Just a quickie update. If you don't know the hilarity of Maury Povich's now-infamous paternity test shows, you should hit up YouTube and find some. These people are, by and large, absolutely insane.
     I know that I've frequently and "permanently" sworn off talking about work online but I've just gotta since that's where real developments have been going on. Things related to actual work have been going well ... we have plenty of projects to work on and we're making good progress on all of them. Things related to employment status have also taken a step in the positive direction ... we've finally gotten through the large amount of paperwork and administrative processes required for me to move from hourly to full time. I'm now a member of the American Federation of Teachers and am super-jazzed about incredibly mundane things. For example: I have a salary determined by a "range" and a "step" on a chart. The "range" is determined by my ... I guess you would say "rank" or "skill level." The "step" is based on seniority. As the months and years pass, I'll move up the "steps" on a predictable periodic schedule and likewise see scheduled (and contractually guaranteed) pay increases. This sort of structured advancement puts my mind much at ease.
     Things related to office politics have also moved toward the positive. We staff members all met with our Vice President today and had our opportunities to add some input to the process, and it looks like there will be a resolution announced in the near future. It's good to see the system at work.