So, today is Wednesday. The third day of classes. How is it going?

Well, Wednesday was better than Tuesday, which in turn was better than Monday.

I didn't get much of a vacation between the ending of work and the beginning of school. Which is part of my FRAZZLED-ness problem. But this is the last time I will have to do it (at least for college... if grad school is in my future, well, who knows!).

Monday was terrible. I was training a fantastic young man in the dishroom in the morning for the breakfast shift and he had no clue what was going on. So I'm teaching him everything. And everyone and their roommate decided to come to breakfast! O.O Breakfast is usually a pretty easy shift. Not on Monday! It wouldn't have been so bad, except that I had class at 8 and the shift is over at 9. So I left at 7:50. I felt terrible because there were a lot of people there and he needed help. Thankfully I told my bosses and they kept an eye on him and helped him. However, he left some things that could have been taken care of; thus backing up the lunch people. Who were short staffed by three to four people! O.O Meaning they left some things for me at dinner. And I was short someone at dinner. But dinner wasn't too bad. The two newbies learned well (one was supposed to have dropped the shift but came in and helped anyway) and a couple of other people came in and helped. One of the newbies was already half-trained and she worked marvelously well! I was able to leave her doing things by herself while I did other things. And I had company for lunch. I enjoy company! Yay community! (CU students are sick of hearing that, I'm sure. ) I am also training the MWF dishroom cleaner and he's a good friend of mine. He did a swell job!!! :)

Tuesday was much better. I have a normal shift in the morning and it went FANTASTIC! I even had company at breakfast (I enjoy company at breakfast, but most of my friends don't get up that early). My lunch shift went pretty darn well too; despite the fact that my boss didn't have anyone scheduled to come help me before Food Service opened. My boss talked with me and we're not going to fill that shift because I can handle stuff and when my other workers come in they can help and we still won't be backed up. Then the T/Th dish room cleaner person didn't show up... :( But one of my normal workers volunteered to help (he knew stuff, it rocked). My Tuesday 2:30-5 got out early so I helped clean the dishroom (still no cleaner). I didn't make it to an appointment on time... but they are great people and it worked out. CJ and I hung out for a little bit on Tuesday and he stretched my tastebuds a little. I wish we could have had more time, but I needed sleep because I am still training the morning dishroom person.

Wednesday (today!) was even better still. The morning person is remembering stuff I taught him. He still got backed up and needed help, but he's coming. And hopefully this first week is a fluke: NEVER have so many students come to breakfast (except for exam week). Never. So hopefully soon the students will thin out a bit and it will be easier on him. Again I had company at lunch. :) I again trained the MWF cleaner and I had to leave and come back (another appointment) and he did an AMAZING job! One little thing I need to mention to him, but it was something I should have told him. The dinner shift was STUPENDOUS! The marvelous newbie from Monday was back. And I had a full crew! And all but the newbie were experienced! I taught her something else and she took to that like a fish in water. She is an incredible worker; just the kind that we want to be in my position (dish lead). I asked her (and my boss) and I'm training her this semester! YAY we have someone to dish lead during her college career and spread the dishroom gospel!! XD XD (She's a sophomore, so she'd be around for a while! ^_^)

All of my classes have gone well enough for the first week; meaning I'm not happy with my place in them but it's also the first week and I know I will get into the grove and climb to a better place.

Which brings me to now.

And I have something that I want opinions on.

***In one of my classes many of the students did not have the book yet and therefore had not read the assignment (this is normal. However professes don't seem to understand this and still give us homework. You tell me why they still do this??). I made the statement that my book was in the mail and I was getting it. The prof said "this isn't my problem. I don't care. It's not the school's problem. The school is not responsible." And many students held my same sentiments: We don't have the book yet, it's coming, please be patient with us. NOW: I think that the faculty/staff (random: what the heck is the difference between faculty and staff?????) SHOULD care and SHOULDN'T give us assignments at the very least during the first week. 1) We've got to get back into the school grove. Give us time to readjust. 2) Yes, we can get the books from the bookstore. A) It's DOGGONE EXPENSIVE!!!  We're college students!! They can't expect all students to pay those prices! B) Books are cheaper online (mostly). Therefore, we buy them online. eBay/Amazon/Barns and Noble require that buyers allow 1) 3-6 (ish) business days [Expedited Shipping] or 2) 6-14 business days [Standard Shipping]. (Or something like that) NOTE: Buisness days. Not normal days. So, in theory it could take almost three weeks for Standard Shipping books to arrive! Now, this is VERY RARELY the case. Stuff, whether shipped Expedited or Standard, usually comes in about a week's time (remember, take into account weekends/holidays). I'm a generally responsible student. I make some attempts to be slightly more responsible than others. I ordered my books towards the beginning of August because the online bookstore had the books listed. One of my classes changed (new prof) and he changed the books. And it is the prof that said the above statements. So. I had the wrong books and needed the new ones. So here's Rachel: has her books, finds out ONE DAY before school starts (Sunday) that she has the wrong books for class and is missing one or two books (I had to order a lot of books for one class and try to get them from the library. I got confused and missed one or two). So, she feverishly orders the right books. And prays to God that they come in about a week because she can't afford Expedited Shipping. I have my finances figured out. I'm pretty sure I didn't have any extra money. And Expedited Shipping is about twice Standard.

So. You tell me: Shouldn't school care? Shouldn't they try to work with us?

Please respond. This is an issue at all colleges/universities have. And we have an incredible university president that listens to students and I feel it on my heart that maybe this is an issue that needs to be brought to his attention.

Along with the fact that Food Service needs a little more funding. And the dishroom needs a new power sprayer. And a new DISH MACHINE. And there is black mold on the bottom of the line that is IMPOSSIBLE to clean because of the way it is made. Heck, the whole of food service could be remodeled and made better!! I know of at least one National "don't ever break this rule" rule that we're breaking that we can't fix because it takes so much money and construction. Ask if you want; it's not terrible.

There. That is my first three days of school.

~*~ Rad