I met some people last year who had recently been to an international RPS championship thing in Canada.

People are endlessly fascinating.

People are endlessly fascinating.

The people all had nicknames and most had costumes on. And the announcers really sounded like Cotton McKnight and Pepper Brooks, discussing technique and strategy. It's so freakin' hilarious.

I need to go to the store and do yard work. But it's HOT out there!

I have mostly calmed from yesterday's breakdown at work. I'll try not to bore with the details, but the new online system for secretaries to do travel takes on average FOUR TIMES longer to process than the paper system.

So my desk has been overflowing with travel. I can't finish my work, anymore. And things are slipping through the cracks, because instead of the trusted secretaries pushing the paper through signature cycles like lightning, now the signatures are obtained electronically. Of course, that means that a travel request can sit in someone's email box for a week, while they're off on travel, or ignoring email.

Before, all the requests were sent to the secretary, who would put the pile under her boss' nose for signature, and then she'd drop them all in the mail to the travel department or send an email for me to pick it up. If her boss wasn't there, she'd just give it to the deputy. I never, in five years, worried about the paper falling through the cracks.

It was sort of like, we were a line of people bailing water off a sinking ship, because we all were doing it in unision, we remained afloat.

But the new automated system only bails one bucket at a time.

But now, the auditors (all eight of them) can more accurately count the buckets! Nebermind the hundreds of secretaries who are falling apart at their desks.

So my bosses keep telling us it is not our fault, that when things slip through cracks, when the overtime keeps piling up, when people can't present at international conferences all to make a few auditors happier, the system will change.

But most of the secretaries are really very diligent, and our entire culture is built on cooperation with each other, so it's difficult to NOT get stressed out by the crappy system.

That's my work rant. I took this job because I was mostly able to leave it behind at the end of the day, but now I go to bed worrying about things languishing in someone's email, and that I can't do my job properly to make sure things run smoothly.

Time to get a new job.

Oh, ugh, Allyson. Between that and the no-AC, I can't imagine not getting stressed out.

That sounds completely horrible, Allyson. If the bosses are thinking that it'll change when things fall apart, and the secretaries are working very hard to hold it together, it won't change until the secretaries fall apart. It would suck if you had to go find a new job because of this stress.

Sounds like the workflow is really broken. Just tell me that your system is based on SAP and that'd be my nightmare all over.

Today, so far I've been to two grocery stores, brought 4 bags of groceries home, watched a special about animals before the dinosaurs (a millipede ten feet long? ), went to yoga, and now I'm having a little lunch. Still ahead in the day is a dear friend's wedding, so I'll get some yard work in, then shower and get ready for that!

I'm watching that Before the Dinosaurs special right now, as I procrastinate. I have a messy house and zero motivation.

Theodosia's day is making me tired, even though she is 3 hours ahead. I did accomplish the first big thing on my to-do list, but that's about it.

That's really unfortunate.

Reminds me of when I had a boss where, after I'd send him an email that needed a documented response, I'd have to walk down to his office "Hi. I just sent you an email you need to respond to quickly." "Oh, I was supposed to reply?" And I'd stand there as he fluttered and darted to the computer and replied. He asked me to do this. Rather defeated one of the advantages of email.

I need to go out. Anything is better than sitting here watching the temp go up indoors (no, the a/c is not working well at all. A case where I hate being right.)