Yes this is a work rant

I am going to admit right off that in the grand scheme of the universe my job isn't that bad. I sit, I answer phones, I work on the computer and I get paid. There are worse jobs...like cleaning out a sewer or working retail BUT this job does have it's moments.

There are conferences that come to the University and part of my job is to print name badges for each person. In order to do that I need the perforated name badge paper. My boss ordered the paper and a week later it was delivered. I signed for it and put it on the side of my desk. I week after all of this my boss asked me where the box of paper was and I looked at the side of my desk and the box was no longer then. The rest of my day went like this:

Person: "What are you looking for?"

Me: "A box."

Person: "What was in the box?"

Me: "Paper."

Person: "You lost a box of paper?"

Me: "Yeah, I can't find a box full of paper." (in my head at this point I am repeating the words "go away" as fast as I can)

The next day went a little like this:

Person: "Did you ever find that box of paper?"

Me: "Nope"

For two days my conversations for eight hours revolved around a box of friggin paper. It turns out that the person who cleans the office mistook the box of paper for recycling and dontated $130 worth of name badge paper to the Head Start program at the local school. So we ordered more and that box never came. Here we are now two weeks later and we just found out that the box was delivered and has been sitting downstairs. I don't know if the absurdity of this story translates very well but MY LIFE HAS REVOLVED AROUND A BOX OF PERFORATED PAPER FOR MORE THAN TWO WEEKS.

I think the thing that scares me the most about this story is that my boss became obsesessed about this box of paper. Everday I would get asked if I signed for the box of paper and everyday she would ponder for at least five minutes about where it could have gone. A new person has started at the office and the first thing he was told about was this box of paper and how it got donated and how we are waiting for the second box of paper. It's paper. Yes, it's colored and perforated so it's semi-special in the pecking order of paper but it's still just a sliver of tree that has been refined and dyed. And it has ruled my work life and now is worthy of a blog posting. A true sign that I should not work here much longer (another sign is that I flat out told my boss that if I was staying in the area for another year I would be looking for a different job right now).

Luckily it's spring and when it's May I will be switching back to Summer Conference Housing...still not my dream job but at least I get to rock plaid shorts and a maroon shirt AND there are no name badges. I am clearly movin on up.