2 weeks to go

My trip is coming up fast and my excitement is growing.

I am pretty much ready, just have to pack which I will most like start doing next week and put my apartment in "guest ready" order. I have a friend staying in my apartment for most of the time. He is retired and has moved back to his hometown, he loves NYC, a real culture buff. It is a nice trade, I have someone to look after my place and he can stay in NYC for free for awhile.

My new theme at work is that everyone needs a vacation. It seems like every situation is going straight to argument mode, discussion is completely being bypassed. I have mentioned this to several people now and I am getting nods of agreement. Certainly it can't hurt. Even if folks don't go away, the summer schedule is generally lighter and even having less students and colleagues around can be calming. The next two weeks are going to be interesting, we are going to be meeting the candidates for our new dean. Hiring a dean is a complicated process and not particularly democratic so it presents its own drama. Having my trip to look forward to hopefully will keep me from getting too emotionally involved.