Excuses

Since switching from retail work to a "standard business hours" job, I've noticed a few interesting patterns. For one, I have come to look forward to weekends again where I previously disliked weekends (because they meant that I would be working and inevitably busy). I've also noticed how people in these Monday-through-Friday jobs react to the rest of the days of the week.

Friday is momentous because it is the last workday. On Fridays, I'm frequently reminded of the Friday-ness of the day. "Happy Friday!" "Hey, it's Friday!" "T G I F." And so on. I'm also pleased to know that I don't have to work the next day, but I don't think I need everyone to remind me of it.

Wednesday is remarkable because it is in the middle of the week. It gets a treatment similar to Friday, but without any extra fanfare. "We made it to Wednesday." "It's Hump Day. Halfway through." To me, it's just another workday.

Nobody likes Mondays. "Ugh. It's Monday." "I hate Mondays." "Looks like someone's got a case of the Mondays." As a friend pointed out, part of this attitude may be due to excessive drinking and partying on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with little--if any--time allowed for recovery. I think it is mostly due to simply returning to work and being generally unhappy with the prospect of another full workweek looming.

But Monday is singularly unique in that it can be used as an excuse. When mistakes happen on that day, it is not at all unusual to hear. "Oops! Well, it is Monday." I laughed at that as a joke the first time or two I heard it, but I have discovered that it is generally accepted as a valid reason for making the mistake! As if apparently forgetting how to properly do one's job over a mere two days is normal. It doesn't make sense to me because, if the mistake is minor enough, on any other day of the week the same mistake would be grounds for a reprimand from managers.

It makes me wonder if I could get away with the same thing on other days of the week...
"Oh, I wasn't supposed to shred those documents? Oops. Well, it is 3:15 PM on Tuesday."