Tuesday, September 26, 2006

I'm just too busy

This morning I was listening to the radio on my way to school. This is, as I am kind of ashamed to admit, pretty typical for me and sometimes the only was I get any sort of news in my day. (this is how I found out about 9/11)

Anyway, this morning the DJs were talking about some lady that one of his wife interacts with. I guess the DJ's wife needed this woman to help her out with something. According to them, it was a small task that wouldn't take long and involved packets. (This made me think it was either girl scout cookie time, or some kind of Sweet 'n Low debacle).

I guess the woman whose help was requested wrote the DJ's wife back and email that said she simply didn't have time because not only does she home school all 6 of her children, but she also volunteers at the old folks home and runs the boy scout pack for her son and chairs the popcorn sale committee for a couple of other packs. Also, she has to take care of her mother's failing health and feed the dogs and blah blah blah.

This kind of thing has recently become one of my pet peeves.

If the woman had too much on her plate, fine. Say that. But don't make yourself the martyr and show that you are just SOOOO much busier than everyone else around you.

People in my program do this too.

It drives me crazy when I'm working out a group project and someone in the group goes off about how busy and hard their life is that they absolutely will not compromise to be able to work with the group. They'll complain at length about how much homework and other commitments take up their time.

Know what I want to say to them? Something a little like this:

"Grow up. Look around. Every single other person in here has responsibilities too. Your time is no more important than anyone else's. You chose to sign up for everything you are committed to, so I don't want to hear that you can't meet because your dog at home needs to be fed and played with. Maybe you shouldn't have got a dog at 20 years old and thought that you could spend enough time with it. And if you compare the responsibilities you have to watch your dog to the responsibilities that the other guy in the group has for HIS CHILDREN one more time I might just go ballistic!"

Does anyone else feel my pain?

8 comments:

katezmom said...

That situation only becomes worse when everyone in the group tries to out do the first guy and on and on. Makes me want to pull out my hair. You're right everyone makes choices and then has to live with them.

Heather said...

Argh, that bugs. I can't think of any situations like that off the top of my head, but I know it would make me want to punch their lights out! Especially if the someone is comparing taking care of their dog to someone else taking care of their kids. What a self-centered person!

(It reminds me of the way people drive in Utah!)

TRS said...

People in Colorado are the worst about their dogs!!!
I swear I have never seen -per capita - the amount of people who worship those furry little buggers!

It's so bad here... that many people are so enamored with their dogs that they are worse than those annoying parents who think their child is the second coming of Christ!
"Oh my precious Duke! He's just the best dog in the world... Everybody thinks so. Look, his hair is on your sweater... you are so blessed! "

TRS

Anonymous said...

I'm one of those over-committed people that rambles about why I can't do this or that. I feel the need to tell the requester why I can't help out because I feel like I have to justify turning down a request. It's not so much wanting others to see how busy I am, but to tell myself that I can't take anything else on.

Genny A F

Anonymous said...

well if I haven't told you already...here are all the things that I am committed to... ;)

Unknown said...

SERIOUSLY!! I think it's the WORST in grad school. The idiots in my lab swear they don't have time to clean up their disgusting saliva-covered experiment apparatus, yet I see them surfing the internet and chatting in Tawainese. ARGH. OK. It's obviously a pet peeve of mine too. Sorry for the crazy rant :)

Eddie said...

Yes, I feel your pain. And that's me speaking as the only person in my current grad program group who has children. Group work sucks, so let's just get it over and done with.

People who compare dogs to having kids are insane. I always want to say, "Have a kid, then note the difference." Don't get me wrong, I thing dogs are great. But kids progress, learn, and eventually grow up and lead the world. So, dog people, don't compare your dog to my kids.

Anonymous said...

Dogs are better than kids!!!