The weird story with the gender-neutral pronouns now has a title -- "Khimaira's Journey". Khimaira is the Anglicized form of the Greek form of the word "chimera". Given the traditionally ambiguous nature of the beast in question, I figured it would work. Otherwise, it sounds kind of a cheesy fantasy-ish title, but what the hey, nothing else presented itself.

At first after I finished it I wasn't too sanguine about what in truth I had written. Now having re-read it somewhat I am more charitably inclined. I might try sending it in to F&SF. I don't know what to think of it as other than vaguely fantasy-ish, vaguely SF, vaguely experimental. In fact paradoxically the only thing one can say for certain about it is that it's ... vaguely lots of things. Given Murphy's Law, that probably means it's brilliant and will be snapped up by the first editor who reads it.

Grades have been posted on the Northwestern website -- at present I have a 3.5 GPA. B in Psychology, A in Beginning Document Processing. Oy!

I have been told at work that Scheduling "can no longer take school schedules into consideration" for scheduling purposes. Meaning that should they schedule me for the daytime and I have to be at school that day, either I skip school to work or go AWOL from work to go to school. Unless I put in for leave time for the day -- meaning I have to use my annual leave -- which of course could always be denied anyway. The regular careers and the TEs have no problems getting their schedules arranged around school. Apparently self-improvement is frowned upon for PTFs. I have yet to inform my union reps of this as they haven't been at work the last couple days. But I will.

Well. I've already determined that should it come to it, school wins. I've got to take math the next three quarters. I have to be there every day if I'm going to get through this stuff. If I have time for it I'll put in for the time off, but what if someone gets cute and starts scheduling me for the day shift all the time? I'd quickly run out of leave time. Probably so they wouldn't have to pay it out when I leave. After all, us PTFs have no say in our schedules.

Mom says she can't believe the government would treat its employees this way. I suppose it's a hell of a lot better than some other government employees who are now living disabled or dead for a pointless war, or are told that even though they've done their time they can't leave. So I guess it's relative.

I'm out of Diet Coke so I'm off to the store. "Feed me, Seymour!"