Adding Stress

I'm teaching my first year writing course in cooperation with a first year sciency course, but it's a science I know almost nothing about.  Let's call it the science of mineralogy, except that, you understand, it's not.  So, the idea is the first year students are all interested in mineralogy, and we'll write about mineralogy, so it should all be good.  But the mineralogy professor is pretty behind things, it seems.  I did a bunch of my calendar a while back, and asked for some promised readings so I could put them in, but I never got them.  The mineralogy professor promised to add me to the course management thingy for the class, so that I could see them.  But it didn't happen.

Finally, today it happened. 

I'm mostly done with my other two courses, so tomorrow I'll start back in on this one.  But it's frustrating to depend on someone and then have to wait.  It adds to my stress levels.

Meanwhile, I've been doing all the sorts of background work that a student assistant could do if we had one, but we don't, and won't until the semester is well under way, which is sort of too late for this background work.  The good thing about doing it myself is that it's done correctly.  (The students usually do it correctly, but all it takes is once to make me check and recheck.)

And, of course, doing this adds stress, especially since I have to share access to the background mechanisms with everyone else on the floor.

And there's one more thing I've been waiting to hear about for ten days, and I finally heard today that the person would get to it.  So even though the deadline was supposed to be today (and I did what I could and sent my part along), I've been stressed about that, too.

I think I need to go walk over to the library, and then go home and walk around behind the lawn mower for a bit.

My desk has been a sort of necessary mess, but I've cleaned much of it off today.  Messiness adds stress, too.  Alas.

At any rate, things are coming together to the extent that I should be fine with another three or four hours work tomorrow morning.  Maybe I'll get in touch with a friend and see if she wants to have lunch or something, so that I'll be sure to leave at a reasonable time!