let's go there in 2013-2014

Today started with a brown-out at work. The official statement through the list serve was,

"A power outage has affected some 20 buildings in central and south campus. Facilities Management personnel are working to identify the source of the problem and restore power. In addition, Aderhold Hall has been evacuated as a result of a reported gas leak. Gas has been cut off to the building until the source of the problem can be identified and repaired."

...joy.

Aderhold is the education building, so not one of ours, but we still had our share of students trapped in pitch-black elevators after the generator switch decided to go on strike, too. It was a very high-octane morning in our office, with three dispatchers working the communication lines and Biff and I directing them.

(Then of course, crazy boss comes in, watches for a bit, and asks Biff if he has new shoes.)

After that, it was all calm but for about 4pm, when IT sent out a panicking email about how three department computers had picked up a virus from Facebook today and until further notice, we're all banned from Facebook. At least until they figure out the virus situation. Welp, there goes my reason for living at work.

It's becoming more and more that Josh is like my replacement. Except for the Procurement work, he does... almost everything. What I've retained, he still gets emailed about. Like vehicles. He has nothing to do with vehicles, but he's getting the emails anyway. It's really awkward. It's like I've gotten a demotion, but they keep promising me a raise. Crazy boss owns us all now, removing Biff's supervisory powers, and it's all just... subtly weird. Josh has been here for quite awhile in an unofficial capacity, and we work well together, but the undercurrents are unsettling. I have no idea what's going on, but I'm glad that I'm already planning on leaving this summer.

However, before the Facebook ban kicked in, I was talking to Kate about Arizona State's Critical Language Institute. Kate did it last summer for Russian 2, which she retook after after taking four years off from the language. I'm finishing Russian 2 right now. She loved it. It's about $960 for the program, which crams two semesters into one summer, and $800 for room and board. Including the airfare and food, it's between $2300 and $2500. The best part is that you don't have to be a student, at all. There's no out-of-state tuition. They have more programs abroad, and that's where the big bucks end up going.

We both want to learn Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian next, and ASU's program is one of the few programs in the US that teaches the BCS language group. The Institute also has a career and grant center that works with you to find recruiters, jobs, and grants for the academics. The more we talked about it, the more we really want to go learn BCS at the same time. I told Aaron about it, and he's willing to let me go for two months in 2015, assuming finances allow. Considering how we'll have JUST gotten married at that point, this is quite generous and I'm thrilled.

But seven weeks in Arizona binging my linguistic nerd heart out with one of my best friends? Hiking and exploring the desert mountains in our spare time? Coming back at the advanced novice level (which is almost the best you can ask for in the US)? Without financial aid/enrollment/undergrad status requirements? I'm so sold. Especially since at that time, we'll have dual incomes and there will be a live-in petsitter! I'm not sure how I would pull off the employment thing, what with being gone for seven weeks, but I'll worry more about that once I'm, you know, actually employed down there. I wouldn't be able to even dream of this without the whole married thing.

While exploring the syllabi for the classes, I looked at the textbook for Russian 3. Russian 3 is all composition and language perfecting; by the end of this semester, I'll have, ostensibly, finished the grammar. I'm leaving UGA before Russian 3, and I haven't seen anywhere in Charleston that offers it, so I'm on my own after this. (I also certainly can't afford to spend a few months in Russia with the CLI program, yikes). The textbook that the CLI uses for third-year Russian is basically a book that teaches from international affairs and security. You bet your ass I'm pouncing on that book as soon as I can justify a $90 textbook! I also need to pick up another Russian reference book on roots and prefixes/suffixes. My Amazon list keeps growing.

I walked 3 miles in 40 minutes today and found two pennies that I added to my bottle, which is almost like an altar at this point and the pennies are my sacrifices. I'm pretty pleased with the 12+ minute miles walking, and that my feet didn't notice at all. I may comfortably pull off the 7k after all. I have cleaned and done housework, and am ready to do my homework. Hooray, productivity.

I miss my boyfriend. I'm so ready to move now.