You know it's finals because the first floor of the library is full of people who are making such a din you'd think they were fighting for spots on Noah's Ark. Each clump of students is positive that whatever project they are working on is far more important than anything else going on in the library and therefore the staff should totally cater to their needs, needs that may or may not include the following:
- Cancelling all print jobs ahead of theirs on the queue because they need their print outs RIGHT NOW!
- Allowing them to be as loud as they want even if the noise is disturbing other students cause, God damn it, their project is life or death and as such requires large amounts of bitching, yelling, and poo-pooing
- Keeping the library open later just for them because they weren't smart enough to finish up all their printing/research/scanning when we gave them the 15 minute warning.
- Finding a way to produce printer paper out of thin air even though maintainence forgot to order extra reserves in time for finals and now ALL the academic buildings are totally out of it.
- Making their oversized document fit the printer/scanner/faxing parameters without reducing the quality of the image.
- Finding a way to open corrupted files on the computer.
- Finding a way to get them into their email account so they can read a VERY IMPORTANT email even though they've forgotten their password and the registrar is the department that deals with these issues.
- Making the copier accept coins.
- Making the copy card dispenser make change.
- Changing 50 dollar bills when we've only got 30 bucks in the money drawer. (This ain't a bank kids.)
- Ignoring all the students ahead of them on line at the circulation desk because, you guessed it, their library transaction is SO MUCH MORE pressing than everyone elses.
Every single student thinks like this during finals. It's irritating and exhausting. I wanna make a shirt that says "YOU ARE NOT SPECIAL" above a picture of a finger pointing away from me and wear it to work everyday.
Yesterday Charles and I were reminiscing about our days as smokers. I've been missing cigarettes quite a bit recently. Well, not so much the cigarettes as the personal and social side effects of smoking; the community of smokers you can find gathered outside just about any store or office, the comfort of always having something to do with my hands, having an oral substitute for food, having something to DO on break. While I don't miss the jitteriness, the shaking, the indigestion, or the dizziness, I miss the commeraderie shared between smokers.
I was telling Other Mike about this last night.
"So go buy a pack," he said.
"No, no I can't. I only smoke when I'm really depressed."
"Like you are NOW?" he replied.
Call me stupid, but I don't think I really had a clue how depresed I'd become till he connected this weeks nicotine craving to it. I've never been addicted to cigarettes, I can take 'em or leave 'em. The only times I've ever smoked regularly were during times of EXTREME depressive relapse. I smoked the whole year I was 15, I smoked for about three months freshman year of college right after the Moses debacle, I smoked for three months my senior year of college right after 9/11 happened and Marc dumped me. It has been almost three years since I've had even the tiniest desire to smoke. In my case smoking isn't just a result of being depressed, it's a symptom of it. In fact, the only thing keeping me from rolling up on the news stand across the street and asking for a pack of Marlboro reds is my lack of cash. If a pack of cigarettes were still 3.50 you can bet I'd have one in my hand right now, but at 7.50 a pack all I can do is stick my nose to the glass.
Other Mike and I have increased our talk time over the last week or so. Now instead of talking once a day we talk twice, once when I go on break, and again when I get home from work. It's nice because it forces me to spend less time in my head. Being pulled out of my brain keeps me from formulating evil thoughts about myself. I'm thankful I have him as a buffer right now. He keeps me from getting aggressive with myself.
And just a reminder: First season of The Adventures of Pete and Pete comes out on DVD May 17th! I'm saving my pennies.
- Cancelling all print jobs ahead of theirs on the queue because they need their print outs RIGHT NOW!
- Allowing them to be as loud as they want even if the noise is disturbing other students cause, God damn it, their project is life or death and as such requires large amounts of bitching, yelling, and poo-pooing
- Keeping the library open later just for them because they weren't smart enough to finish up all their printing/research/scanning when we gave them the 15 minute warning.
- Finding a way to produce printer paper out of thin air even though maintainence forgot to order extra reserves in time for finals and now ALL the academic buildings are totally out of it.
- Making their oversized document fit the printer/scanner/faxing parameters without reducing the quality of the image.
- Finding a way to open corrupted files on the computer.
- Finding a way to get them into their email account so they can read a VERY IMPORTANT email even though they've forgotten their password and the registrar is the department that deals with these issues.
- Making the copier accept coins.
- Making the copy card dispenser make change.
- Changing 50 dollar bills when we've only got 30 bucks in the money drawer. (This ain't a bank kids.)
- Ignoring all the students ahead of them on line at the circulation desk because, you guessed it, their library transaction is SO MUCH MORE pressing than everyone elses.
Every single student thinks like this during finals. It's irritating and exhausting. I wanna make a shirt that says "YOU ARE NOT SPECIAL" above a picture of a finger pointing away from me and wear it to work everyday.
Yesterday Charles and I were reminiscing about our days as smokers. I've been missing cigarettes quite a bit recently. Well, not so much the cigarettes as the personal and social side effects of smoking; the community of smokers you can find gathered outside just about any store or office, the comfort of always having something to do with my hands, having an oral substitute for food, having something to DO on break. While I don't miss the jitteriness, the shaking, the indigestion, or the dizziness, I miss the commeraderie shared between smokers.
I was telling Other Mike about this last night.
"So go buy a pack," he said.
"No, no I can't. I only smoke when I'm really depressed."
"Like you are NOW?" he replied.
Call me stupid, but I don't think I really had a clue how depresed I'd become till he connected this weeks nicotine craving to it. I've never been addicted to cigarettes, I can take 'em or leave 'em. The only times I've ever smoked regularly were during times of EXTREME depressive relapse. I smoked the whole year I was 15, I smoked for about three months freshman year of college right after the Moses debacle, I smoked for three months my senior year of college right after 9/11 happened and Marc dumped me. It has been almost three years since I've had even the tiniest desire to smoke. In my case smoking isn't just a result of being depressed, it's a symptom of it. In fact, the only thing keeping me from rolling up on the news stand across the street and asking for a pack of Marlboro reds is my lack of cash. If a pack of cigarettes were still 3.50 you can bet I'd have one in my hand right now, but at 7.50 a pack all I can do is stick my nose to the glass.
Other Mike and I have increased our talk time over the last week or so. Now instead of talking once a day we talk twice, once when I go on break, and again when I get home from work. It's nice because it forces me to spend less time in my head. Being pulled out of my brain keeps me from formulating evil thoughts about myself. I'm thankful I have him as a buffer right now. He keeps me from getting aggressive with myself.
And just a reminder: First season of The Adventures of Pete and Pete comes out on DVD May 17th! I'm saving my pennies.
no subject
Date: 2005-05-12 05:57 pm (UTC)