When, one day, as you are sitting comfortably at your university-issue desk working on one thing or another, and you overhear a couple of administrator-types walking by saying things like “yeah, we’re going tear out that wall and build 9 foot partitions over here”, and you say to yourself “They’ll probably send us an email or something warning us before they start ripping out walls”, know this: you could well be in error.
I got an email today that basically said: “We started renovating the grad room, all your stuff has been removed and placed in boxes. We are nominally sorry for the colossal inconvenience and disruption we have no doubt thrust upon you.”
When I found the guy who had the key to the room where they’d stashed my stuff, I asked “why didn’t you tell us about this… yesterday?”. He said “We didn’t know we were going to be doing this yesterday”. I said “presumably *someone* knew”. At that point I think he thought I was going to be a tough case, and was much relieved when I assured him I just wanted to get my stuff and go. I even passed on getting a temporary desk assignment (basically it’s an excuse to sit around home in my pajamas for a week) but made him promise I’d have someplace to sit when I get back in January.
On the upside, I seem to have inherited a nice Gustav Klimt poster that was on the wall near my desk. “We thought it was yours” the man said. “Nope, but I’ll take it”. “Sure, it can be your ‘we-relocated-all-your-stuff’ consolation prize”.
I will also say this: they did a thorough job. I even got back my packet of kleenex and a cartoon from the Boston Globe that Luke sent me, which I had stuck to the side of my desk (I didn’t stick it on to the side of the desk that way, that’s gross! Shame on you for thinking it).
In other news I finally beat Gomed in badminton. The score in my winning game was 19-16. Normally a game ends at 15, but when both players tie at 14, the “winning” point is pushed to 17, and when both tie at 16, well, you get the idea.
Cool thing was, it wasn’t just a blip. I had good scores in most games and even forced “extra points” on one other occasion as well. I think the time away from playing did me some good (for whatever reason we haven’t played in a week or two). I had been over-thinking before or something. Meh. Gomed accused me of having been secretly practicing.
While I’m telling you about my day, I think I’ll mention that having an iPod to listen to makes walking too and from campus much more pleasant. It’s hard to be in a bad mood while dodging traffic and listening to Dan Bern or Harry Manx.
Free Klimt makes everything better!