This Doesn't Bode Well

I got to the office today at 8:15 a.m., which is early considering that it's Spring Break, as I was hoping for an incredibly productive day. My family is coming to visit for the weekend, so I need to get a lot done before they arrive. At 8:25 a.m. the unbelievably loud fire alarm went off, so I spent the next 15 minutes standing in the cold wishing I had grabbed my can of Diet Coke on the way out. I then returned to my computer and checked into Bloglines to read this blog, in which a young academic declares that she was denied her third-year contract renewal. Now I don't know this person, so I don't know the circumstances surrounding her case, but let's just say it left me a little unsettled. I really hope the rest of the day doesn't continue along this track.