Back on the chain gang

Wow. I was in NYC and it was so exciting and different and kewl and now I’m home, where it’s not very exciting, not at all different and not at all kewl. I do however still have a job, which is my number 1 fear when ever I come back from a trip. I’m always afraid that while I was gone something I over looked would have come back to bite me in the ass and there will be a scary “See Me!” sticky notes stuck to my door. I really stress about this, I over prepare before I leave in hopes that I can stamp out any fires before I leave. This has proven greatly effective, the last time I found something smoldering and was able to put it out before it caught on fire and made a huge embarrassing mess for me. I would much prefer I find the things that I have messed up, myself, hopefully before anyone else finds them.

I over think things sometimes.

Right now I am avoiding checking the messages on my phone. The little red light is sitting there, glaring at me with its one eye. I know there is something on the machine that I should have all ready taken care of, like last Thursday, and I don’t want to hear about it now. I will check it soon because it just sitting there is making me nervous. There may be nothing on it, it may be just a hang up… or it may be a huge issue and a very angry person who wanted me to call them back say Friday and now are on the phone with my Boss and… I really don’t even want to check.( nine calls! my phone doesn't ring nine times in most months! Arrggghhh! and they all need something from me)

The good thing about being so caught up before I left is that if I really get off my ass right now I could get myself caught up again. In just one day!

Somehow, though, I don’t see this happening. I get all worky and motivated before I go somewhere and then when I come back I’m tired and not up to the same level of output. I should take more time off; I would never get behind again. But then, I would be tired a lot more too and I don’t like that and besides, where would I go? And I would run out of vacation time in April and not be able to go on a real vacation, and by the time that time of the year rolls around when I need a long vacation… but maybe if I took more short vacations over the year I wouldn’t need the long vacation in the summer.

Or not. I mean I might just be crazed enough by the summer that no matter how many three day weekends I end up taking over the course of a year I’ll still need to get away for an extended amount of time. I don’t think this job offers sabbaticals and I know they don’t let us take sick time for vacation days. I think the odd mental health day should come out of our sick time hours, because by the time I need a mental health day, I am really sick and tired and I don’t think I should be docked vacation days because I am doing my best not to have to go postal on my coworkers.

I think that if The State were smarter, they would be handing mental health days out like candy:

Oh! You are concerned about getting your yard raked and the gutters cleaned out? But have two soccer games, a soft ball tourney, a bake sale, a pot luck and a baby shower all on the same weekend? take a Mental Health Day! You want to paint your entry way before the holidays? but all ready have too much else to do and can’t think of when you’ll find the time to get it painted? Take a Mental Health Day! If you have to go to one more three year olds birthday party or have to watch My Little Pony Saves The World even one more time or you’ll lose your mind? take a Mental Health Day! Did someone ask you for something you don’t have yet because they haven’t turned it in and the thing in question is buried on their desk yet they insist you go through everything you own to find it? take a Mental Health Day!

Right, that’ll happen.