Dear Boss -

I adore you. I think you are the bee's knees that are dressed in the cat's pajamas. You are one of the best people I have ever worked for. Ever. And I've had over twenty jobs. Probably closer to thirty.

However...

You are the Executive Director and I am your assistant. It's right there in my title. And you really need to learn how to rely on your assistant. I know you've never had one. And I know that having one is tweaking your socially liberal, pseudo-hippie, pro-feminist ways. I know that having a female assistant, in particular, sometimes makes you uncomfortable.

But really? This is my job. I do not think that you asking me to research conference calling plans is making me feel like you are asserting your male-ness and trying to make me feel less than you. If I get you a cup of coffee, it's because I'm a) being polite and b) I just made it - not because I feel like I have to wait on you. I am not going to stand by your desk in the morning, take your coat and hat, and read you your appointments and messages. This is not an episode of Mad Men, however much I would like to dress like Joan. A good assistant anticipates. But I am not be a mind reader. I need your calendar so I can book you a conference room so you aren't running around trying to find an empty space while your guests cool their jets in reception. Please. Let me do my job. I swear that in the end, we will both be happier.

Much respect,
Aims

Aims - right there with you. My boss wants me to keep his calendar, but then accepts some meetings without telling me, not all of them, just some, so I am left wondering to do more or less. And when I tell him he has a meeting in 5 min, he keeps working, then is a little annoyed, when after 8 minutes I ask if he is going to go to the meeting.

It's like a larger more well-adjusted mac.

I just had a flashback to my old, Asshead Boss, who, thankfully, is retired now and not inflicting his assheadedness on any other poor admin out there.

In theory, we are replacing almost all our windows with new Low E windows. So far the report is that nobody has shown up with the new windows yet.

Tonight will be mini-blind restoration night.

I know I'm really lucky in that he's not an asshole who uses their assistants as personal step-and-fetch-it machines. He rarely asks me to do anything. But he's so unused to having an assistant and then his workplace heirarchy issues get tossed in there and it drives me crazy. But if my biggest complaint about him is that he does everything himself, I'm doing ok.

Kat, I've seen it.

I have made Unit Lesson Plan as an example for my students. All I need to do now is make a list of the books I got from the library.

I saw it, Kat. I liked it a lot, but man it's bleak, bleak, bleak.

I was really impressed by 82-year-old Estelle Parsons going up and down all those stairs all night.

In a rarity, and I have to do some work at home because I have a metting tomorrow. Usually it's a struggle to find a meeting room to fit 25 people, but somehow before vacation, I accidentally booked two for the same time.

Aims, I know the first time I had a job where I had a) a person working under me and B) a secretary available to me, I really struggled. I hated asking them to do jobs I myself hated doing, and would often do them myself. At the time, however, I myself had a good boss, who mentored me a bit and helped me to let go of that. But I still often did my photocopying myself.

My mother-in-law, presumably in honor of one of the last days I'll get to sleep in, called before 7AM this morning.

It's interesting that you bring it up because it had been in my mind recently, with the Roman Polanski thing. Not in any way that I can speak intelligently about, but as part of the mix of things in my head.