It’s been a busy week. Way too many short-staffed days, way too many short-tempered patrons. I guess I should be grateful that the day two grown women started yelling at each other at the service desk (the wackier of the two was using words like “racist” and “crackhead” WAY too freely) was not the same day that I was simultaneously hit by four different requests at the same time while I was working at the desk. Which usually wouldn’t be so bad, except in order for me to help everyone who needed it I needed to be in four different places at once. The highlight was when the teenagers who had just seen me mopping up a spill (problem #4) greeted me as I unlocked the program room with, “You’re two minutes late!”
I am not embarassed to admit that I growled at them, Dear Readers. And then I told them that my last shred of patience was gone, and that they needed to be both patient and quiet if they wanted to come to my games program.
I had a longer post in mind, but I’m tired out from a long day of eating chips and chicken wings and toasted sandwiches. Now it’s back to the game (okay, I mean back to the commercials). They’re still debating what caused the power outage at the Superdome. I suspect it had something to do with Beyonce’s halftime show. Didn’t she say something about having her fans direct their energy towards her? Well, that’s my best guess for now.
February 3, 2013 at 10:16 pm
I remember our “network manager” telling the staff at my branch that we were overstaffed. I imagine she told you guys the same.
Any further comment I omit, since it would consist of an unceasing stream of blasphemy.
February 3, 2013 at 10:25 pm
No, our staffing is okay when everyone who’s supposed to be there is there. But we’ve been hard hit recently with a ton of sick leave and emergency annual leave overlapping with previously scheduled free days and vacation days. Earlier this week we had three staff members out sick at the same time, and we were all getting worn down from putting in extra hours on the desk. That’s when I started getting (more) irritable, and that’s when I started growling.