In the words of Eric Cartman:

"Screw you guys, I'm goin' home."

No, not YOU guys, not you reading this. But lots of other people: the administration for requiring us to have syllabi for next semester in before we are even sure of what we are teaching; students who earn Ds and petition to have that grade raised to a B on no grounds whatsoever, wasting not only MY time but the time of several office workers; people who text and drive (had another near-miss accident with someone looking down at their hands the other day); people who act like they are the ONLY person who matters when they are in line at the post office or the bank or the grocery store and that no one else's time is worth anything.

And more: politicians. Pundits. The people who craft news stories designed to make people cry, when the bare facts of the matter will make you cry. Reality television producers. The people who run A and E, TLC, Discovery, and other networks that used to have interesting and different programming, which are all now clones of each other (The other night, I flipped to Discovery Fit and Health and they were running - well, I forget what, but I said, "This has nothing to do with either Fitness or Health.").

I'm setting out today for a couple weeks making the tour of visiting family and a few remaining friends I have up north. I'm glad to be going. Partly because it means anything I can do work-related is limited. (Grade challenge? I'll deal with it when I get back.) Partly because I won't have to open the refrigerator every evening and go, "What the hell am I going to fix for dinner?" (My mom is a good cook, and she already cooks low-sodium, for my dad). Partly because I won't have to drive anywhere; partly because if it's raining and I'm out of milk I won't have to go to the grocery all by myself and park in BFE and trudge up to the store ALL ALONE in the rain, and watch the smug-marrieds getting dropped off in the fire-lane so THEY can run in while their honey parks and so they don't get wet.....Part of it is having my parents right there to reassure me a little of my worth as a person (No, I'm not one of those tiresome low-self-esteem types who needs constant reassurance, but you know? I get tired and worn out and start questioning myself, and it's good to be around people who care a lot and who know me better than anyone else does and who value me even though they know me better than anyone else does).


So really, it's less of a "screw you guys" and more of an "I'm goin' HOME."