF next Monday, and you can definitely feel things churning into gear around here. Summer always feels like a chance to catch my breath and get on top of various projects. It also never (ever) feels long enough, because once we hit this point in the year, it feels like I’m at the top of a rollercoaster, looking down, just before it all takes off.
That’s generally a good thing, because I like being busy, and I like having students back on campus. But it’s also pretty stressful, especially when you remember Denisa is also getting ready to teach new classes. So we’re all just kind of scrambling to get everything done that we need to do, knowing that there’s not going to be time to do it.
Right now, I’m focused on getting the Makerspace situated for the new year. My office is moved, but we’ve got a lot of things to do to really have things ready. Student workers need to be hired. Some of the machines need to be fixed or tweaked. New computers need to be ordered still. (We got some additional funding, but it just barely came through.)
Beyond that, I reach out to faculty about class visits, and to see if they need any particular help with anything they’re teaching this semester. We took some time to look at different spaces in the building, to see if we could lay them out a bit more effectively. (The coffee bar has a brand new furniture arrangement which I think most people will really appreciate.) I’m on several statewide committees looking at library endeavors, from van delivery to new shared databases.
Basically, it just feels like there are a ton of different balls in the air right now, and I know things will only get more hectic next week. Oh, and did I mention I’m on a writing deadline as well? I (still) can’t talk about that yet, but I’ll just say that when I’ve had a full day of a jam packed schedule, coming home and knowing I have to spend an hour or more with my creative hat on is . . . challenging.
Anyway. I don’t really have time to talk about anything else. Just wanted to explain why I might look a bit frazzled over the next while. Wish me luck.
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