Great coworkers and other things to be grateful for
I am seething over departmental politics at the moment, but I'm choosing not to write about them because 1) it wouldn't make sense without a huge backstory, 2) it would just make me angrier and 3) posting personal work junk is a bad idea, not to mention that you don't care about the tenure-track status of other professors in my department.
Instead, I am going to focus on what is great about my department. I work with a fabulous secretary who fills lots of roles. Besides doing secretarial stuff, she serves as intitutional memory, constantly rescues professors in jams, can be reliably counted on to notice new outfits or hairstyles, helps students willingly and always tells me that it looks like I'm loosing weight with sincerity.
Our department chair is sympathetic, practical, funny and very much available.
It's great to have two such women to work with. Who do you have a mutualistic work relationship with?
3 comments:
For the first time in my life as an entomologist, I am being closely mentored by women, and I find that I am terribly fond of all of them. Actually, officially I'm being mentored by men, and I like them very much, too-- but unofficially, and more truthfully I'm currently being mentored by about four different women. I don't know why this should make a difference, but it seems to. Anyway, I'm enjoying the experience.
An admin person and I can share jokes, though then sometimes I feel awkward when serious work stuff comes up and don't want to cause waves, but it brings out the grown up in me to approach him professionally when I need to and it doesn't mean I'm mad at him or anything. I get caught up in everyone getting along and liking each other.
Plus - I wouldn't have walked last night in the cold if it wasn't for the fitness group, but I think I'm sick now and won't walk - burning throat and sleepy. But b/c I walked extra this weekend, I still get in my 7 miles this week. I'm counting it Thurs to Thurs since we report our miles at Thursday's WW meeting. And my goal is 7 miles a week.
I'm grateful that I like all my co-workers, and my boss and I get along very well. I will miss our British postdoc when she leaves in a month, though!
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