work is for people who aren't a ward of the state.

i had a moment today - a moment of absolute clarity when everything was crystal clear.

i realized what it felt like to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

this is the craziest, nuttiest, most insane place i've ever been. and i've been to Hollywood.

my job is really simple. make sure we are clear on all ads that go to the printer for the many phone books we print.

easy peasy super squeezy.

until.

until the Valley Forge office closed. until our office and the Florida office split their directories.
until i learned that on the day they say books are paging, they're really not. it's a "cut-off'' only in word.

because they continue to process new ads for these books right up till the time the book is being shipped to the printer.

and because they're three hours ahead of us, they have given us a cut-off of 11am.
which is reasonable.
until you factor in the guy in our office who makes sure the copysheets are in our system. he doesn't come in until 8am.

then he receives the ads into our computer system.

later - he hands them off to be worked. about an hour later. it doesn't leave much time for us to work, proof and completed the ads.

then i'm the one getting my butt kicked because we weren't clear by 11.
or 2pm, for our local books.

like i said, i realized today how it must feel to be having a nervous breakdown. we're all running around insanely, trying to be clear in time.

then my little assistant girlie tells me today that she's putting in her two weeks notice.

dang. just when i was starting to get her up to speed.

it's frustrating. i have no feeling of, at the end of the day, that i worked hard and accomplished something. instead, i leave feeling like i just eeked by.

only to get my ass kicked again tomorrow.

*sigh*

i know in the grand scheme of things, it really doesn't matter. but, like most things in life, it's part of my life. i'm stuck with it.

until i win the lotto. come on, lucky numbers!