I started this post on Saturday. I've been trying to process still a lot since then.

It's a time of transition right now for many of us because of this election. I have found myself, like many other, profoundly saddened not just by the election, but by the response of the country, by the expectation that, unlike the haters of the last eight years, I must "buck up Buttercup" and respect the president, that I am expected to be silent because we don't want to cause any more division in the country, that there is the expectation that I must go quietly into that good night, and I'm wracked with anxiety about what Thanksgiving at my family's this year will be like. Thank god for valium. I will not allow them, their house or not, to spew hate speech in front of my daughter.

It is also a personal time of transition in the Nerd HQ as well. My parents have moved out permanently, which in many ways has been freeing and liberating for me and the J. My sister had her baby (yay!) early apparently, but the kid is so fat and so healthy, we think that she and the doctor were about a month off in terms of the conception and due date. Of course, we can't not have drama about it: "She's having trouble sleeping right now." Um yeah, she's 12 hours old. Of course she's fussy. Newborns fuss.  However, the Magpie was expecting her grandparents to be here at least for a few more days after they left to go home for doctor's appointments (the intent was to return here, stay for a day or two, pack up their stuff and head up to my sister's), but it all happened abruptly, so she's dealing with it in her own toddler way by being fussy, clingy, indecisive ("hold you!" and upon being held "leave me alone! go away!"), and not really sleeping well. Because she isn't sleeping and because I'm not sleeping, we both have colds. And the J is sicker than all of us right now, which is rare.

In the last month, I have been battling TMJ which has been awful not just in terms of the jaw pain, but the valium makes working out tough. But on top of that and the cold, I've also had a painful and enduring urinary tract infection, in part because I was on the wrong antibiotics for the infection I had. They make me sick when I work out. I'm not eating properly. I'm not sleeping properly. And we've gone through so much wine.

While the zoloft and valium are helping, right now, maybe it's PMS, maybe I'm just freaking exhausted AF, but I'm just sad, again. I think I just need some down time.

I think the poor Magpie has been battling her own exhaustion and anxiety as well. She's not sleeping well, and hasn't been for the last two weeks. In part because of this persistent cough (which we are going to the doctor for today), but because things are different around the house for her now, too. she got to see her Gramps this weekend, and he'll be here in a couple of weeks to babysit, but I think she is trying to adjust to her new normal, too. That being said, things are much quieter and much calmer without my parents here. They can't just let her sit and be. There constantly has to be something going on. We get out of the house earlier in the morning and with much less fuss now that they are gone. Granted, the house is messier and it's harder for me to get dinner on the table (but that's in part to my schedule right now, and sickness, and just overall exhaustion and lack of movement) without them here, and it's harder for me to go work out, but we have a calmer child for the most part (when she's rested). And a sort of less whiny child. I mean, we've had some crying episodes every day over things like "go get my x-toy" and I say, "no, you know where it is, you go get it if you want it that badly" which usually results in a meltdown of some kind because she doesn't want to do it, but eventually she will go get her own thing and I don't have to worry about my mom or dad saying, "I'll get it Magpie. Just tell me where it is." No. This is teaching her to take responsibility for her stuff.

As much as I love my parents, and as much as I miss them (and the often convenience of having them to do things like cook and clean and watch the kid--god, I sound awful), and it's been fun and really wonderful reconnecting with my parents after so many years, and I'm thankful for the three years I got to hog them for myself, but the truth is, the J, Magpie and I have never actually been our own little unit. And it's been nice having the J all to myself in the evenings, to be able to do things on our schedule or watch something without waiting for mom and dad to get ready. What's also nice too is knowing that when we do get settled into more of a routine that in three weeks, it's not going to get disrupted again. So hopefully, we'll get some consistency in our lives and things will get better for her as well.

In part of my ongoing search for the best schedule ever that makes my life as balanced as possible, I am playing around with it again, much to my boss's chagrin. What I need is something that allows for flexibility and contingency. Right now, I based everything on working out in the morning, watching a film and reading at night, doing research and grading during office hours. None of that worked out. If I have to work in the morning, then there is no chance, especially if mom is gone, for me to work out. My days are long and exhausting, so I don't ever feel like working out in the evening anyway. And I never take in to account not working out in the morning as a possibility in my schedule. I know, I obsess over my schedule ridiculously. It annoys the J. I know he's tired of it. But I am hopeful that this will not leave me exhausted. It will allow me time to take care of myself and gives me the option of a noon work out if I can't work out in the am. I think it will also allow me more time for food prep and stuff during the week, too. I am cautiously optimistic. We shall see. I just hate being rushed in the mornings and the evenings.

I have other things on my mind, too, but this is way more than enough for now. I want to write more about the election and about my students and how I feel about it. I'll save that for later, which is where this started, but kind of went in a whole different direction.

I need to vent about my annoying student for a moment.

On Monday, I had no reading planned. It was Halloween--I usually show some stupid movie just to give us all a break as we head into the home stretch of the quarter. Everyone is usually pretty stressed, so it just helps us all chill.

Stu: I accidentally read Wednesday's stuff for today.
Me: Great, you're ahead of the game.
Stu: So we're watching a movie and not discussing the story.
Me: Yes.
Stu: But I read already for today. Why are we not discussing the story today?
Me: It's scheduled for Wednesday.
Stu: Yes, but I read it for today.
Me: So, everyone, we're watching a cult classic that's a hilarious Halloween movie.


WTF?

This morning stu tells me that ze was hoping that the syllabus was wrong and that I do have afternoon hours on Friday and that ze emailed me because ze wanted to come in this afternoon. I didn't check my email yesterday because I was home in bed with a painful UTI (oooh, more on that in a second RE: my boss).

Stu: I know you have class after ours, so I was hoping that you'd stay and meet with me after your other class. I emailed you. This is really early for me to be up. (It's 9 am.).
Me (in my head--FUck you!): I never have afternoon office hours on Friday.
Stu: I was hoping the syllabus was wrong.
Me: No.

Ze also asked me to come in on a day I don't have office hours because ze wouldn't be finished with hir draft in time for that day and it wasn't fair of me to schedule something due on a Friday and not be in the office on Thursday. Me: Well, as I told you guys in the beginning of the quarter, there are a couple of things due on a Friday, and I do not have office hours on Thursday. You need to plan ahead.

So, Wednesday morning, pardon the TMI, but I woke up with an extraordinarily painful UTI. I knew it immediately. I went to my office hours because my doctor doesn't open until 8:30, so I couldn't call before then, and if you've had a UTI, then you know that's not something that you just you know, wait out or get to the doc whenever. I had few appointment choices, so I had to cancel two classes (because my doc is out of town), but made it back for my third. I'm still here for my office hours in the morning. I email my students. I put the signs up myself. I take care of all the things I need to do. I go to the office to inform them that I will be leaving to do to the doctor because I woke up with a painful UTI, and needed to get to the doctor ASAP. My boss, when she thinks I'm out of earshot says to the office assistant and THE FUCKING STUDENT WORKER! "I've never in my entire life canceled a class for a doctor's appointment." And then mumbled something else I didn't quite catch.

But seriously. You're going to trash talk me in front of a student??!! Congrats boss on being such a fucking martyr that you've taught through illness and everything else. Good for you. So if I'm running out of class every five minutes to go fucking pee, that's a better solution for you? I guess she was expecting me to get some depends and just pee in a diaper all through class and then go to the doctor on Thursday because you know, UTIs don't go from uncomfortable to awful without treatment or anything like that.

I wanted to punch her in the face.