Inappropriate Comment at the Coffee Pot

Excuse me? Did my supervisor really just tell me to add more beans to the coffee grinder while I was in the process of making coffee, primarily for myself? Making coffee in the kitchen at work is not a hierarchical thing, for the most part (other than the dean does not make it, claiming she doesn’t make it very good. Right. Lame excuse.) There are three of us that tend to make a pot of coffee for anyone that wants it – and it is based on when you get to work and how much you want coffee. Many mornings, it seems like too much effort for me and I’ll wait until 9:00 or so to get a cup after someone else has made it. I arrive at work prior to 7:00 though, and some mornings, like today, I am so tired I need something to get me going, plus I figure I should take a turn from time to time. Today, partly because it is so freaking cold outside, coffee seems like the perfect remedy to this sleepy morning. (Did we cover THAT remedy in contracts?)

Back to my original question – as I was putting the bag of beans away, did my supervisor really say – “fill it up to here” and indicate with her finger how high I should fill the grinder? Now – I had to bite my tongue to keep from saying, “Even the dean thinks you make it way too strong,” or, “We aren’t really supposed to fill it so full that we end up with coffee grounds in the coffee,” or even, “Excuse me?” with the proper inflection. What did I say? Nothing. Too shocked. Too tired. I would say she should not expect there to be a pot already made when she arrives shortly after I do for quite some time. I can drink tea. Don’t like the way I make it? Make it yourself. Oh, right, then I have to drink it. (It’s not so bad as long as you dilute with hot water.)

Yes, afraid that this is the most interesting thing happening in my life as of 7:30 this morning. I am not, do you hear me, I mean it, thinking about my oral argument that is tomorrow night. (Any of you out there recognize the first part of that sentence? Isn’t Judith Viorst wonderful? Did you know she is over 70 and her real life sons, Nick and Anthony are both lawyers? Alexander does community development lending for a bank. - Wikipedia.com and SimonSays.com)