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Popcorn Ball

I seem to have gotten myself caught up in a helluva lot of mundane, boring, unfulfilling tasks again that eat up every bit of my time. I am not sure where or how I went wrong. Every waking moment seems again to be caught up in feeding the vampires my blood and hence has me feeling like I am shriveling away into oblivion once again. I had thought I had worked hard against this outcome, and my fall was off to a good start. But now, because my life's blood is being wrung out of me, I feel irritable, aggravated, short tempered, put upon, hurt, abused, and mangled. I *should not* have to have 17 different students interrupt me across the span of the day to discuss their grade (meaning, they are failing). This is in addition to the three hours I actually lectured, the hour I spent with Super Puppy, the hour I spent with the Chair, and the various phone interruptions.

I tried to sit and do my own work, just in preparation for the the upcoming exams in my classes and I could not get even a sentence written between interruptions. I never even had a moment to step into my laboratory... so of course my research output was big old, damn goose egg today (meaning ZERO).

It is terribly irksome. I want to teach excellently, I want to conduct meaningful research, and I want to be a pillar of the community. Yet, I *do not* want to waste my time with student vampires, nor vampire-like faculty members and chairpersons. I am but ONE HUMAN. I will DIE If you drink any more of my blood. I need some for myself in order to survive. Please, you horrid vampires, do not bother me on Friday.

PipeTobacco