Thanks guys

I'm gonna let the tough side win.

(My dad - who taught for 30-some years, and even was a department chair for many years, when I called him and explained the situation, responded, "Don't let the a-hole win.")

Or at least, I won't let him win that easily. If he still feels wronged, I know two colleagues who would probably re-grade his paper for him. The only catch would be they would grade it even more harshly than I did.

So unless he has some kind of horrible ninja skills (like his dad is a big donor or something), I think I'm safe.

First thing tomorrow - so my resolve cannot waver - even before I check my e-mail, I am locking in the grades so they cannot be changed.

But, gah. I wonder where the guy works (all those "long hours") and if he's so whiny to his boss. (And I know he's going to bitch about me to other students, and that kind of bugs me, because I can't defend myself, but whatever. I didn't go into this career to be loved, though I kind of would LIKE to be loved.)


*****

I think a big part of my distress over this is I am just drained. Intellectually (it was a tough summer semester and I also wrote two papers and worked on a third research project during that time. And prepped for the "total re-do" of a class that is being totally re-done to try to make it more "appealing" to students [good luck with that]). And emotionally - I'm still processing the various health issues that people close to me have, and I'm still coming to terms with the cat's death (yes, it's been a week, but I'm still coming to terms with it), and just all the STUFF going on in the world (mark my words: it is going to be an ugly, UGLY election season this fall). And I'm kind of physically worn-out as well from the heat and from the fact that it's a bad allergy year where I'm at right now.

So I'm kind of running on fumes and when I look at the calendar and realize that in three weeks I will be gearing up to start the fall term I kind of want to curl up in a fetal position and cry.

I'm glad I'm going for a short break starting tomorrow. True, I have meetings to go to but my paper is on the first day of the meetings (thank God, and not just because I get it over with - I hate those afternoon-of-the-last-day talks where it's you and the five other people speaking that afternoon in the room, and everyone else has either left or gone drinkin'). So I may cut out one afternoon if there's a museum or an interesting shopping district in the town that I'm at.

And I'm already promising myself a trip to Boutiqueville (if it's not 100* or hotter out) the Saturday after I get back (before classes start) as a reward for surviving this summer.