There are distinct disadvantages to getting older, such as losing strength and stamina, looks (if you ever had them), and in my case, hair.
But there are advantages too. Not necessarily of age, but of what comes with it: hopefully, experience. And you also hope that wisdom is born from experience.
One of my virtues has always been patience. But patience is a relative term. My daddy always said I was the most patient kid he ever saw. But I know that there was always a limit to that patience.
Right now I am in the last few days of the semester. Finals begin Monday. I have three to give–four if you count the take-home test I gave my Drama Writing class. With the exception of graduation on Thursday of next week, I plan to be done by late Tuesday.
But lingering over all of this are three major projects that I have been working on for a very long time. And each and all of them are promising to either be resolved in the next few days, or be the biggest headache I can image over the holidays.
Headache #1 is the University’s new website. We started on this in summer, 2011. I had 80% of text and photos up by November, 2011. Since then it has been starts and stops–hurry up and wait. For the past four months, we have been waiting for one interactive form–an online application for new students–to be completed. It has finally been completed, and now is being run through academic departments for approval. When that’s done, we will meet as a committee and hopefully vote to launch. Then we take it to administration, who I hope will vote the same way.
Headache #2 is the University’s alumni magazine, of which I am editor. All magazines go through what I call their “ugly stepchild” phase, but this one never seems to grow out of it. We have cobbled together the magazine as best as we can, but certain necessary elements are missing, and I am waiting on others to provide them for me. I can’t force them to come through with what we need, but at the same time, I have a vice president who is pushing me to get it done. Believe me, brother, there’s nothing I’d rather have. Unless it is…
Headache #3. In July ANOTHER vice president asked me to put together a series of 20 brochures promoting the academic departments at the University. Initially, I was asked to just write them. Photos would come from another source, and design was done elsewhere. I finished writing the brochures in August. Since that time, the photo person and the design person have been going back and forth, trying to agree on what pictures to use, or if the ones the designer has is acceptable. In the meantime, I have the VP coming to me asking me, begging me, to fix this problem.
We are very close to finishing all three projects. And that’s usually when the stress level increases. I have been patient. Philosophically, I know that most of it is out of my hands. But I sure would like to get them done so that I can have a merry Christmas.
I hate to whine, but hey, that’s what blogs are for. Aren’t they?
I promise, a more positive blog next time.
The Great Adventure 