Of everything that stands, the end

[austin_dern]

I've felt the first touch of my approaching move to Michigan, and it relates to my work, as might be expected. It doesn't relate to my day job, which also might be expected. The boss had asked what my plans were about working after I got married, but --- taking the advice of my brother, who understands the boss's psychology better than I do --- I soft-pedaled that answer saying I was just thinking about it. He nodded and said we'd talk about it later. He hasn't been up to the third floor to see me for more than a few snatched moments since then. I hope there'll be the chance to talk to him before I do move out, particularly since there isn't much reason I couldn't keep working remotely, as my work has turned into mostly creating web pages using Javascript gimmickry instead. (No pouting, there. This is stuff legitimately best done in Javascript, and painfully awkward and difficult for the users to do any other way.)

No, this has come about in the adjunct teaching work. They need to start drawing up course assignments for the fall. They hadn't thought anything of my not responding to calls for summer classes, since they are summer classes, after all, and while getting two days free was possible the four or five days needed for accelerated courses would just be obviously impossible. But my non-responding to ``what classes would you like for fall?'' drew attention, and the concern of the department secretary.

So there it is. The sense of being wrapped up in endings has been growing, and growing more acute, the past several months. But I do like that the college wants me around. I choose to take it as a positive omen that I'll be able to slip into something when I get into Lansing.

Trivia: In the 1914 elections the Texas Republican party drew fewer votes than its Socialist party. Source: The Big Rich: The Rise And Fall of The Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes, Bryan Burrough.

Currently Reading: Dragon's Island, Jack Williamson. The first story, ``Stepson to Creation'', I thought a wonderful bit of that 30s pulp story adventuring, with its backstory involving the Four Creations of kinds of Man and populations being moved wholesale to Universe Nine and so on, the sort of big, bold, brassy-sounding stories you just didn't get after Campbell introduced the idea a science fiction story could have subtlety too. Then I found its first publication was 1977, in (of course) Analog.

PS: Everything I Know About Trapezoids: a post summarizing and linking to all the Trapezoid Week materials.

Comments

[chefmongoose.livejournal.com]

Understood indeed. When do you plan on informing the college?

I imagine you'll have to have the discussion fairly soon with your boss; unless you figure you can just move, start working entirely remotely, and tell everyone but him this was the plan. Knowing your workplace, this may get you years of employment.

--Chi

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

I don't know when I'll be informing the college. I hope it's not too self-serving to wait for my peer evaluation first, since that'd be of help getting new work.

If I can't find my boss anytime soon I may just talk about this to the secretary and trust that someday, eventually, he'll hear about it.

[bunny-hugger.livejournal.com]

A community college isn't going to be even slightly bothered or surprised by an adjunct leaving. "Leaving" is a nebulous concept in itself; it's not as though I ever went to LCC or JCC and formally told them I was "leaving." I just quit accepting the occasional course assignments they threw at me and eventually they stopped asking.

I doubt it affects whether or how they would do a peer evaluation for you.

[bunny-hugger.livejournal.com]

It's been very frightening for me to know that I'm responsible for your taking a huge gamble, uprooting your life, and passing up opportunities.

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

It's not a gamble when I know with certainty the good, wonderful reward that I have coming.

It hurts a bit to close out my community college work so soon after starting it, and there's certainly things about my present situation I'm going to miss. But I am ready for this next stage in my life, with and around you.

[bunny-hugger.livejournal.com]

I doubt you're done with community college work. (I hope I am, but our opinions on it clearly diverge.)