gangstaswan

I feel like I've been slapped in the face.

For those who don't know, I've been sick since Wednesday. I spent Thursday, Friday and Saturday in bed. It's been on symptom after another. I called in sick to work Thursday. I should have called in Wednesday but my boss was already working from home because his parents are sick.

I'm not one to normally really really complain about how sick I am (unless it gets me sympathy ) so I need to stress how sick I am:

Fever
Chills
Ache back and joints
Sore throat
Headache
Cough (that tonight has decided I should sound like a barking seal - lovely to wake up to!)
Stuffed nose
Fatigue like you wouldn't believe

I was so sick I canceled the girls only trip to B-town, much to the other girls' disappointment.

Today I finally felt well enough to get out of the house. I went to the LA Times travel expo with my coworker. Then I went to work, cough and all.

Waiting for me is an e-mail from the very top editor who has a column in tomorrow (OK today's) paper. Apparently he's been sick all weekend and just isn't going to be able to turn in his column.

WHAT THE FUCK!? His column is due Friday afternoon. We go over this every week with the editors. The editorials and columns should be turned in by 3 p.m. Friday. No excuses (unless there's some really pressing thing that changes a topic but really that never happens).

Now I'm curious as to when he sent it.

It was today at 4 p.m.

I'm going to interpret this as, "It's OK to call in two hours after your shift has started to say you're sick. No prior notice is necessary."

So later as I'm having one of my really lovely coughing fits, my coworker says, "I should record you to show you're here sick."

She's right. And not only did I go to work even though I want to curl up and die, but even while I was in bed for those three days I was still checking my work e-mail and the Web site to make sure everything was OK. And now I'm left scrambling to fill space because someone didn't tell us he was sick until the last minute. If a reporter pulled that shit he'd get reamed.

I'm annoyed because my department constantly gets yelled at if something goes wrong. It doesn't matter if it's our fault or not, we still get yelled at. If something goes right we don't hear a compliment (especially if I'm the designer for some reason).

I think it's time to have a little talk with the editors. They aren't setting a good example. How can I chew out the reporters for missing a deadline when I have the uppers not obeying the rules? How can I encourage the reporters to give their all when management acts like it's more important to play golf or do luncheons than actually work on the paper.

Honestly I don't know what the top editor does. His title has "online operator" in it. You know who puts the site together? My department and one guy who does the designing (with input from my department). Oh and I'm trying to learn everything the one guy knows so he can get a bit of help (because hell we have time when we're sitting on our asses doing nothing because everything bottlenecks at the editor who would rather watch baseball than do his job!).

The one thing I'm grateful for is my little man. Tonight he got up with me when I had a particularly horrendous coughing fit. He curled up with me for awhile while I tried to get back to sleep, unfortunately that didn't work. I do have a few complaints though. I don't like being slapped on the ass when blowing my nose. And why is he obsessed about being in the bathroom when I pee?! Freaky kitty.