Happy New Year.

I hope this will be a good year for the nerd hut, with a renewed focus. But, if my track record is any indication, it won’t be. I’ll try though. I promise.

And now, on to the bitching.

One of the most frustrating parts of my job lies in the interaction with the larger university community outside the walls of the museum. There are good people and hard workers out there, but for the most part I feel like many of them are doing their damndest to do as little as possible. It’s a sea of mediocrity and cover-your-ass. It drives me crazy. It’s institutionalized too. Back in my old life in corporate america, escalation was part of the culture. If you didn’t feel you were receiving acceptable customer service, it was your responsibility to run it up the ladder to the next higher person. Say what you will, but it kept you on your toes. Kept things moving along too.

That’s not so much the case here. I’ve tried it a few times and been swatted down each time. “Sorry, nothing can be done” or “that’s just the process we all have to live with”.

With a few exceptions, I feel like no one takes the initiative and everyone tends to shy away from responsibility.

Makes. Me. Crazy.