That workshop sounds like an excellent idea! A huge part of why I have stayed here for 12 years is how much I hate the whole job hunting process. Now it's probably completely different (tactically anyway) from last time I did it, but I never enjoyed any part of it and was never good at it

The garage where I usually park when I go see touring Broadway shows has a few spaces reserved for Teslas, next to the chargers. I'm pretty sure that it's always the same two cars there every time I've looked. One of them has one of the "I bought it before we knew about him" or whatever stickers.

We had a department meeting this morning, in which we didn't really learn much new. The university is still trying to figure out what the "Dear Colleagues" letter means. In particular, there are a bunch of scholarships specifically for minority students that aren't technically awarded by the university -- they're awarded by a foundation connected to the university -- and the lawyers are trying to figure out what rules apply to those. We also don't have good estimates for how many students there will be in the fall, since scholarships and visas are all on the line, which means we can only guess at how many courses to schedule, and which ones. And then the same visa issue applies to hiring new faculty, and all the questions about money means there's no definite answer on whether or not hiring new faculty is even possible.

Also, the university decided that the math department had too many people doing administrative duties, and they downsized the person who's been doing her job there for twenty years and knows all the processes and all the people and can basically get anything done, so she can't handle the visa issues like she usually would, and no one else in the department has any experience with that. Also, the copier is broken, seemingly beyond repair, and so the remaining department admin people are trying to figure out how to get a new copier, since stuff like that was always the job of the person who got downsized.

Happy Birthday, Jon B!

I hope the Kia turns out to be your dream car, Laura.

Thanks, all, for the happy birthday wishes. You're the bestest!

Oh, and the state senate just passed a bill saying that university faculty aren't allowed to strike.

Oh, no, Hil, that is a whole lot of bad!

Good grief, Hil.

Ugh. This fucking world.

And I'm sorry to do this to you all, but I saw something yesterday that I can't get out of my skull and now you get to suffer too. Jillifonting for the timorous (though no Jillifonts are involved.)

I was on a Teams call and one person was in our Atlanta office, and the onscreen data showed that he was sitting in a "collabocus" room.

There's no other way to view that than a crime against society and the English language. It may have pushed me fully over to team Giant Asteroid (+ now with bonus newly discovered/desecrated Egyptian tomb!).

Happy belated birthday, Beverly!

There's no other way to view that than a crime against society and the English language.

I thought I was prepared for the Jillifont as a corporate American, but my face went on a journey of slow dawning horror.

I don’t even understand what that word is supposed to mean?? I am team “maybe it’s a typo”?

Hil that sounds like a shitshow nightmare. Of COURSE just when you need her most they get rid of the lady with institutional knowledge

Like meara, I can't even tell what they're trying to morph there!

Oh, god, no, I just got it. Collaborate and focus? My eyes are @@ down the hall and out the door. Good god.