Monday 13 February 2012

(just for the record)

It is 9am on Monday morning
MrsM organises her work
carefully prioritising her lists
so that she can take an urgent document
to the Finance Department

MrsM is just leaving the office when...


1.
the student needs to book a room
for a group tasting of vintage mustard
2.
the academic wants to check through
the questions on her first exam paper
3.
the technician has to order a sieve
to sort tiny excavated bones
4.
the professor must change details
of his expense claim
5.
the visiting academic from Pakistan
requests a code to work the photocopier
and the visiting academic from Brazil
wants to pay an invoice.
6.
the academic wants to discuss
changing arrangements for a field trip
7.
the careers service cancels a seminar
because the speaker's car won't start
8.
the Head of Department needs
details of bursaries for
students from developing countries
9.
the administrator calls for information
about car passes for students
10.
the new mentee emails to arrange a first meeting
11.
the student brings the long awaited contract
for her teaching work
12.
the PhD student from South Africa
comes to share news about a viva that was passed...
a PhD student no longer!!

and suddenly it is not 9am but 3.30pm
and MrsM runs out of the office
clutching the envelope of signed documents
and arrives in Finance just before the deadline...

...without
the most
important
document
of all
which is still in her office.

13 comments:

  1. Ooooops! With a capital O! But really... let's look at this logically... Twas not your fault that such a multitude of maniacs descended upon your day all at once... this mishap was merely a metaphysical strike... for fairer work conditions !! :-) XX

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  2. oh dear, that was quite a day. hope today is a better one.

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  3. Mondays will be Mondays.

    oops.

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  4. Don't think for a split second you're the only one.
    Happens to everyone of us, all.the.time.
    And we don't have all those PhD, mentee, students, Academics ...
    A sieve for fine bones ... !

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  5. That reminded me quite horribly of life when I worked.... I notice that there is no mention of tea breaks or lunch?

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  6. What a busy day MrsM. Now time to look after MrM and and cook him a Valentine dish.

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  7. I can remember days when I was too busy to do the job I was paid to do. I am so glad that they are over.

    Heart shaped Coffee cake for MrM?

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  8. I think that this is one of those better to travel in expectation etc jobs ...

    PS - I am not anonymous - on this occasion at least

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  9. Take the day off, MrsM!

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  10. Sounds fairly typical... at least the forgetting stuff does for me anyway.

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  11. Rats rats rats. I hope finance were suitably understanding. Do they know you make the perfect apple crumble?

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