Into the Bonus Round

It's not even noon on Monday morning and I've already met my weekly quota of mistakes. That kind of efficiency doesn't happen every day and I certainly don't intend to repeat it, although you never know.

I blame multitasking: I'm talking on the phone while attaching return-address stickers and the sticker ends up in the wrong corner of the envelope, or I'm doing Inbox Triage and I send the urgent request for help to the trash bin, the literature paper to the freshman comp folder, and the witty personal response to a colleague's entire list of advisees.

Last week I sent the entire faculty an agenda that neglected to mention the time of the meeting, and this week I sent the entire faculty an agenda that listed the wrong date. I can check those two particular errors off my Life List to make room for new types of errors in the future.

Indeed, now that I've so efficiently met this week's Error Quota so early in the week, any additional errors I make take me into the Bonus Round. If you should happen to see me fall on my face while carrying a pile of student papers and a steaming cup of tea through the quiet library, please hold your applause.