My work drives me crazy

by Tom Terson
(Minneapolis)

I guess a lot of things drive me crazy. Not having enough money is something that really gets to me.

I make enough to get by but there are all these things that I want to do. I want to finish school; I want to go traveling with my wife. I want more than just subsistence.

The problem is that I don’t make enough and I don’t have enough experience or qualifications to just jump from one field to another. It drives me crazy that I’m trapped in this job that doesn’t pay enough for me to do all the things that I really want to do.

My co-workers really get to me too. There is one person that is sick all the time and sits at her desks hacking out a lung. She tries to cough more when she is sick.

In some way she thinks that this will help her. She should just quit smoking and drink clear liquids instead of disturbing the whole office. She also will bring a large bag of chips to work and finish it in one day.

That means that I have to listen to eight hours of crunching noises. Now that drives me crazy. This same person takes personal calls all day. I have to answer the phone and I am not there to receive calls for her family members.

It is a business and every time I answer the phone for her husband or sister, it is taking time away from important work. I have actually memorized which phone numbers are hers and make a point not to answer the phone when those calls come in.

My work drives me crazy. It’s not just the lack of money.