December 3, 2012

White Dog led the happy dance around the house as the WDA realized that this was a break week for Steve and tonight would NOT be a late one. The school's schedule is strange, we think. They are out of classes between quarters this week, then return for two weeks then get two weeks off for the holiday before continuing on with the in-session quarter after the New Year. But today none of us cared about the logistics of academia...dad would be home WELL before 11 pm and we would all have dinner together! The best news was that he still did not have to go in until the mid-afternoon!

Lingering over breakfast, Steve tried to temper the excitement of this week's schedule with a vision of what is to come. Next quarter he once again has back-to-back late nights AND a Saturday afternoon class. We will have the pleasure of his company well into the day as he will head for teaching about the time many people start to arrive HOME from their workday.

The WDA likes that Steve will be home more daytime hours but the complication is that Steve is going back to school as a student as well. Administrators from his school have suggested that he pursue a MBA degree as quickly as possible in order to make him eligible for promotion. He had already discussed going back for a Masters of Architecture next Fall but his superiors would like a speedier timeline and a more general Masters. So when the new quarter starts next week Steve will be an on-line student in the MBA program.

White Dog let out a slow howl, "We will NEVER see him!" "You will," I reassured. "He will be right here in the office working on the computer. You will be able to come in and supervise and maybe help with his homework, but he WILL need time to focus and accomplish his tasks. You must all promise to work hard to guarantee his success." Six serious pairs of dark rimmed eyes reflected their love and commitment.

Steve is a bit nervous since he has not been a student in 22 years but we are confident that he will excel. Plus this will provide an excellent opportunity to empathize with the students who pass through HIS doors as department chair. It will take some adjusting to get used to these new demands on our time as well as a new quarter's schedule, but we have learned that together we can get through just about anything. And the rewards of this undertaking will be worth the efforts.

 I have joked that in my family's tradition of getting new lunch boxes at the start of each new grade, that I am on a search for just the perfect Superhero motif...the WDA has insisted that the box have a special compartment for duck jerky.