Tough situation. I am at that age where a few buddies have already succumbed to cancer and it is a *****. It's just too young and just never seems fair.

Dominic

My condolences to you, your friend and his family.

Cancer seriously sucks.

Home now...thanks for the condolences, Guys, it mean a lot.

Bill died Saturday morning around 12:30. I was there with his family. They took the ventilator off of him around 6pm and the doctor said, "it should be about 5 minutes. It'll happen fast." They were off by 12 hours.

Same people who told him 4 years ago he had 6 months to live. They obviously didn't know Bill.

for those who asked, Bill wasn't able to talk at all yesterday because of the mask and the morphine drip, but when we would talk to him and kiss him he would react...he was there. So his daughter was able to speak to him and say her goodbyes, along with his 13 year old daughter and 12 year old son.

Yesterday was quite a happening, because Bill had a rotating cast of about 50 or 60 people constantly coming in to see him, tell stories, laugh, cry, and drink (we snuck in alcohol, ldo). His brother Rick is a musician and was playing a guitar and it got pretty rowdy.

So Bill got to experience his wake before he died! Pretty cool.

I'll be returning to L.A. in a few days with the GF for the service. Had to come home to finish school work.

All in all, I've had better weekends.

Man, I was hoping the daughter would get there. I'm glad she was able to speak to him.

Almost time for a winter thread. It shall arrive shortly.

In the meantime, after spending the past seven years as both a department chair and a dean, I'm returning to the classroom. Quite frankly, I'm not enthused about it. I haven't taught anything in three and a half years, and I'm really not ready to spend time grading papers again. Of course, I do know all the ways I could get by doing very little, but it's not in my nature. So, although I had planned on working for a few more years, I'm considering retirement within a year now.

To me, ethically and for the sake of good karma you must do all you can to better your students and teach them. Find satisfaction in it as it does mean a lot to them.

Think of it in depth and all the influence you can have on those young minds.

And I really do, but it's going to be difficult making the adjustment.

better your students and teach them?? thats a pipe dream no one can do.

much better you spend your time getting the winter thread in order your time is running short. this way you get to see the results of your efforts.

and its almost christmas and i aint got no snow and its 40 degrees around here. when is this global warming crap going to end so i can ice skate on my pond.

Some of my former students--not many perhaps--might claim otherwise. Who knows?

shouldnt you be in bed this time of night john?

Yes.

JC,
Condolences on your ouster. At least there was no guillotine involved. What are you going to teach?

One co-req writing course, a couple film classes, and one lit. I have to work all of three days a week to accomplish this.

Pretty much it's a ****ty time to be working there. No confidence, no trust, no ethics among far too many.

They need you, John Cole.

A pie & mash shop in Walworth on a dark, rainy Saturday afternoon; a backstreet pub in Belgravia on this late afternoon. I love Christmas.

Thanks, Charlie. I hope someone does.

I miss being in cities. The suburbs are not the place for me.

never take a job you dont like to do. life is too short to spend it on someone that doesnt appreciate.
sometimes putting your foot down makes them give in. never acquiesce easily. worst that can happen is they say no. plus if you cant be replaced easily then you have lots of leverage and use it strongly. you own nothing to someone or someplace that doesnt treat you as you want to be treated.

my advice and its worked for me in all sorts of things.

Ray,

Good advice. Unfortunately, I took a job a few years ago that I didn't really want to do, hoping that I'd have some influence in certain decisions. And although I did have some influence, mostly positive, I believe some of those in charge are much more interested in appearance rather than substance. And the work environment has deteriorated badly in the past year, so much so that it's unfixable without a leadership change. And I don't see that happening.

move on to greener pastures. you wont regret it later on but will regret riding on a dead horse. take the reins and hoof it to the next hitching post.

and you will be

Listen to ray. It's probably worse than you are letting on, and life's too short. Bail.

I can't bail. Have to stick it out for at least another year, but I can be a giant pain during that time.

a carefully worded letter from a lawyer most likely would get them to release you from any obligations tied to your retirement benefits or whatever is at stake with only one year to go.
the meek will not inherit the earth by any means.

I could retire now, but I won't get SS for another year, so I have to hang on until then. Who knows? I probably will enjoy returning to teaching, working three days a week for a few hours.

you dont lose any ss if you retire early you can take that when ever you want. best to wait till at least 66 though as that is full retirement age which is important..
read this

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/11/if-y...m-social-.html

I'm waiting until at least 66. Then, with SS, pension, and paltry 401K, it really won't make much financial sense to work.