Samantha tells me that I can graduate in May under the 2005-06 catalog because tons of elective hours were cut out of the program to fit it in under the 120-hour mandate issued a year ago. I kind of relate it to the finish line being moved up. At this rate, graduation could come as early as next May if I can figure out a way to put three sections of Spanish (I only need the last one, but its a stepping-stone process) into two semesters.
Regardless, my class load for this semester ditched the jogging class and added a British Literature one. So much for never writing another research paper in college. I now have five classes stacked on top of each other on Monday-Wednesday-Friday. The benefit is that I only have a lab Tuesdays at 3 p.m., and a clear slate Thursdays.
Tonight after we got the car back from the dealership (expensive alternator replaced), she and I headed to Waverly to deposit the Verizon deposit refund. It's important to note that such documents cannot be tendered at any bank or place of business, as if the check were cursed. We also learned about one of the horrors of driving in west Tennessee: following a swine truck. For those less experienced, not only is the smell overwhelming, but stuff comes off the truck. My advice is that if you see one of these things in your rearview, find a way to be nowhere near it when it catches up to you. Trust me.
Staff Training week "officially" begins tomorrow, although over half of the staff has been in and out of the office today. I met briefly with the Editorial Board about the grave concerns in student media and any changes we're making to keep this ship upright. I also conducted my third "Newspaper Design Crash Course," realizing quickly that my material needs to be revised so that I don't have to give the majority of it from memory. Despite that, I think the session went well.
We've got an issue coming out Thursday (First Flight), and turning right around and publishing the following Tuesday with Issue One. We managed it last year (I forget how, but it happened), but it is tough putting out two issues when the production slates overlap. On the bright side, if we survive this, the rest of the year should be a piece of cake.
At least, one can hope.