So it's been days of orientation, days of inservice, and I have an all-day division meeting tomorrow. It's exciting to get familiar with a new school, meet new people, and all that stuff, but it's also exhausting. It took me three hours to get my office unpacked and put together yesterday because people kept stopping by to introduce themselves and chat. I've come every day wrung out like a dishrag, and classes haven't even started yet. Eeeesh. Still - high class problems, you know?

My department has over thirty people in it - that's more than four times the size of my last department. It's fascinating to meet everyone and see this little subculture at work without having any preconceived notions. Some things just seem so obvious from the get -go.

I can see the department cynic who questions everything. I can see the faculty member who expects the department to be her whole social life.  I see the