THEY are way understaffed.
Are you management? Do they pay you enough to worry about this stuff, as well as your oversized workload? No, I didn't think so.

You are more important than the job.

This just in:

My coworker and I will be walking in the grad procession. It only took 3 years!

I had it OUT with the bosses boss Friday (it was scawy at first, she was yelling) At the end she hugged me and told me how great I am and apologized for the initial reaction. I got to say a lot of what I felt.

I'm taking the next 3 days off.

I can't wait to forget about this place for a few days!

I'm still keeping the eyes peeled for another job. As it is here, I think I feel better and am keeping in mind that I am only human and one person and "joke 'em if they can't take a fuck."

Thanks all! :)

Good for you!! Congrats on the days off

That's great! But f the boss' boss for yelling at you--how rude of her.

Good for you for speaking your mind. After you come back from your vacation and they've had a chance to really see how much they would miss you if you were gone, ask for a raise.

Or the second day you are off, call or text your boss telling her you want a raise and you need an answer by the end of the day. She'll think you've had an offer and let you know indirectly how badly they need you.

Never in my life have I ever:

• been so unmotivated and uninspired professionally
• been so disgusted with my employer
• understood, really understood, "Office Space" so completely

My first corporate experience, and if it wasn't for the benefits (of utmost importance to this single mom, no alimony/child support/gov't assistance), I would be outta here so freakin fast. Nothing like a negative environment to sap your inspiration and motivation for your career.

I've been struggling with it too, as a job change really isn't going to solve my problems, but create another set of them. So I went back to the gym during the week. I fill my weekends with fun and inspiring things. Screw the laundry, I'm going fishing or riding my ATV or snugglin with my hunny all day watching movies, and, most importantly, I'M NOT THINKING ABOUT THAT PLACE OR MY CAREER. These things do not define me so wholly that a lack of satisfaction with my professional life should interrupt my personal life, or affect my self perception. I have a good life. My job pays my bills and for my hobbies.

Life is too goddam short, my friend.

I highly recommend these two books:

Fire Your Boss by Stephen Pollan and Mark Levine; and

Making Work Work by Julie Morganstern.

Especially the first one, which basically says, your loyalty should be to yourself not your boss. Julie Morganstern is an organizer, and that book has lots of tips for de-stressing.

My brother sent me this excerpt in an email today:

A great deal of psychological stress comes from the rush and hurry of a turbulent mind, which jumps recklessly to unwarranted conclusions, rushes to judgments, and often is going too fast to see events and people as they truly are. Such a mind keeps the body under continual tension. It is constantly on the move – desiring, worrying, hoping, fearing, planning, defending, rehearsing, criticizing. It cannot stop or rest except in deep sleep, when the whole body, particularly the nervous system, heaves a sigh of relief and tries to repair the damage of the day.

Eknath Easwaran

(He said he didn't know who Eknath was but that he thought he was in Shrek II...he's a funny guy)

I think when I slow down to process thoughts I do better.

Hang in there Smurf. That was a great post, and gave me food for thought.

I'll look for those books in the library, Cloud...thanks.

grumble grumble:

Boss was off over a week.

"Thank for holding down the fort, Shawnee." Not.

She thinks the chaos ends when she leaves, I guess.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

You're getting lots of good advice here, Shawnee. How's the job search going? Got any good things organised for outside work to redress that old work/life balance thang?

Job search is floundering aimlessly. Bad procrastinator.

I've been doing some gardening, staying out of my club (heretofore named "woe is me." The negative vibes are killing me) and reading even more than I used to.

I got a bit of a leg up on finances so that load off is awesome.

I am now still looking casually for a new job, but also considering getting my master's degree while this school will still pay for it. This is amid the chants from the board of trustees' "budget cuts, budget cuts."

Thanks for asking! :)

Steve McCroskey: Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit drinking.

Steve McCroskey: Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit smoking.

Steve McCroskey: Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue.

Steve McCroskey: Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit amphetamines

Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop reading The Cellar.

lol, I say that a few times a week, although I update it.

I picked a bad week to give up crack cocaine just has a nice ring to it.

I've come to the conclusion that I have to create a few sources of revenue and work for myself. There's just too much insanity and jealousy at work. Sort of innate in my midlife career field. I never worked with so many other women before and it's killing me. wtf.