Work-from-Home Relief

Finally, after what feels like weeks, I actually get to work from home. Fridays are supposed to be my regular WFH day, but lately, work responsibilities keep pulling me back to campus. Today, though, I have no in-person meetings (actually, no meetings at all), no special events, and no professors bringing their classes to the museum. For once, I can just relax a little.

And if the fucking annoying emails that filled my inbox yesterday make me want to scream, I can at least do it into a pillow—so I don’t disturb my neighbors.

I rarely get to take real vacation time because something always seems to pop up, and when I do, someone inevitably finds something “urgent” that needs to be done. If it’s not an emergency, it’s someone being bitchy or difficult. What makes it even more frustrating is that my boss constantly tells me I have to use up my vacation time before the end of the fiscal year, since I can’t carry any of it over or try to take it all at once at the end. Easier said than done when work refuses to slow down long enough for me to actually take a day off.

Speaking of which, the possible plans I mentioned yesterday for my vacation day ended up falling through. So instead of doing anything exciting, I mostly just tried to rest and recover from the week.

In two weeks, I’ll be heading to a conference that I normally enjoy, but this year I’m dreading it. I have to go with someone who has become increasingly unpleasant and seems determined to make me look bad in front of others. Yesterday, they fired off one of their classic snide emails—trying to throw me under the bus for something that was actually our boss’s doing. It’s not the first time. I’m documenting everything, but I’m just tired of the drama.

I’ll have my Kindle to keep me occupied on the two-hour drive, which I’ll be spending as a passenger this year since they’ve decided they want to drive. On one hand, that’s fine—driving tends to aggravate my sciatic nerve these days. On the other hand, they’re a terrible driver, so it’ll be a long ride either way.

Honestly, work just sucks right now. I’ve got a few job applications out there and a few more to submit this weekend. Maybe it’s time for a change.

For now, though, I’m grateful for a quiet Friday at home—no meetings, no events, no people to deal with face-to-face. Just me, my coffee, and the sweet sound of not having to pretend everything’s fine for a day.

I hope everyone has a wonderful and relaxing weekend!