Responses and organizing

In response to a previous post, Kramer asked if I developed an alter-blog ego while in China at growblog.com. NOPE. That's not me folks--my Chinese isn't that good.

My Chinese homework this week involves finally getting around to translating the comments from over the summer. One down, 3 to go. Please stand by.

And I'm sure you've all been anxiously awaiting the results of last week's time exercise. It was a 56 hour work week, not including weekend hours. But 7 of those were for preparing a presentation that was at least as much as a geographer as it was for work--so let's call it an even 50. Conclusions? Well, I haven't spent much time looking at the distribution of tasks yet. I do know that there are 2 important parts of my job that I spent zero amount of time on during those 50 hours. I also know that there is almost no down-time. Almost every moment is accounted for. In fact, I find myself chafing when people stop me to chat. I am almost 100% on task--or walking from task to task. I keep meaning to wear my new pedometer (that L brought home as schwag) to work. Coffee breaks amount to the time it takes to walk to the coffee shop that is about 25 yards outside the front door.

While chafing last week (and I counted 2 quarter-hour increments of people engaging me in conversation), I finally admitted to someone that as I sit at my desk, I can't help but glance out the window at people walking by. I try, I really try, not to resent the co-workers I see strolling towards the parking lot at 3:45 ...and 4:15...and 5:30. Sure, they may have gotten to work at 8am. or 7:30. or 7. But some of these are people that I have attempted to get ahold of at 8:30 and 9 and 9:15 and have failed. On any given day? No. But patterns emerge. This afternoon I attempted to find someone in their cubefarm, and then jokingly wished out loud that they had an aboard/ashore board (something the Navy uses to make sure the boat doesn't leave without someone important), because no one could tell me if this person had left for Thanksgiving weekend or not (it's Tuesday, btw). A very amusing conversation ensued, but I found myself semi-seriously relating a story from China. During one of my visits, I was treated to lunch by an assistant director. This was an expensive hotel lunch that I was really surprised that a librarian could afford. And the lunch conversation was one of the more serious that I had, and if she had an expense account, I'm sure it got charged. Anyway: on the way out of the building, she asked me to wait a minute--the then strode across the atrium and punched out.

I know it's not a contest to see who can work the most hours. But then I observe some people, who rarely return messages promptly, who scoot past my window at 3:30 on a regular basis. And other people, who appear to be at the point of breakdown, who return my emails at 7am and 8pm. It's hard not to remember that high ranking official clocking out for lunch. What would we discover if we all did the same?