A Single Flower

The other day work was really stressful.

We were a bit shorthanded because there weren't enough tutors (on both the Stats & Calc sides), so students were coming out to me at the front desk to get their questions answered. Part of being a supervisor means answering the phone. Usually students from the Pathways Program call for help when they are stuck on a problem. As a supervisor, if I can answer it quickly, I take the call. If it is a problem that will take a little longer, I'm supposed to pull a tutor aside and have them take the call. Since we had crowded labs, there weren't any spare tutors, so I had to take the calls myself regardless of the length.

Another supervisor duty is to respond to any incoming web chats (again, for Pathway students, usually). Sometimes, if they are longer questions, I can pull a tutor aside to help with those too. The lack of spare tutors really made things like that a little bit stressful. I was doing alright, until my head started to hurt because it had been several hours since I'd eaten. I had planned on having an hour to go get something to eat because from 2:00-3:00 someone else had the supervising shift and I didn't have to work in the lab until 3:00. However, the person who had that shift didn't show up. So I didn't get to eat. During that time, I had a phone call that I was taking, a trig student needing help, and THREE different chats coming in. And no spare tutor. Oh, the supervisor logs students in and out as they come and go into the math lab, so I was doing that too all while doing the other things. I was tired and hungry and getting crankier by the minute.

In an attempt to feel a little bit better, I texted Ethan that work was crazy stressful and that I was dying to go home. I still had to work until 6:30 even though I'd been there since about 12:40. (With the last time I'd eaten being 11-something.) However, he didn't get out of class until 3, so I wouldn't get his response until 4:30 when I switched to meeting one-on-one with a student.

At 3:10 I went into the lab (there was a chat that I was working on when the 3:00 supervisor showed up). I was helping a student with a quick question, when I turned around and saw Ethan. (Best thing to turn around to all day!) And he'd even brought me peanut m&ms and some crackers!

My 4:30 appointment didn't show up, so they kept me in the lab because there were so many stats students and not enough people that knew stats as well as me that were available. So, still no break for me. After that I worked my last shift (supervising) of the day.

On my walk home, all I could think was: I'm cranky, don't even talk to me. I still had to clean for clean checks and grade a stack of papers. When I got home, I grabbed some food and saw a flower on the table. I briefly wondered who's it was and then went on to clean the vanity. A little bit later, Sarah exasperatedly asked me if I'd seen the flower. I said yes, that it was pretty. And then she asked me if I'd read the note. That's when it hit me--the flower could be for me. I hopped up and guess what, it was!!

I've got me a good one :)