Things I've always hated but are beginning to drive me crazy...
1) Students' proclivity to walk into my office and start talking to me before I've acknowledged their presence (i.e. when I'm working on something else).
2) People who invade my personal space by, for example, hovering over my right shoulder while I'm sitting at my desk
3) People who assume I am always "on" and available
4) People who call at inopportune times for me and then end the conversation abruptly saying they'll call back
5) People who talk really really loudly
6) People who ask the same question over and over and never write down the answer. Especially if it's something simple like an email address, a URL or what code to enter on a form.
7) accounting software that constantly corrupts its own data
8) People who ask questions in public that really should be in private (like, "can I read this script during office hours and put it on my time card?" or "what is your therapists name again?" I got both of those today. In my (crowded) office)
9) People who call to have personal conversations and get pissed off when I ask them to hold for a second while I answer a question...and then put me on hold two seconds later for similar reason.
10) Fox News
11) People who call my cell phone with work-related questions when I'm at the office. I don't answer my cell phone at work unless it's down time
12) People who blast really loud music from the office across the hall. Particularly when its the same loud music over and over and over again
13) People who agree to a meeting time and then arrive and announce they only have 10 minutes before they have to leave.
14) People who ask how I can get any work done (based on the volume of students in my office) when they themselves have called me for non-work reasons.

Much of this goes back to the fact that basically I'm a pushover. I am completely incapable of saying "this is a really bad time for me. Can you try interrupting me later?" or "I'm trying to do my job. Can you come back after 6pm?" or "that's really inappropriate behavior for anyone older than 11" or, more realistically, "I'd love to talk, but now isn't a good moment"

actually, I've told a couple of the major offenders. but they also happen to be among my closest friends. which makes it much harder. It's really hard to tell someone you have to do work when you'd really much rather talk to them. But there's that whole responsibility thing... And I really would much rather talk to them. In my ideal world I'd work 20 hours/week and thus have time to talk to everyone on the phone, make plans to see them more than once every couple months, sleep late, and have time to goof off.

This week between midterms, proposals, and my boyfriend's birthday I am not exactly full of free time. Particularly because my classes are harder then ever before and there are some problem children driving me up the wall.

It's not, as people keep assuming, that I'm unhappy or stressed out. I've been blaming stress but it isn't that so much as lack of time. Which can translate into stress, and often does, but actually I'm not stressed I'm just exasperated.

And of course a large part of the problem is that "now" is almost never a good time. I've made some life choices that limit my time for social interaction. My friends have been incredibly understanding about this, and never question when I have to do homework or study and can't hang out. But there is a (reasonable) limit to their understanding. I know that. I'm also not exactly low-maintenance myself. I also have a tendency to call at inopportune moments. But I think (hope) that I'm less demanding with my neediness.

I went out to dinner with a friend tonight who I had cancelled on twice in the last two weeks (with more than 48 hours notice, but still). He was feeling abandoned, and asked me if I just didn't like spending time with me anymore. Since that's not the case, I went out with him instead of studying for my midterm Thursday- easy choice, but one that has effectively eliminated the possibility that I will get an A on this test. I feel really bad about having put him off, but wish I could have put him off one more week. He got me back though. He'd invited me to dinner at his house to meet the dog; we had planned on cooking, I was going to bring wine, it would be just the two of us catching up and hanging out. Yesterday I found out I would have to be in meetings until 7:15, so we pushed back when we'd meet up. and today I arrived at his place to find we would instead be meeting his boyfriend and brother-in-law at a pub down the street. Not that that wasn't fun (it was) but it was clearly, and passive-aggressively, payback. Fun, but still payback.

And, clearly, I'm a bitchy misanthrope. An exasperated, tired, bitchy, misanthrope. Who is going to do poorly on her strategy midterm. (This is not, I repeat not, a fish for "no you won't, I'm sure you'll do fine" etc. etc. It's a statement of fact) I haven't had enough time to fully prepare the case--it's an in-class write up of a case that was handed out last week, questions unknown. She said to prepare some numerical analysis, which will take me all of tomorrow night to generate, if I'm lucky. Leaving little time for me to prepare a deep industry analysis or dig into strategic options. All I've done tonight is read the case twice and take notes. and I have to go to bed soon.

Time crunch. Exasperation.
- posted by Heidi @ 12:10 AM