Drama-filled day

Boy, am I glad this week is over!!!! If today wasn't Friday and I had to go to work tomorrow, I think I might possibly lose my mind. I needed a weekend so badly! This has been one of the most stressful weeks at work ever, for so many reasons- we're getting bombarded with work, certain people in the office are setting ridiculous deadlines for projects, and on top of everything else, both my boss's mother and an editor's mother passed away this week... in the past five weeks, ever since my dad died, FOUR of my colleagues have lost a parent. I'm not exaggerating. Two this week, one last week, and one the week before that (my dad was the first). It's really emotionally taxing and overwhelming... I'm still trying to cope with my dad's death, and I feel like every time I come to work, I'm finding out that someone's had a loved one pass away... so it's been a very emotionally and professionally trying time in the office. Plus, we're totally short-staffed due to all of the concurrent bereavement leaves. It's just been a really rough few weeks at work, and it doesn't look like there's much of an end in sight.

And if things weren't bad enough, guess what we had in the office today? TERMITES!!! Ewww!!! I'm not sure how, exactly, since we don't have wooden furniture, and I don't know too much about termites in general, but they were all over a manager's cubicle, all over the place! She was so freaked out. I certainly can't blame her... I would have gone home and taken ten showers if I were her! We were all icked out, and there were rumors going around that we'd get to leave early so they could bring in an exterminator to fumigate, we'd need to take all of our stuff home, the building would be shut down for two days... none of those turned out to be true, of course. You KNOW you're having a rough time at work when the idea of getting to leave early due to the possibility of termites infesting your building actually EXCITES you and it's something you actually HOPE for. But, alas, these were just rumors. I don't even think they're bringing in an exterminator. I don't know, but the manager is PISSED. Rightfully so! She had to work at another desk all day long and is not satisfied with how it was handled/resolved. Again, I can't say I blame her!!!! That is so icky!!!!

So today had a lotta drama. Termites, rush projects... it was crazy. Oh, and then I found out- at 2:30 P.M. on a Friday- that I'm going to be the only proofreader in the office on Monday... both of the other proofreaders have vacation days! We're getting slammed to capacity when they are here, and now, I'm going to be the only one there on Monday to handle everything. I actually heard one of the proofreaders- who is known for um, not exactly doing her fair share of the work, shall we say- tell another person, "Yeah, I really need a vacation day right about now!" I was floored. I'm thinking, "YOU need a vacation day!!! My dad just died, I do TWICE the work that you do every single day, I bust my ass while you take extra-long lunches and make personal phone calls and leave early and come in late and surf the Internet- and YOU need a vacation day? Where's MY effing VACATION DAY??????????"

ARGH!!!!!!!! That's it... I refuse to let this take up any more of my energy... it's MY weekend and MY free time and I'm going to make the most of it! I don't want to spend the whole weekend worrying about work, because that's a waste of downtime! I'm exhausted tonight because of everything that's been going on this week- I'm just mentally and physically drained. I definitely foresee an earlier-than-usual bedtime in my future tonight! I'll probably collapse into bed with my book and a fave comfort food of mine- popcorn (I've just discovered the Smart Balance Light Butter microwave popcorn, and I'm totally in love with it right now. Normally I buy the Smart n' Healthy brand, but I bought this by accident because the packages are nearly identical, and it's a thousand times better!), and relax. I need to relax and unwind in the worst way, and I can't think of a better way to do it.

HURRAY FOR THE WEEKEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-)