March was all about being a crazy, overbooked person. So far, April is looking about the same. I haven’t picked up a book to read in over a month now, and that’s completely against my nature. I still have so very much to do -- around the house, with my freelance work, with Kevin, with my friends, with myself. I haven’t felt this kind of time crunch in many years. Yet, at the same time, I’m not feeling frenzied. I think I’ve come to realize that it will all get done eventually, and that making myself nuts won’t do anything toward making stuff happen more quickly. And also that I can’t force myself to the grindstone 24/7, or I won’t be effective at anything.

Prioritization has been my mantra lately. First it was getting a workable space carved out of the new place, and having at least one room (the bedroom in this case) put together. I’m at the point now where I feel comfortable working in the new space and know where things are, so I can proceed onto finishing this big project -- I hope it will be done by the end of the weekend, but that might be overly optimistic. It seems like this project has taken forever, but I think it’s only because I didn’t receive the last of the necessary materials until just over a week ago, even though I started working on it near the beginning of March.

When I need a break from the big project, I’ll do my taxes. Not much of a break, eh? I used to be chomping at the bit to do my return at the beginning of the year to get my cash back as quickly as possible, but since I’ve started freelancing seriously and now usually end up owing a rather large chunk of money, I’ve become a bit of a procrastinator about it.

--

The big news in the state is the striking public school teachers and UH faculty. The entire public education system in this state has been shut down for a little over a week now. As far as I’m aware, only one school has reopened -- on Ni`ihau. UH is still trying to hold classes taught by less-than-half-time instructors and grad students, who do not fall under the faculty union, but for the most part no one is showing up.

I’m amazed that this situation is getting next to no coverage in the national news. There was some mention in USA Today and on CNN on the first day of the strike (5 April), but I haven’t heard of any coverage since. Newsweek has been silent -- another reason to not send in that subscription renewal form that is sitting on my desk. We are the only state with a statewide public school system, and UH in its various forms handles the vast majority of the higher education in the state.

The teachers and faculty deserve every last bit that they’re asking for. They are among the lowest paid in the nation, living in a state with one of the highest costs of living. It is incredibly hard to recruit good teachers and faculty (not to mention police officers and firefighters and other essential workers) to come here. Those who are here already receive offers from schools on the mainland at much higher pay, and many of them leave to take advantage of it.

With one exception, everyone I’ve discussed this with fully supports the faculty and teachers. Even the lieutenant governor was out on the picket lines with them last week. I’ve heard a lot of theories on why getting a settlement is taking so long, mostly dealing with the governor himself alledgedly being vindictive toward the unions that did not support him in the last election (he narrowly won over a Republican candidate that the unions supported -- that should tell you something about his stormy relationship with the unions). I don’t know the man personally and have only heard second-hand accounts of clashes, so I won’t speculate. But something needs to give.

Follow the story in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin or the Honolulu Advertiser.
- posted by Lori @ 5:16:00 PM | permanent link | |