Worst Day Ever
“Worst day ever” (as said in the voicing of the Comic Book Man from The Simpsons TV show).
Seriously. Since New Years Eve and Day fall on the weekend, Monday becomes the observed holiday. Nearly every workplace is closed so that families can sit around, watch football, and kick the keg from the night before. I had to leave a NYE party reasonably early Sunday so that I could come home, sober up, grade papers, and lesson plan. Thank God I didn’t attend the Mummers Parade this year, or else I would be way past the point of sobriety.
To make matters worse, I was slammed with initiatives that fell by the wayside during the December pre-holiday hype. Far too many “can you just... ” statements for me to handle.
For those that don’t work in the field of education, the “can’t you just” statement seems benign enough, but therein sleeps a deadly viper of a statement. The statement denotes “hey, I have a small task for you” with the emphasis on small. The connotation is much more venomous- this is a small project which you will be able to complete in no time. The truth is that literally dozens of these small items quickly stack up.
Guilt is incurred when something snaps within you, which resounds in a bellowing NO.
No, I can just do that one simple thing you asked me to.
Why not, after all it is only a small little…
I just don’t have the time or resources.
This should only take you a minute…
Consider the “can you just,” or “why can’t you” the equivalent to “do you have a minute,” wherein a largely proportionate amount of your time is consumed.
Right now my wife is at home, enjoying her day off as I am bombarded with work. What can I say? Happy New Years, 2006 is looking only so good so far. Now, how many days until summer vacation?
Seriously. Since New Years Eve and Day fall on the weekend, Monday becomes the observed holiday. Nearly every workplace is closed so that families can sit around, watch football, and kick the keg from the night before. I had to leave a NYE party reasonably early Sunday so that I could come home, sober up, grade papers, and lesson plan. Thank God I didn’t attend the Mummers Parade this year, or else I would be way past the point of sobriety.
To make matters worse, I was slammed with initiatives that fell by the wayside during the December pre-holiday hype. Far too many “can you just... ” statements for me to handle.
For those that don’t work in the field of education, the “can’t you just” statement seems benign enough, but therein sleeps a deadly viper of a statement. The statement denotes “hey, I have a small task for you” with the emphasis on small. The connotation is much more venomous- this is a small project which you will be able to complete in no time. The truth is that literally dozens of these small items quickly stack up.
Guilt is incurred when something snaps within you, which resounds in a bellowing NO.
No, I can just do that one simple thing you asked me to.
Why not, after all it is only a small little…
I just don’t have the time or resources.
This should only take you a minute…
Consider the “can you just,” or “why can’t you” the equivalent to “do you have a minute,” wherein a largely proportionate amount of your time is consumed.
Right now my wife is at home, enjoying her day off as I am bombarded with work. What can I say? Happy New Years, 2006 is looking only so good so far. Now, how many days until summer vacation?
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