I watched Thing One take off like a gazelle with the rest of the cross-country team today. The kid is built for speed, with long limbs and a lung capacity developed by living at an altitude of almost a mile up for most of his life. He's also kind of quirky and bent on being an individual. He sat with me on the floor of my office last night while I battled with HARDAC, the wireless router, and told me that he was a little nervous about meeting with his teammates this morning. As I opened my mouth to reassure him, he said "And don't tell me that it's going to be a great time to meet new people and bond with my team." I assured him that I wasn't about to say anything of the sort. I was going to tell him that running is more about his race with himself, but that the team aspect had some good benefits, too, but I'm not about to push him to identify too strongly with any one group just yet. He can find his own way, so long as his own way doesn't lead to drugs, alcohol, sex, or becoming the Unabomber.

I get the feeling that the less contact I have with the junior high secretary, the better. She gave all indications that she was annoyed that I was asking questions or trying to get my kid registered, almost annoyed that I showed up hyper-prepared yesterday, and even more annoyed that I was asking to speak with teachers already. It's a week before the start of school. I don't think there's anything untoward in my request. Maybe someone spit in her coffee. Who knows.

The elementary school secretary, on the other hand, was an absolute sweetheart. She seemed to genuinely give a rip about my kids and what I was saying about placement. She even seemed excited to meet them next week, which was a welcome relief.

I was introduced to my office at the university yesterday. It's really weird. I have an office and a phone number and a mailslot and I'll be keeping office hours and working with students. I'll also have an officemate who, by the look of the books on her desk, is heavily into feminist theory. This should be an interesting match. I just hope I don't want to skin her by the end of the first week, as I think that's generally discouraged with officemates.

Bank account established, doctor located, still itching for furniture so we can stop living in the sea of cardboard.