One of my cats got her head stuck in an empty kleenex box this evening. It was very amusing.

That make you feel better, Jesse?

Yes, thank you. I'm just hoping to have access to my files today.

And just for the record, jackhammers starting at 7am = not awesome. Today I'm glad I don't work from home.

I have to work too. Bah. Traffic was awesome, though.

Half-day for me. Late coverage. I don't have to be at work until 1:00pm. Why am I awake?

Oh earworm...really? "Sunglasses at night"? Corey Hart? Two days running? Really?

No...really?

My U. was off yesterday, through Monday. The library is open, however, every day but Sunday, and since I am a heretic, I am covering all of the days. I'll get to take them as comp days while we're in OBX at the beginning of April, so I'm trying not to feel sorry for myself. I've also got a shitload of work to do, so I am not really here.

The broker that got him the loans has since gone under and can't be found and we're trying to sue him and the original lender.

Aimee, I don't understand what your boss could sue for. The contract was read by his attorney, and he signed them, so he can't claim that the lender or broker didn't disclose, and your boss is in the business of acquiring real estate so he's not a naive first-time buyer.

Generally speaking*, I think along Allyson's line when it comes to people who bought houses they obviously couldn't afford. I'm sure it is, in part, because I scrimped, saved and sacrificed while we lived in Berkeley, had the cash for a down payment but still knew we couldn't afford the mortgage payments on our librarian/non-profit salaries for any house we'd actually want. It has now paid off, because we were able to put down 20% on a house inside the Beltway in MD and get a cheap, fixed-rate mortgage, but there were a lot of years where I wondered why I was punishing myself by constantly saying "no" to eating out, a new car, buying books, cable TV, the newest electronic gagets, vacations, etc. when it seemed like everyone around me was doing all those things and still buying a house.

• eta: I do have sympathy for some of the individuals caught up in the crisis, because I do think that certain fragile populations were given the hard sell -- seniors, non-English speakers, etc.

We can leave early today, but I have so much on my plate it's just not going to happen.

Or rather, it will probably happen, but I'll just be setting up from home as soon as I get back.

Aimee, I don't understand what your boss could sue for. The contract was read by his attorney, and he signed them, so he can't claim that the lender or broker didn't disclose, and your boss is in the business of acquiring real estate so he's not a naive first-time buyer.

Quite frankly, I don't either. But he's going to. I've taken to viewing most suing of people as people throwing tantrums to get what they want.

I'm at work, but with no students (teacher work day), so I don't really mind.

There's a "faculty field trip" today, as thanks for all our hard work on a new things earlier this year. But since a) I was planning to work today, b) they won't tell us what awesome fun thing they have planned for us, and c) they're busing us there and we have to stay the full five hours, I've opted out. I have this horror of getting there and finding out that it's a great big fun game of volleyball! or something, and trying to be polite about it for five hours. No thanks. It may well turn out to be something great -- somebody yesterday guessed it was going to be a trip to the safari park, which I would love -- but without knowing? No thanks. I think I'll do the immense amount of grading and planning which otherwise I would have to do on my own, unpaid time.

Rant over. I'm gonna blast music and grade small intestines for the next several hours. Whoopee!