Consternation

It's just been one of those weeks.

I'm a pretty patient guy, but even I have my limits. I had a recent run-in with various members of the NYCOM administration, and I wasn't exactly pleased. The first, and far more serious, was last Monday, when I was called out during the middle of lecture,

"Will Thomas Crimmins please meet me in the back of the auditorium?"

I thought my ears were tricking me. Why on earth would anyone need to speak to me? Well, okay... I stood up and waved to the woman, like a dummy. I had no idea what this was about. But needless to say, I don't like being called upon like that. It's never to announce anything good.

I walk to the back, where there are like, 3 other administration types waiting for me, giving me disapproving looks, like I was caught dressing up the cadavers in hilarious outfits and taking pictures with them. The expressions were not unlike something a young child would get from the principal in elementary school.

I'm 26. I'm not liking this one bit.

The woman who had called my name starts going, "Thomas, Thomas, Thomas... you did a very bad thing."

ME (in my mind) "What the hell is this all about?"
And my facial expression is most likely revealing my utter incomprehension of the situation.

SHE "When the dean e-mails you to come to her office, you better go!"

ME (in my mind) "Buh?"
ME (out loud) "I'm sorry, I didn't get any e-mail."

To which, one of the other administrative-types goes, "We've been e-mailing you several times about this matter, and you never responded. Now you have to speak to the dean." And that last sentence she sorta said triumphantly... like, "Now you're gonna get it!"

To make a dumb story shorter, I'll explain. I had apparently never given in my meningitis inoculation form. They had apparently e-mailed me to correct this matter. Since I had not responded, my lack of reply would be considered reason to drop me from the program.

"DROP ME FROM THE PROGRAM."

Just in case you didn't catch that. They were going to dismiss me from school, because of this. Now, I acknowledge that I didn't check my e-mail since the middle of the last week. It turned out that they had e-mailed me twice on the preceding Friday. Now, it was Monday. And they were going to expel me.

WTF?!

The only thing I did wrong was not check my e-mail for one weekend.

Shame on me.

So now, the administration-types inform me, I have to plead my case to the dean. And I go. And it's fine. But I'm mainly embarrassed. Also, I picked that day, of all days, to wear my Homer Simpson, "Procrastination" shirt. Quite appropriate for a meeting with the dean.

My annoyance about the whole thing, though, is that my being dismissed from medical school. Something that took more blood, sweat, and tears (and crippling loans) to get into, I was going to lose because I didn't catch an e-mail sent two days before. Yes, I admit that I should have checked my e-mail every day. And believe me, I do now. However, wouldn't you think that such a serious matter would have warranted... oh, I don't know... a phonecall, maybe? Pretty freakin' lazy, if you ask me. And while I'm on the subject, I distinctly remember them collecting the meningitis forms and health forms during the orientation in August. I had my meningitis form. I came up to the lady (ironically, the very same lady that called me out of my class) and asked her if she needed it.

And she said, "no."

It's bunk, I say. Bunk.