Things I Won't Miss

My last week as a working mother is coming to an end.

(Ha, ha! Working is such a loaded word! By this, I mean it's my last week of working outside the home - and actually getting paid for it!)

So, I've started compiling a list of things I won't miss about working in the office:

• Traffic on Stone Oak Parkway in the morning. It's not really slow - there's just a lot of it. And, for the most part, people are very courteous, but just this morning there was a jerk who pulled into my turn lane to turn the opposite direction but then changed his mind and sat there waiting for the traffic to stop to let him in.
• Coffee sludge. You know, that stuff that gets burned in the bottom of the coffee pot because someone pulled a Gannon and left a little teensy bit in the pot and it burned.
• That teensy bit of coffee left in the pot. This one really gets me. If you pour yourself a cup of coffee and notice two drops left in the pot, MAKE A NEW POT! It really pi$$es me off when I go to pour my cup and there are a few drops left. And, at my office, we have people who just put the might-as-well-empty carafe back on the burner, which leads to the previously mentioned rant.
• Dumb questions. I have the (un)fortunate office location just across from our work area copier. The other day, a coworker actually stopped and asked me, "Does this thing make copies?" I told her it was a teletransporter device so we can get upstairs faster. She actually huffed and stormed off.
• Solicitors. I know, they call at home too, but I doubt I'll get even half the volume of calls that I get here! And, it's the same people whom I've already told "no" who call over and over and over.
• Parking in The Pit. Our office parking lot is entirely too small for the number of people who work in the building. As a result, we have "overflow parking" on the utility easement behind our parking lot. Since it's an easement, there can be no impervious ground cover, so we have it covered in big, white rocks. These rocks have caused many people to fall and come in with bloody hands and knees. I've had my share of slips, including the day I purchased a gorgeous black leather Michael Kors handbag at lunch. I slipped and one of those rocks actually scratched my brand new purse. I think the people in offices blocks away heard my not-so-nice exclamations!
• McMeetings. Granted, this isn't as bad as it once was, but we still have a ton of meetings around here. I've weasels my way out of all but three, so it's not so bad. The best was a suggestion once to "have a meeting to discuss whether or not we need to continue having this meeting." No lie! (It was probably said more to get at the person who wanted to cancel the meeting, but it was said nonetheless.)

Okay, so this list is probably pretty long! My list in the next few weeks will probably be of things I do miss about not working in the office!