Conversation 44 - Excerpt

Lecturer: Oh– hi, Bill. Thanks for coming in today. I know it’s supposed to be your day off.

Assistant: Good morning. No, no, that’s fine, Jason. I had to come in today anyway, and start the inventory of the equipment room. It’s that time of year again.

L: Ah yes. Fiscal year end. Time to use up our budget quick before they take it away from us. How are we, generally, for supplies?

A: Not bad, not bad. We’ll make it to the end of term all right. But we need to look at next term’s projected enrollment again– it takes time to get some of that stuff. We had trouble last time with the frogs.

L: The frogs? Why? We’ve had frogs for the last thirty years. Hell, I had frogs when I was in high school, back in the Middle Ages!

A: Oh, it’s the amphibian fungus, Jason. You’ve read about it, I’m sure. The chytrid fungus. Frogs and salamanders all over the world are disappearing– populations just decimated. And the frog farms have been hit, too.