If you'll believe it - and I hope you do, 'cause it's the truth - I got in about half an hour ago. Isn't this marvelous, considering that my class is scheduled to get out at eight-fifty? And the drive home takes, what, five-ten minutes, depending on traffic? Oh, and the walk to the parking lot. Okay, so we were so wrapped up in class that we just didn't want to stop talking. It bordered on sick. Actually, this is starting to feel like it might be akin to the good doctor's Shakespeare class, where I'd end up back in the dorm two or more hours afterwards, because we'd talk, and talk, and... you get the idea.

Well, today has been interesting. A lot of things happened, and even more things almost happened. For instance, I almost changed my short-short to be about a "Tickle-Me-Elmo" related mugging... But I didn't. I *did* however, add a bit in the beginning about the produce isle, and this made the ending, which had previously felt tacked on actually fit with the piece. Bravo, me. I'd say encore, but I don't have three hours tonight to write a piece on Tickle-Me-Elmo. And I have one of those sick feelings that this toy fiend will play a role in my next short story. So I had better either make it really good, or write something quick between assignments so I don't get stuck turning that in for class.

We all did a shuffle-hot potato-go fish kind of thing today in class when we divvied up the stories. All were passed in, and then passed around, with some being taken by only the even people, and some by only the odd people. There are a lot of odd people in our class, but somehow, it turned out nearly even. Then someone showed up late. So six people gave up their stories, and got a copy of the newcomer's, and all was well. Until the second late person showed up, and we did a three people trading chain that I still don't understand. There must be a better - but less fun - way to do this.

I'm getting very far ahead of myself. I tend to do this. The day started out with a plan. I had a masterful idea about how I was going to solve my fair-sized problem. See, the readings for tonight's class were in a packet of material at an unknown location, and they were many. I knew the street, so I went there. I did not, however, arrive. Instead, I got onto Brownfield, Bane of My Existence, and proceeded to get myself thoroughly lost. All was well in the end, however, as I got on my cell phone and called C-, my regular hero in such situations. She was not in. I called the prof for pedagogy 2, who was not in, but had recorded his email address. I'm sorry to say, his email did me no good at that point in time. I broke down and called the Head of the Department. The absolute, highest power available. She offered much help. I found the place, right by a bar. Apparently, bars are the landmarks most frequently referenced in Dirt Town. It's also by a pizza joint, a run down church, and a hair salon.

I had arrived. This was good, and so I parked to avoid the glass everywhere in the parking lot (my tires are fine, I checked), and went in. They were out of the packet of readings, but they could print another for me. When was my class? Now, folks, I can be very smart when it comes to getting what I need. My class started at six. I told the woman that class was at five, but that there was an assignment due, so if they could, I'd like it as early as possible. She said four pm, and I accepted. That's an hour and half earlier than she could have said. I then made my way to campus.

Two important things to remember as you think about the trip to campus are that the destination was a parking lot, and that the timing was not good for parking. So I zipped through the first lot, not really expecting much, and wasn't too upset when there was nothing available. I then exited the lot and got back on the street to go visit the farther lot, the one across the street. I found parking at the far end of that lot. I parked and was glad that I hadn't had to fight for it.

On the down side, please remember that the Monday class is a night class, and that most people don't want to walk across campus, across a parking lot, across a street, and across a second parking lot, just to get to their cars and drive home. I'd go through that to get home, but not to drive home. So as I made my way at eleven am across that closer lot, I stopped dead in my tracks when two parking spaces made themselves available. As I stared, another car pulled out, and then a fourth and fifth spot were cleared. I spun on my heal, and marched quickly back to my car across the lot, across the street and across the lot; I then drove rather like a giddy maniac to the available spots, and lo! There was still one left when I got there. I managed to park only half way across the close lot.

So there I was, without the readings, but with the hat and calendar that I was to mail. I decided to go to the office first, simply because I needed the air-conditioning. There I decided to eat lunch before doing anywhere else. My officemate and I then trekked to the post office, since she had to mail stuff as well. I mailed the hat, the calendar, my three bills, and I even bought stamps. They're blue, with egrets. It was that or flowers.

After we got back, a classmate came by and had a question about the short-short. More importantly, she had the readings, and she was willing to let me borrow the packet. This turned out to be exceptionally good luck since when I called the place at four to see whether they had the stuff they said they were really busy and that they hadn't started. I'm calling back tomorrow, and picking it up after class. Or I might do it Wednesday. Now I'm not in a rush.

The readings were... not what my mom wants to read. I'm not even sure I wanted to read some of them, although the one about the suicidal engagement parties was kind of funny. See, the premise is that boy sees girl and falls in love with girl. Boy tells friend, and friend observes that boy is really head over heals for girl. Friend tells doctor about boy's malady, and doctor tells friend to be creative, since the better he suicides, the prettier girl he'll get in the next life. Friend arranges party for boy, girl, and all the other tribesmen. Friend jumps head first off a coconut tree into the fire and dies. Everyone congratulates the newly engaged boy and girl. Note: girl didn't know anything about it before hand. And boy didn't know when friend was going to go. Some friends tie bloody fish around their wastes and go swimming with sharks. Others throw themselves in volcanoes. It's really messed up, but in a funny kind of way.

There's been another snafu about blogs and humor, but this time, I'm not involved. I learned my lesson. No funnies, the poor folks here can't take it. Or rather, they can't take it lightly. That's okay. I don't blog and joke anymore on the school blog. And I didn't get involved in this last one, so I can only be blamed for sharing an office with her.

Well, I've got a book of short stories to read by Monday, my box tomorrow will be filled with comments on how to improve my short-short, and I've got to get the thing ready for publication, so that Monday, I can ship it off to three different journals. We sure are being shoved out of the nest.

Oh well. I'm going to go play with the cat. She's running all over the place and needs some flashlight action, I think. She was waiting at the door for me today, for the first time. Good thing I've gotten into the habit of slowly opening it, even when she isn't there.

Ta, then, my peoples. I'll be back later, as in not today.

End.