Simple Observations on Chair-i-ness

• Dealing with problems that arise in courses in my own department is far easier than dealing with problems that arise in courses that are needed for our students, but taught in other departments. 
• Creating a course requires the completion of forms. Forms that ask for all the same information that you have to provide to get the form sent to you in the first place.
• Email is a bottomless pit of time-suckage. But, it is also something to which you have to attend. No easy answers.
• Just when you are getting used to the semester, some new things will hit you from the side and leave you with no sense of what to do.
• Colleagues like to ignore emails. Even the ones that you know they have opinions on. Most recent example - email asking what courses they propose to teach. You know that if I assign them without input, there will be anger and angst to go around. Yet, the request has led to mostly crickets. Go figure.
• I am so ready for the end of the semester!