The Daily Rant

Oooh, I could rant for hours about my work. It's usually not bad, but lately I have this huge list of problems and it's really stressing me out.

"Internship Mess 2005" refuses to go away. Every time I think I have it figured out, something else comes up. I really hope next year goes a lot smoother.

"Logistical Nightmare 2005" finally calmed down. And yes, I name my problems. They have to be huge to have a name.

Another problem that I have is with the fact that I have multiple bosses. I'm sure there are a lot of people that can agree with me, it sucks. I work at a University, so there is a huge chain of command, and basically almost anyone can tell me what to do. I have to listen to my department chair, but he never knows how to do anything. He won't follow rules, either. His malfeasance (my word of the day!) has gotten me into trouble more than once. He will tell me to do something, and since I'm new I don't know that it's not the right way to do something. So a couple months later, someone high up in administration catches the mistake (because that's how long it takes to get stuff done around here), and then sends an angry e-mail to my department chair, copying the dean and his assistant (who is my direct supervisor). My department chair proceeds to completely forget the details of the situation, and I'm relied upon to provide a paper trail.

Then my supervisor makes me feel better by telling me that it's okay to make mistakes, especially when I'm new. She explains to me the correct procedure (she's a really good supervisor), and then tells me that I need to explain to my department chair (in a way that he can understand) that this is the way it must be done. That's where I have a problem. Even though my dept. chair was in the Navy, he is just not a rule-follower. His favorite saying is, "Welcome to a beauracracy." He does things that make sense to him, but he doesn't think of how it will affect other people.

Well, I told you that I could rant for hours. I'll stop here, though, because I have a headache, and I have lots of work to do.

Keep ranting, you'll feel better!