Are you stressed out? Too busy? Who or what is the culprit?

Every now and then we need a little bitch session around here. Let it out.

-- Anonymous, March 14, 2000

Answers

Looking for a new job has been keeping me ridiculously busy. It's great that it's an employees' market out there, but I am inundated with phone calls to return, interviews to go to, and completely annoying recruiters. Yeah, it's not a terrible problem to have, but after a few weeks of this, I leave just about every other day free instead of scheduling several in-person and phone interviews every day.

And oh yeah, some of those recruiters are idiots and outright liers. I called one on it last week - she phone interviewed me for one position, but when I went to the office to interview, it was for another position that I was totally unqualified for. Bitch.

-- Anonymous, March 14, 2000

I have an extremely stressful life. My job as a computer programmer, where I'm behind schedule the day they announce the schedule, is probably the biggest source of stress. Commuting to and from work adds to the stress. I'm also married, with two 4 year old children who have been behaving like 3 year olds.

Add to that my online life, where I get hate mail about my journal, I get attacked in mailing lists, and I get attacked in forums, and you're talking too damn much stress.

I want to go live in a van down by the river.

-- Anonymous, March 14, 2000

Well, let's see: I'm basically working two more-than-full-time jobs, and getting my master's degree in a program that requires me to get up at 2 a.m. once a week and try to discuss concepts in a somewhat intelligent manner for 3 hours. I also have a husband and a cat, but I feel as though I don't see them much these days. I need a vacation. A *long* vacation.

-- Anonymous, March 15, 2000