In like a lion....

So May was supposed to be effing epic. Don't get me wrong: it's been pretty amazing. My big, sweet man has come home (hooray!!!) but with any change comes the adaptation. I had forgotten those little things: stubbing my toes on size 16 men's shoes on a midnight jaunt to the restroom, the unexplained increase in yapping Blue emits just because her papa wants to sit down in the recliner, the TV volume turned past 75 (on a 10 point scale). So the adaptation is coming along well enough. Now if we can just keep the house cleaner...

My bestie came to town, too! It was a great visit. It's hard to cram ALL the things you want to do within the span of just a few days, and trying to get schedules to jive for all involved can be a challenge. I think we did okay. In hindsight, tho, I can't say we got in a lot of 1:1 time. I'm a little bummed about that, but I think we pretty much still talked and covered all of the topics we would have anyway - and that's the important part. Still... when you have a rather large group of friends that once all hung out together, there will always be change - it's inevitable. And it's not always bad, but sometimes you still gotta take a little time to mourn the loss of the closeness that might have once existed, and realize that just because that intense closeness isn't there anymore, it's not any one person's fault - nor does that mean you should never talk or see each other again. Just reasons, seasons and lifetimes, so to speak. Life changes affect the way we experience everything. It's crazy. And I am blessed to have had all of the friendships I've had with those women through all of the good and bad times. My life has forever been shaped, molded, and improved for days upon years because of them. And I'm glad for the friendships that continue on with the strength that they've always had. Again, still different, but with that connectedness that hasn't faded.

And the ONE thing that I still need to happen is to close on my house. I'm frustrated beyond measure at the ineptitude of Wells Fargo underwriters to get their proverbial shit together so we can close this deal. It should have closed last Friday, but that didn't happen. Now it's looking like it won't happen tomorrow, either. I love that house - I just need for someone else to love it now. I want to let go of it and all of the history it represents. I am tired of the responsibility, I'm finished ending up on the losing end of the mortgage, and I am simply OVER it. And there's nothing I can do about it except exercise a little effing patience. And encourage everyone to step away from big banks on principle! LOL... I can't wait to kiss my big bank goodbye when this deal is done!

The one great thing that has happened over this month is getting a student some much-needed support and resources that hopefully will change her life forever and for the better. That's the awesome stuff.

Festivus in May!

Any Seinfeld fan will remember Festivus - an alternative to Christmas with all of its gift-giving and consumerism. My favorite part is the Airing of Grievances. While I would absolutely hate it in practice, in theory it's freakin' awesome!

So I'm going to bring a little anonymous Festivus to my blog today...

We end each spring semester with a cookout for the employees at our campus. It's a pretty awesome event and I am (mostly) happy to play hostess and help with the serving line. But there are always a couple of things that chap my ass each year:

1. Since you're on your 2nd or 3rd round at the food, perhaps you could relieve one of the folks who has been serving food for the last hour and a half.
2. No, you cannot get your bun grilled. Just on principle. Glad you're a part of the team, though!
3. We're really not all that into grilling to your specification. We're going medium well to well done. You'll like it. Promise!
4. Oh, you're the group that never helps out with anything on campus and you're the first in line? WELCOME!
5. Yes, you really are limited to one burger and hot dog. There are 150 people behind you who might like a little something to eat.

And then there are the folks who consistently don't pull their weight. I can totally get having a off-day, but I'm talking about having an off-year. Or worse, an off-career. So it's your responsibility to plan an event. You host a planning meeting, take notes - or at least write a bunch of shit down. Yet t-minus 4 business days before the event you haven't: ordered food, ordered linens, created programs, checked on headcount, checked on the availability of door prizes, thought about decorations... and then you're going to spend the whole EFFING day of the event talking about how you think you forgot something? And then lament on the poor turnout the following day, and then not share the credit to the folks (not me - other awesome people) who made sure your event wasn't a total flop because they took care of ALL of the above-mentioned tasks?! Please. Don't talk to me. Don't look in my direction. Don't speak another word. For at least a week. Because I am likely to point out the 4,234 ways your incompetence is pissing me off. And while I'm no parent and don't claim to know anything about parenting, I'm willing to bet that saying "No" to your kid just ONCE might be a healthy thing.

On the whole, though, I work with amazing people. Most of them are amazing, dedicated folks, and even the one person I totally can't stand is an awesome instructor. She's just a dreadful colleague. They all have hearts for seeing their students take on challenges and succeed. They all want to learn to do their jobs in different, better ways. They want personal as well as academic successes for their students. And I LOVE that. Even if they want toasted buns.