I should call the police because I think someone has stolen my day. I did not misplace it nor did I leave it unlocked. At about a quarter to one when I went to sleep this morning, I had my day bolted down. Sure, a faculty meeting at five, but even with two hours for exercising I'd have all day to get my research done.

I woke up, made breakfast and finished eating it by 9:30, then . . . poof! I think the perp was driving a green Ford Galaxy. Tomorrow one of my colleagues (the same colleague whom I irritated a little over a month ago) is presenting an article for a colloquium, and I'm worried because I've not read her article and doing so will take away precious and limited research time away from me. I'm starting to worry that only desperation is going to speed me up. Days like this I know I'm a loser.

As example, here I am now writing not-so-humorously about my failure to make productive use of my most limited resource when I could at least be saying something interesting about Gus Van Sant's 1997 Good Will Hunting, which I finally watched because I felt I needed a break from everything.

Maybe I ate too much meat (chicken, beef, and shrimp) for dinner last night.

The faculty meeting I attended today was supposed to provide English department faculty a chance to give our new (permanent) Dean Ben Ogles feedback regarding the College of Arts and Sciences Strategic Plan (as part of Vision Ohio) and possible changes to the Early Retirement Program. Some very important issues regarding security, compensation, and governance were raised by the most vulnerable of our teachers, who recently have been notified that in a year's time they will likely have to choose between one of two options regarding a cut in pay.

How dare those faculty raise issues so central to the functioning of the English department as job security for our longest-employed and most-vulnerable workers? By doing so they derailed all the small and large points I had regarding the language of the College of Arts and Sciences Strategic Plan for Vision Ohio. This, anyway, was the objection I raised late in the meeting. Why was I so intent on making sure my homework remain relevant?

But, of course.

I also remember, now, where my research effort went to this morning. I have this itch involving the implementation of a threaded and moderated discussion board for classes I teach and I occasionally think to scratch it with Slash. I read a few sets of instructions before deciding that implementation would be unthinkably time-consuming.

Just reading those instructions stole my day.