People fatigue

Instead of writing a post about today's Hallmark holiday, here are my thoughts in a nutshell:

So we'll move onto work. Now, I love working for an advocacy organization. Mental health is not a sexy cause, even though 1 in 4 adults and 1 in 10 kids has a mental illness, and I'm happy to advocate on behalf of the underdog. (And here is a special shout-out for all of my friends who have donated to our upcoming walk - thank you! And a link if you want to learn more and do so. Ta-da.)

I'm also pretty organized. You combine the willingness to ask for funds, a big mouth, and being a Virgo, and presto! You become the events person.

Somehow, I am working in some capacity on each of this year's five events. My brain is fried. I have made more than 160 legislative appointments in the past four days. I don't even know how I am writing this post, except that I want to bitch about politicians.

I can now safely say, even on the local level, once a politician, always a politician. Even if they haven't been elected yet. I'd like to know, are these guys (and gals) just born bullshitters? Are they all totally full of themselves?

Today, I get a call and the first thing the guy says, after he says, "This is so-and-so," is, "Google me."

What I wanted to say: "WAT? Excuse me. I am not at the beck and fucking call of some random guy, and by the way, are you a porn star? What exactly am I going to find if I Google you, and why the hell should I?"

What I said instead: "So-and-so, what exactly can I do for you?"

It turns out this guy wanted to sign up for our upcoming lobby day and guess what? He lost a legislative race in the last election. He wanted me to Google him so I knew who he was. Then he proceeded to go on and on about tax reform, guns, etc. AND he wanted an appointment with the opponent he lost to last fall.

I had to let him know politely but firmly that our lobby day was actually going to be about advocating for a bill we're introducing that would help fund housing around the state.

"Oh, of course," he said, and proceeded to tell me all about how he was "colleagues" with his opponent before he lost, and how he got the guy a card when his wife had cancer, and...

I am not making this up.

I finally cut him off. He called back later, got one of my volunteers on the phone - ostensibly to join our organization - and went on about... tax reform. And oh, yes, he might not make it to the appointments on our lobby day.

Twenty minutes of my life that I will NEVER get back.

Then I am exchanging emails with someone from a state representative's office. I give her the names and hometowns of the constituents.

She writes, "Just so you know, that city is not in our district."

Now, I run everyone's address and ZIP through the legislative website. I have a moment of abject panic, double-check again, and guess what? The site says that person is indeed their legislator.

I call the rep's office.

She says, "Oh, we do have a few people from that city in our district."

Thank you for making me sweat through my clothes with anxiety for no reason.

On a more humorous note, I made an appointment with the senate leader for one of our members. Then my boss decided to go. This senator, who has an amazing amount of local power but no people skills, has actually yelled at many people, my boss included, in the past. Astoundingly, after my boss decided to go to the appointment, the senator decided to send a staff person in his place because he could no longer make it.

I get another call from someone who is trying to register a week late and tells me I need to go out of my way to get him in.

Then he says, "I'm not really excited about this."
WHAT. THE. FUCK.

I might as well go out of my way for you then, shouldn't I?

Some people have winter fatigue. I have people fatigue. Particularly political people fatigue. Say that five times fast.