Alferian's · Journal

Whew!  I can't believe it has been three weeks since I made an entry here.  The Summer is zooming by.  July seemed to last only a blink of the eye.  Among other events, the month contained the Summer Board of Governors meeting and our grove's harvest  festivities in honor of Lughnasadh last weekend. 

At the moment, I'm still trying to adjust emotionally to the catastrophe of the 35W bridge collapse.  That is a route I have often taken and it was shocking to see the ruins.  Humbling.

Well, I've discovered that quite a few people thought that when I suspended Avalon's teaching operations online last month I was throwing in the towel and giving up on her.  I'm afraid that Arianrhod isn't likely to permit me to do that. Those who know me more personally know that my moods swing rather widely depending on my digestion and sleep.  Sleep apnea causes me to be operating with sleep deprivation most of the time, even though it is being treated and, yes, I've been through two sleep studies now. My neurologist suggests I may need a third to see what is going on with the medications.  So much for medical science.

The Center, in any case, is still vulnerable to my fluctuating functionality and the fact that I am obligating in several other directions simultaneously.  In the Summer, my daughter's social life takes a good deal more time than it does during the school year, so a fair proportion of time is spent on logistics, scheduling, and phone calls to her friends.  The pile of management and public relations books I checked out of the library to study business administration issues (wearing the Provost's hat), are languishing on the sideboard unread.  And my book manuscript is only getting tinkered upon - a tap of the hammer here, a rub of the polishing cloth there, and not much closer to being done and sent off to the publisher. 

Avalon administration is taking a backseat and I am concentrating, where I can, on such exciting bits as getting our 2006 tax return filed. Our first as an approved tax-exempt organization.  We have seen one happy result of this status in the form of a $2,000 donation to the Center.  This has permitted me to revise our brochures and have some more printed.  I mailed off a large box of them to Astrocelt in Wales to hand out in the U.K.  So, you see, these secretarial duties consume what little time I have; time that would be better devoted to writing letters to potential donors and producing a potential donor packet of information.  Well, even that would be something I could wish to delegate to a secretary, if I had one.  Someone to whom I could delegate such writing tasks as assembling and composing the faculty handbook and the donor packet.

I am searching for a Provost, but frankly have not figured out where to look yet.  On my list of things to do when I'm not making wands or writing books or preparing talks on druidry is the task of reading throught he SCORE web site and the MCN website to figure out what sort of resources they offer.  Minnesota Council of Nonprofits and SCORE do offer resources that are free, as well as inexpensive workshops.  But I have not managed to find time to even do the research, let alone follow up and do the personal networking that will undoubtedly be requried to find a Provost and a permanent director of PR and marketing who will work on a percentage rather than salary.  We need someone to devote themselves full-time to seeking donors and grants.

And, of course, wearing my Dean's hat, I still have to seek out more faculty members with time to develop courses.  I'm arranging a faculty meeting for later this month, but have received replies only from a few of the faculty. 

This week we celebrate Lammas and the birthdays of my dear lady wife and my daughter the druish princess.  Today, we are off to the zoo.

So it goes. 

-- Alferian