Random Observations...

...from the second week into the semester.

• My campus has gotten smaller. I used to be able to take a nice long walk across campus to get a cup of coffee without seeing anyone I knew (except maybe to nod at). Now I can't go three steps without running into a colleague/former student/current student and getting engaged in conversation.
• The campus is overrun with students. Seriously its like an infestation: they're everywhere. Enrollment has skyrocketed and we have no place to put them.
• When someone says "I'm not just saying this to make you feel better"--they really are. Similarly when someone says "There's no hidden agenda"--there probably is.
• I really dislike the phrase "work-life balance" because it implies that my work is not part of my life. Its not all of my life but it is a big part of it. Why can't we just work towards a balanced life?
• Faculty who study women and gender issues need to add a lot of big words to a sentence before they can feel comfortable with it. They also congratulate each other for engaging in long philosophical conversations at faculty meetings.
• When colleagues tell me my tenure review is going to be a "slamdunk" or "a walk in the park" or "over in 5 minutes" it makes me uncomfortable. Also I'm not sure what to say in return and the "I hope so" that has been coming out of my mouth sounds really lame.
• Most students are really eager to please as long as you show them how.
• On one of my across campus coffee outings I overheard the following "I really want to be a stay-at-home mom, I just don't want to have kids."