I just showed Food, Inc. to my students so when I look at that guy all I can think of is weird microbial skin infections. yick!

I just knew that if I googled "meatman" I'd find a picture of a man wearing meat.

Internet, I love you.

Ugh, I'm just trying to dig out from under a big backlog of email and have been feeling so swamped for the past few weeks. Usually winter is a slow time of year for work with me, which poses it's own set of problems, but this year has been crazy busy. It's great for the business but it means I'm just feeling way behind on everything.

Things that are on the front burner right now; finish tax prep work to be ready to meet with the accountant on Monday, put together syllabus for class at SMC that starts tomorrow, put together Keynote presentation for same class tomorrow, follow up on discussions with new business unit at big client to solidify upcoming projects, follow up on audition with yet another business unit at big client which will hopefully lead to an additional long term contract, drive down to UCI to fill out HR paperwork for class that I start teaching there at the end of March, read over syllabus for same class and submit requests to college bookstore for script the students will be using, get digital scripts distributed for students in my class at CalArts for the next section of the class I'm teaching there, spend the next three evenings at UCLA advising students during tech rehearsals, schedule meeting with prospective board member for theater company where I'm VP of the board, schedule interview with potential director of development for theater company where I'm the managing artistic director...and I don't think I can type any more, but there's lots more.

It's good to have all the work and I'm very thankful about it, I'm just tired right now.

Wow ND, I need to take a nap just reading that.

I almost posted the exact same thing (as Burrell).

You guys! I forgot about the Good Stuff! Oops. Off to fill up the queue again.

Ugh, you guys, I have a situation at work I don't know what to do about. My new boss, M (new as of last summer), and my coworker, D, really don't get along, and I just want to Make Everything Right but I don't know how.

Basically, D feels that M doesn't value her program (she runs our Lower School library program, is in her third year in the position, has lots of prior teaching experience, and is working on her MLS *and* her Ed.D.). She feels that M looks down on her because she doesn't have her MLS yet, that M doesn't understand or value the work she does with the little kids, and doesn't really respect her or listen to her.

As far as I can tell, M feels that D is somewhat inflexible and unwilling to look at new ways of doing things (and I see her point), and this sometimes manifests as dismissiveness toward D, though I fully believe she does not intend it that way. We also have some issues in the library that M is trying to address, including staffing the circulation desk for 55 hours/week, and I think M can get so focused on her own things she's trying to solve that she doesn't always see that other people have different priorities.

So, what does all this have to do with me? Technically nothing, I suppose, except that we're a small staff (4 people) and they both complain (at length) to me, so I feel like I can see both sides of the issue when they can't.

Ugh. tl;dr There's tension and it's making me uncomfortable and I want to fix everything!

Holy crap, ND. That's a lot! Can you delegate any of it?

So, what does all this have to do with me? Technically nothing, I suppose, except that we're a small staff (4 people) and they both complain (at length) to me, so I feel like I can see both sides of the issue when they can't.

I see two possibilities.

The first is to start telling them both to leave you the eff out of it.

The second is to offer to them both to have a one-time sit-down with the three of you to address issues they have each raised so you can offer your perspective on them -- and THEN they can leave you the eff out of it.

Kate, I feel you. I end up acting as mediator a lot because people talk to me and I hate fucking drama, and I want to fix things. It's esp. hard when you get both POV's and both have valid points about things.

My question would be: Have you told both of them, diplomatically, what you have said here? It seems like D feels defensive about her perceived status and wants to be valued and appreciated, and might feel vulnerable because she doesn't have those letters behind her name yet. And M has a lot of schedule juggling and program juggling on her plate, and is focused on getting things done, and wants to cut through to the meat and make things happen.

Me? I would remark to D that she's obviously an experienced and intelligent woman who is getting two advanced terminal degrees at once, which is a huge accomplishment, of which she should be rightly proud. And that M knows that and appreciate her intellligence and dedication, as do you, but that M has a personality style which is focused on the big picture, and therefore she focuses on making things work and that's her job -- and that the scheduling issue is stressful to everyone with such a small staff (blame the budget cut -- every librarian I know bitches rightly about budgets) and it sucks for EVERYONE that they have to be more flexible than would be optimal.

And for M, since she's your boss, it depends on your relationship with her. Maybe point out (timing-wise being appropriate) some good thing D has done, and work in that it's great that M is working so hard AND getting two adv term degrees, and that is really stressful, and stress makes people dig in their heels, and D would probably be a little more flexible if she got a pat on the head (figuratively, and a genuine one) because it's common for professionals who work with children to be seen as lesser than because...they work with children.

All casual and as feels right. Other than that, there's really nothing you can do, other than (a) stay out of it, (b) tell them straight out they should sit down and talk it out because it's a small staff and 2 out of 4 being pissy and hurt or irritated and grumpy is a huge PITA and to ovary up and deal.

Me, I can rarely choose A, and B is usually an option for when you know the people really well (and one of them doesn't sign your paycheck) so...

Also, ND -- that is a LOT. Ugh. No wonder you are exhausted.