Educational Procurement Journal - September 2007 - (Page 21) BEST A N D F I NAL Sing Away Your Crazy Day by Victoria (Tory) R. Windley University of Delaware ave you ever had one of those days when you wonder just how crazy can things get? Do things in your office ever feel like a country song? You know, no dogs, or pickup trucks or broken hearts, but a good heart-wrenching melody to make you feel better. So if you’re having a “Make the World Go Away” (Eddie Arnold) day, just hum a few bars to yourself and you’ll feel better. When a large research institution got word that a dean had committed to purchase $60,000 worth of sweatshirts, tee shirts and hats to resell to support college operations, but didn’t have the money to cover the costs and would most likely not sell that many items in five years, a certain Purchasing agent was hoping that dean was musing “What Was I Thinking?” (Dierks Bentley). The Purchasing agent appropriately did not respond, “If You’ve Got the Money, I’ve Got the Time” (Lefty Frizzell). “Fiscal Year-End” – three little words that shake us to our boots. You might think “Funny How Time Slips Away” (Willie Nelson) when you’re still working way past dark trying to get everything possible processed before the cutoff – or maybe it would be “How Forever Feels” (Kenny Chesney). The next time a contractor comes running into your office four minutes past due-time on a bid submittal, you could do a lovely rendition of “It’s a Little Too Late” (Tanya Tucker). Unusual reimbursement requests routinely have one asking, “What Kind of Fool Do You Think I Am?” (Leroy Parnell), and when a request is rejected but the denial is appealed, you might be thinking, “She Still H us, know that’s a good idea. So if you need a few musical bars to get you through your day, here are a few more good options: “What Might Have Been” (Little Texas), “I Think I’ll Just Stay Here and Drink” (Merle Haggard) or “How Do You Like Me Now?” (Toby Keith). So when you’re cruising down the road listening to your local country station, the play list might just give you some unexpected comfort for your work day. It’s always fun to find smiles in unexpected places. Keep on humming! Article is a result of collaboration by the University of Delaware Procurement Services Staff. Thinks I Care” (George Jones) or “Here’s a Quarter, Call Someone Who Cares” (Travis Tritt). If things get real bad, saying, “Take This Job and Shove It” (Johnny Paycheck) to your boss is probably not your best option, even if the boss doesn’t understand the full impact of the “Revenge of a Middle-Aged Woman” (Tracy Byrd). If you think your boss would understand, maybe “Fax Me a Beer” (Hank Williams, Jr.) might be a better choice. Every office and office group is different, but here we keep “Linda on My Mind” (Conway Twitty), and those of you that know Victoria (Tory) R. Windley is the Director of Procurement Services at the University of Delaware. She is a regular contributor to NAEP’s Journal and Purchasing Link, is past faculty for NAEP’s Procurement Academy and past District II Board representative. Tory currently serves on the Board of E&I Cooperative. e-Mail: Tory@udel.edu www.naepnet.org EDUCATIONAL PROCUREMENT JOURNAL 21 http://www.naepnet.org
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.