Got up just fine and off to work when I wanted to. No fog, no rain, and no slow-downs on the drive in.

One of my students was a bit of a pain--insisting that graduating seniors didn't have to take finals. (Last week it was "when will I take my final?") I told her to have her adviser contact me, then after class I got on the phone to the registrar's office to get the real dirt. Let's just say that this student gets zero classwork points in her grade. I am really glad that I have been at Xavier for eight years already and basically cannot be conned on stuff like that. And that I know a lot of the faculty.

I also talked with Sister (at one time dept. chair). She reassured me that I am right. We snickered a bit over the possibility of potential involvement of the student's adviser--for her major it is probably the sister that also keeps the athletes' academic performance under tight scrutiny.

And then I got an e-mail from the colleague who is redoing the department profile. I checked the site, curious about how awful my picture might be. See for yourself. I'm in my office.

That was the morning up till about 9:30, when I headed back to Slidell for another checkup of the ear etc. The NP was pleased--most of the redness is gone from the side of my face. My next trip there is in late Dec. for a regular six-months visit.

When I finally got back home I had about a two-hour "sinking spell."

My current mind candy is a Monk book, and the setting is a con (very)loosely based on Trekkies. There are a couple of murders already and I'm only about a third of the way through the book. I figure two days max and I'll be done.

And now it's time to watch Jeopardy.