I can’t say that this has been a very exciting week. Other than Monday, which wasn’t as much exciting as something new, it’s been a couple of long days at work. I’ve been immersed in creating a workshop on conducting oral histories. It will be a day long workshop, so it’s a bit involved to fill the whole day, though with some discussions, a few exercises, and some practice interviews, I think I’ve got it planned pretty well. Other than handling some emails, I have been hard at work creating the presentation and developing the curriculum. In order to fully train oral historians, it should take a whole semester, but the basics can be done in a day. Yesterday and the day before, I spent so much time at my desk, typing, reading, and looking at my computer screen that I felt like my chair and I were becoming one. I did take breaks and walk around some. The good news is that I’ve finished the first draft for the workshop. Today will be spent going through it and fine tuning it.
My boss is supposed to be back today, and I have a laundry list of things to discuss with him, mostly to do with scheduling events and discussing programs for the fall and spring. While there are a few other things to discuss with him, especially about a lack of communication with the staff, the other things will probably have to wait.
Also, the heat index in my part of Vermont is supposed to reach around 96. The one thing that really drives me crazy about Vermont is the lack of air conditioning. I have an air conditioner in my apartment, two actually, and the museum is air conditioned because we have to be climate controlled, which also means we have to keep the museum at a particular humidity level. However, most of the rest of campus is not air conditioned. We received an email at the end of the day yesterday saying to be aware of the high temperatures and to dress for summer weather. Apparently, they are relaxing the dress code and allowing shorts, t-shirts, and sandals. I am not about to dress like I’m going to the beach when I’m going to work. I’ll simply be in khaki pants and a polo shirt. I may wear sneakers instead of dress shoes, but that’s as casual as I get for work.
There just isn’t a lot of excitement going on right now, at work or at home.
The Closet Professor 
August 4th, 2022 at 11:14 am
Credit global warming. My second summer in New Hampshire, twenty-one years ago, it was often chilly at night with lows in the lower forties. That was the way it was there in the old days. Air conditioning was hardly needed twenty years ago. Northern New England just hasn’t caught up with the change. That and the light switches on the outside of the bathrooms.