The joys of being department chair

Normally the week before the semester starts is a relatively peaceful one: no students are on campus, and I typically work at home at my own pace. However, on returning from my trip I had two phone messages at home and dozens of e-mails, most of them relating to my role as department chair. The administration has decided it wants to add some classes at the last minute; the department has already found the adjuncts required to do it, but I've got to make sure all of our (already overworked) techs get paid for the extra work they'll be required to do. Also on my schedule for this week is preparing to fight to get a replacement position for a faculty member who's leaving, and trying to figure out how to pay for an unexpected multi-thousand dollar repair bill.

Oh yes, and sometime I should get ready for my courses ...