Trying Hard Not To Be Dragged Down

My chair and dean are un-fucking-believable. So yesterday the chair asks me if I might want to teach an on-line technical writing class during my maternity leave, under the guise of doing me a favor to give me a little extra money. So, how would this work then? I use up all my paid leave and then they start paying me for the class after that leave runs out? And what part of "maternity leave" do these jackholes exactly not understand?

They also keep pushing this technical writing class on me. As far as I know, neither of the other junior male colleagues are having this pushed on them. I'm confused as to how there's no one teach in American lit, and they just can't spare me because of all these American lit classes, and yet they can find a way to substitute for me a technical writing class in lieu of an American lit class? I told her again that I do not now, nor will ever, have any desire to teach technical writing or teach a class on-line. EVER. I feel like I have indeed met my taking hits for the team requirement for some time at least. And seriously, I wonder why the other two junior colleagues are not being badgered about this. I do believe the next time this comes up I will need to ask why either of these two gentlemen can't do it? I don't want to throw them under the bus, but it seems to me that they are trying to establish me as the "go to" girl in the department (and might I stress "girl" here), and that is certainly a reputation I do NOT want to get. You know what? Ask one of your underpaid instructors if they want to make more money? Granted, our instructors are paid better than most adjuncts, get their own office, and get benefits, and most take an overload if offered. And most of the instructors are actually trained to teach technical writing, so no. Not on maternity leave. Not during the winter. Not ever. And honestly, if they're not careful, then they will find themselves without me, even if it means I take a job as a trash collector at this point.

My week is not going quite as planned. I was not able to accomplish what I needed to during my office hours yesterday, and I was going to get up early with the J and start working at 5:30, and then I said, "fuck that! work straight from 5:30 to 2 pm? Then turn around and go to lead a thesis defense at 4pm? Again, I say, fuck that!" So I decided to sleep in, enjoy my coffee, and then I'll knock out of the thesis what I can during my office hours. It's ok. It's not great. It'll pass. I wish it were better, but oh well.

Right now I'm sorta at this point where I don't give a shit. That's a bad place to be, but I can't get sucked into a vortex of stress and anger again. And it's not my problem to basically save the department every time they find themselves in a bind. That's not my job. I think at this point taking the overload and not bitching to their faces about it, I think I have fulfilled my duties here for a while. It's someone else's turn to step the fuck up. And I'm starting to get bitchy and jaded about the the whole "well, there's no one else" business.

Anyway, I have enjoyed my morning. I must go get ready now for another long day that I'm trying not to be angry about because it should be my day off.

And I found out that regardless of my teaching schedule, I will be charged a five day work week for maternity leave because apparently regardless of a MWF schedule, the expectation is that I should be working all five days, so I will be charged for all five days, which I think is bullshit, but whatever. And because of this quarter's cluster fuck, I am now going without 4.5 weeks pay rather than 3.5 weeks pay, so that's another $1500 or so I'm losing, and one can pay a lot of bills with that. Oh well.

At least on Thursday we head to Home City, although there's still some question as to where we're staying because the water has been turned off at the house because our tenant/former roommate hasn't paid the water bill since November, and if the house looks anything like it did when we got there for Thanksgiving, I won't stay there. Anyway, Friday I have a hair appointment with my favorite hairdresser. We are going furniture shopping so we can check out some things that we plan on ordering but aren't available for us to try out/see in this area. I'd like to get a mani/pedi at my favorite place. And then we have reservations Friday night at our favorite French restaurant (which we can't really afford, but we haven't had a "date night" in forever, and this is a special place). Saturday I have a baby shower (yay!!) and we'll eat dinner at our favorite pizza joint, and then leave early Sunday  morning. And at least I have Monday off. I should have had Monday and Tuesday off, but well, I promise I'll stop bitching about this eventually.

And now, to take out the mutts and get ready for the day.