Hits and Misses (August 11-17)

It's been a busy week with lots of positive things happening. However, I need to tell you about the misses first so you can understand one of the hits. Just mixing things up a bit to keep you on your toes at the beginning of the new week!

MISSES

• Crime is the pits. This week, my sister's home was robbed. My first thought was that the a-hole was terrorizing them again. (I wouldn't put it past him, but this time he was wrongly accused in my mind.) Thankfully, no one was home yet and the thugs only got away with some electronics. It's a nuisance, but things can be replaced.
• There are many things that I cannot do. I am well aware of that. However, I despise being underestimated by someone simply because of some prejudicial feelings on their part. Underestimate me and I am going to move Heaven and earth to prove you wrong. People annoy me sometimes.
• Last weekend, my youngest niece asked if I had a copy of Avi's book Nothing But the Truth. She needed it by this Friday for school. I told her that I know I own a copy of it, but I can't put my fingers on it right away because my personal library is a mess! I'm ashamed to admit it, but bookshelves are piled with books, music, and CDs in total disarray. The situation is so out of hand that the floors in front of the shelves are covered with more books, making it difficult to even get to the shelves. 
• Since I couldn't find the book, I decided to just do a little book shopping and get a copy for her. I went to my local Barnes and Noble on Sunday afternoon only to find that they were sold out. A new shipment was scheduled in 10 days. On Monday, I visited 3 other bookstores in the area with the same results. At each store, I gave my name and asked them to hold a copy for me when the shipment came in. When I got home on Monday afternoon, I immediately logged onto BN.com to order the book and paid an additional $5 for express shipping. Express shipping should have had the paperback here by Wednesday or Thursday at the latest; the package arrived on Saturday morning! I was livid!

HITS

• Because of my dissatisfaction with Barnes and Noble, I took to the web. After sending an email to customer service via their website, I posted notes on both Facebook and Twitter with the hashtags #BarnesandNoble and #fail. Within an hour -- and via 3 tweets -- I was informed that the shipping charges (which the website said could not be reimbursed) were credited to my charge card. I love the power of social media!
• I knew the week was going to be busy, so I took some time out Monday afternoon to see the movie Fruitvale Station. It's not a "feel good" movie, but it was well written and powerful. Be warned, the dialogue is full of graphic language and the violence is disturbing. The film is based on the racially charged shooting that occurred in a BART station in Oakland, California in the early hours of New Year's Day, 2009.
• Food returned to faithful favorites this week. In my opinion, the best of them all was the Parmesan Garlic Crusted Chicken. It's a replica of the dish served at Longhorn Steak House. I normally order it when I visit the restaurant -- although I didn't last Sunday since I knew we were having it for dinner this week -- and the home recipe is just as good!
• I've filled this final week of summer vacation with good books. My favorite of the week was The Trial by Robert Whitlow. At the moment, I'm also enjoying Chevy Stevens' first novel, Still Missing, as well as Philip Yancey's book on prayer. Sadly I know that my reading time will be limited beginning next week. 
• While attending various orientation meetings this week, it was great to get some positive feedback from a couple of new supervisors.....especially after experiencing some underestimation earlier in the week. The kind words were sincere and made me willing to help out as much as I can.
• Thankfully, my cup is running over at the moment! Another section of College Survival was added to my course load on Friday morning. If the Saturday class actually gets enough students (which I'm still doubtful about), the new class will bring the grand total to 7 classes that I'll be teaching.....17 credit hours! I haven't had that large of a load since I was an undergraduate student. 
• I decided to end the week with a visit to my favorite local library since I'm going to be spending a good amount of time there preparing for lectures, grading papers, and finding a quiet corner to recharge. I enjoyed the peaceful few hours that I spent browsing the shelves and soaking in the peaceful environment.

A new week is here and it's certain to have some adventure in it. I'll be meeting lots of new students and start teaching two new courses. It should be interesting to say the least!