A few midweek surprises

I definitely wasn't expecting to find a fallen tree blocking my driveway this morning. I mean, we haven't had a storm in ages, so why did that tree decide to fall last night? Good thing the meadow was dry so I was able to drive around the blockage.

I'm ashamed to admit that I wasn't expecting the student drafts I collected yesterday to be as good as they are. Even though these are honors students with above-average writing skills, I generally expect the draft of the first major paper to be a train wreck. Not these drafts! They all need some polish and a few are thin on content, but they're mostly clear and readable--so now I'm worried about whether they're AI-generated. I think not. I hope not. But who knows?

Unsurprisingly, my department is rallying 'round to help a colleague who's having surgery, but I've been reminded that not every department is so accommodating. A new faculty member asked me where she can find help if she gets sick and has to miss class, and I was tempted to tell her, "Just hope your department is as helpful as mine."

After 23 years I shouldn't be surprised by how much the temperature in my building bothers me, but once again I find myself occasionally cutting office hours short and posting a note on the door: "Too cold to work in here. Email if you need me." The other day I was sitting in a slightly-less-frigid section of the big room where we hold faculty meetings and our new president walked in the door, stopped in her tracks, and asked, "Why is it so cold in here?" Good question! Maybe she'll be more successful at getting an answer than the rest of us, but meanwhile, I'm making good use of sweaters, blankets, and fingerless gloves.