The office is quiet today.  It's just me and the intern, T.  L and V are on vacation, M isn't in on Fridays, P isn't full-time yet, J and M are in Harrisburg for a business meeting and N left for lunch and said he wouldn't be returning.  The temptation to leave early is there and I'm aching to take it.

A call from Mom and a confession of my desire to act upon temptation caused a shift in her voice.  Once light and fun, she gave a long pause.  What about the phones?  The answering machine will pick up.  What if you get a UPS delievery?  They're usually here before 2:00.  Are you sure you want to leave the office unmanned?  I don't have anything to do!  Well, it's your decision; you know the office better than I do.

I hate when parents do that.  "It's your decision."  Every time I've heard it, half of me would want to rebel and go ahead with my original plans, but the other half would be overriden with guilt.  What if we do get a UPS delivery?  There's a grant deadline on Tuesday, so it's possible.  And what if Jim Lehrer's agent calls, even though we've only been in contact through e-mail thus far?  I did give her an ultimatum to get back to me by close of business today.  And what if my boss calls to ask about Jim Lehrer?

The guilty half always wins. 

I'll still let T go early.  There's no reason she should have to stay.  Maybe I'll raid the supply closet, work on my rubber band ball.  And I could clean up my office.  Papers are stacked in piles everywhere.  Organized chaos. 

I gaze out the window at the sunlit tree tops and the people entering and exiting Carpenter's Hall and the traffic traveling down 4th Street.

Damn guilty conscience.

I feel:  annoyed