Is there an app for that?

As you know, for the most part I really enjoy my job. And then I have days like yesterday and it's a serious stroke of luck that all involved make it out alive.

As you may or may not know, I work for a newspaper. And with a newspaper comes deadlines. These deadlines do not change. Every week they are the same... without fail. And yet certain people seem so surprised when Monday rolls around again and we have to get the paper to the printer. It's not like this ever changes... this has to happen every week. Period.

The other thing is that overtime is frowned on. Well, actually people have been fired over it. It's a BFD if you have overtime. So, when I go over on Monday and Tuesday (because it's as inevitable as breathing) I have to leave early on another day. Obviously being the extremely smart person I am, I wait until Friday and take off a few hours early.

So this past Friday I left at 3pm. Now, the ad guys have Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to get ads to me so I can get them built and back to the them for approval. Ads being turned in on Mondays are a big no-no. I don't really have time to do them because I'm busy getting the classifieds to the printer. So, when I left early on Friday (only 2 hours, mind you) my bin was empty and everything was back to the guys.

When I came in yesterday my bin was full again with about 25 ads... and that is a conservative estimate. I mean, even if I had stayed the extra 2 hours on Friday there is no way I could have gotten those ads done. On average an ad takes me about 15 to 30 minutes... so do the math. I mean, c'mon people!! I am only one person who, by the way, is doing the job of two. My job used to be a 2 person job... and now there is just me and an intern who works for me 8 hours a week.

Oh, and to make matters worse, one of the ad guys called in sick yesterday... on a Monday. Really? You'd best be dying or have a limb severed... otherwise your ass had best be in to work. Let's just say that I'm pretty sure he will still be with us many years with all his limbs in tact... not acceptable!!

And it always seems to happen when he's gone to Portland to visit his girlfriend. Again... just not acceptable. I had a 4 hour drive to see Wulfe and I was still back on Sunday... he's only going an hour and a half (oh man, how I wish that was all I had to go... but that's another blog).

Anyway, I had to ride a few asses like Zorro to get what I needed but I did (miraculously) make deadline.