Exotic yet ordinary

So things aren't going all that great at work right now. Turns out applications and phone calls and all manner of miscellany don't take a holiday just because I do(go figure). When I got back from visiting the McKenzies, I had a monstrously large pile of stress wedged into my inbox and several messages from clients wondering where their gosh darn food stamps were already. My list of pending applications had grown a mile long and I had reviews out the wazoo. Three days gone, people. Three days. Was that too much to ask? It's almost not worth taking any vacation time, ever. But you have to. Otherwise, you go absolutely bazonkers.

Catching up on your own casework after being out a few days is stressful enough. Toss in an extra case or six from the vacant area, an unexpected handful from my co-worker out on medical leave for a yet undetermined amount of time (but likely four to six weeks), and a neighbor who insists on listening to contemporary country all day, and the result is much crying, wailing, and gnashing of teeth. Well, okay, not really. The result is much hand wringing and quiet despair and not knowing exactly where to start.

My typical response to stress is not helpful in the slightest. I don't knuckle under or buck up or do whatever it is that regular people do when faced with adversity. Heck, no. Instead, I have a tendency to shut down and seek out anxiety-free distractions, like writing obnoxiously long emails, reading knitting blogs, or staring off into space. Anything, really, so long as it has nothing to do with the pile of stress I actually need to be tackling.

So, my apologies if I get a little snitty or whiny or if I have a few freak outs over the next several weeks. I act out in stupid ways when I'm overwhelmed.