-We're under attack!-
This Friday would have been a good day to stay home.
Last weekend was an experiment in sleep deprivation, long distance driving, questionable food, and constant secondhand smoke. By this past Tuesday, I had symptoms of my first illness of the year. Congestion, high temperatures, headaches, etc. I misappropriated Pere Goriot and begged for a guillotine to remove the offending body part.
But go to work I did, and attended the opening for the new building on campus. State Senators and Board members and academic bureaucrats. I tried to stay out of the way of the hobnobbing and especially the table laden with cheeses, fruit, and bottles of water - common courtesy from the sick and possible contagious, though it should be noted that I was not alone in my condition. And no sooner had the speechifying ended, and I returned to the library to listen to my temples pound out Carmina Burana, then did word reach me of the school president's question and answer session. With free Pizza.
But somebody there responding to the bribe of pizza wasn't a student. He was the live-in companion of a coworker of mine, and he has too much time on his hands. I heard later that he told the president that the library was on the brink of collapse. He didn't mention any names, but he also described some of the workers negatively (not me) and spilled the beans on his companion's retirement plans.
He thought he was being funny, stunning the president like that. Sick as I was, I couldn't let that be the last thing the president heard. Her next move would be an interrogation of the absent director of the library, who would likely return from her vacation early to implement a furious staff restructuring.
So I went in, and stood between the president and her late lunch, and tried to assure her that we are thriving, really. Too bad her only questions for me were the only ones I couldn't answer. Only the director knows which staffing plan she'll propose.
Safe money is on the cheapest, of course.
Last weekend was an experiment in sleep deprivation, long distance driving, questionable food, and constant secondhand smoke. By this past Tuesday, I had symptoms of my first illness of the year. Congestion, high temperatures, headaches, etc. I misappropriated Pere Goriot and begged for a guillotine to remove the offending body part.
But go to work I did, and attended the opening for the new building on campus. State Senators and Board members and academic bureaucrats. I tried to stay out of the way of the hobnobbing and especially the table laden with cheeses, fruit, and bottles of water - common courtesy from the sick and possible contagious, though it should be noted that I was not alone in my condition. And no sooner had the speechifying ended, and I returned to the library to listen to my temples pound out Carmina Burana, then did word reach me of the school president's question and answer session. With free Pizza.
But somebody there responding to the bribe of pizza wasn't a student. He was the live-in companion of a coworker of mine, and he has too much time on his hands. I heard later that he told the president that the library was on the brink of collapse. He didn't mention any names, but he also described some of the workers negatively (not me) and spilled the beans on his companion's retirement plans.
He thought he was being funny, stunning the president like that. Sick as I was, I couldn't let that be the last thing the president heard. Her next move would be an interrogation of the absent director of the library, who would likely return from her vacation early to implement a furious staff restructuring.
So I went in, and stood between the president and her late lunch, and tried to assure her that we are thriving, really. Too bad her only questions for me were the only ones I couldn't answer. Only the director knows which staffing plan she'll propose.
Safe money is on the cheapest, of course.
posted by Benedict | 5:14 PM
3 Comments:
So the hot-sausage, egg and cheese on Italian Toast came back to haunt you, eh? Curse you Tom's Diner!!!!!!!!!!!
Curse you, Tom's diner!
But, seriously, Diner, stop shrinking. I'm saying this as a friend. You're half the size you used to be.
Stay tuned for an update post called "Director Down."
Post a Comment
<< Home