The first working day of every month, we count our individual and collective backlogs (librarians really like their statistics, lemme tell ya’).
So, to make the chore less onerous, the various unit heads take turns bringing in pastry-type treats for everyone. Usually, these treats are in the form of Backlog Doughnuts. The manager in charge of that month’s treats sends a message to everyone, announcing the arrival of the aforementioned.
I’m not a huge pastry fan, so I don’t usually partake. Plus, I don’t do any of the counting of collective backlogs, so I’m never sure if I’m allowed to partake. See, one manager sends out just a general “treats are here for everyone, so eat up” message, while another manager sends out something that goes a little like this: “There are backlog doughnuts at X location for those who participated in the collective backlog counts.” Only, she sends it to everyone, regardless of whether or not they are eligible for said backlog doughnuts. Unfair, says I, to taunt us with Tasty Num Nums and then, in the next breath, forbid us to partake of them. How rude!
So, on the first working day of every month, I get cranky as hell because of the Backlog Doughnut Conundrum. Will I be allowed to have a doughnut this month? Or, will they be meting out The Pastries of Maximum Perturbation?
Oh woe is me!
red paper boat 