I waited tables at a 24 hour breakfast restaurant for a couple of years, which has both sex and class issues. My family always wondered why I didn’t get an office job, until I told them I could make a couple hundred dollars a night.

I work in the Circulation department of an academic library now, and no one gives me any admin shit except for my boss who is VERY position conscious. I manage the stacks with a fleet of 20 student assistants and always hear about not being “professional” enough when I am friendly to my workers at all. I would be more professional, but it seems like that is a word that means whatever the person using it wants it to mean.

Unrelatedly, a friend of mine who is a florist says APDay greatly outpaces Boss’ Day for flower sales. Probably because Boss’ have more $$ to spend on flowers.

Nobody is really in a fabulous mood when they’re calling a law office, let me tell you. The way the bosses treated me was never the problem; it was the clients who were disasters. However, I can unjam all sorts of copiers and printers, hold an envelope in my hand and tell you whether it needs one or two stamps based on weight, and do the smiling voice over the phone.

Now, I am simply awed at the way some people treat the admins in our academic department. Manners and common sense would suggest that they’d help the nicer people first and go out of their way more for them, so you should be one of the NICER people… not an asshole.

Plus, they’re all in Detroit for a conference, so I’ve got the place to myself. Perhaps that is the greatest gift of all!

Happy APD to all who are/have been in my shoes.

I tend to hate AP Day, frankly, because my experience of it has been that people do it like it’s the one day of the year you can be appreciated. And not that I expect gifts or cards or anything from anyone, but — I much prefer the way the manager who is Jehovah’s Witness does it. She doesn’t do any holiday, so AP Day is the same as any other to her, but periodically she’ll give me flowers or sweets or something if I’ve gone “above and beyond.” But I’m a fan of random love and kindness. I actually didn’t go in today, mostly b/c of a dr’s appt, but I also dread the day itself.

It’s funny — I don’t think anyone at my current office knows what day it is, but I don’t really mind that much. My boss went to the mat for me against our union when they tried to bump me because of my low seniority, and the doctors have always treated me with the utmost respect. They tell me they appreciate my work, and they make sure all of us in administrative positions know that we’re valued employees.

Meanwhile, the law firm celebrated by giving us all beautiful flower arrangements on Administrative Professionals Day, but it was a little hard for me to appreciate it because I was treated like crap every other day of the year. It makes me happy that Administrative Professionals Day exists, but I feel like far too many places use it as an excuse to be horrible the rest of the year. You know — “We gave you flowers on Admin Day, so why are you being so ungrateful by complaining about the sexual harassment!” Bah.