...........awkward..........

So yeah... things are wierd between Palpatine and I right now. When I say wierd, what I mean is... if we run into each other on campus, it's like someone running into an ex at a restaurant after a nasty divorce. Civil but veeeeerrrrrrryyyyy cautious. In a strange way, it feels like an improvement.... She's being careful around me! At least I'm comfortable going up to get my own mail again.

Still, I have to be a careful. There are students, parents and even alumn who are poised to come running in with pitchforks and torches. Some people seem to be under the impression that Palpatine wants to reduce or cut the department. That's not true. Palpy wants to see a big department, in fact she wants to help me recruit (I could be wrong, but she seems genuine enough in that corner). What we don't see eye to eye on is the direction that the department should take:

I want a music conservatory that has the potential to generate serious musicians with future careers in music.

She wants a P.R. machine for the school, and a program specifically aimed at the "middle" population of not-so-high achieving students.

Yeah... things are getting wierd. But I have to admit, I'm still better off than I was at *MY LAST SCHOOL* Partially because I have a great wife to come home to. Mostly because I still see daily evidence of how awesome this school is.

Today I felt the need to pull out something in orchestra.... something new to read... something not Baroque. I found myself reaching into the back of the music cabinet and finding an arrangement of the Star Wars Overture that we haven't played since 99.

Twenty minutes later, we're reading through it.... while I've got half the lights dimmed and I'm trying to "conduct" with the replica light saber that I keep in my office. Heh.... I need stuff like this.