"But why limit yourself to modern swear words."
January 4, 2021 4:57 AM   Subscribe

Vu Le writes "21 tips to make getting back to work this week more bearable". "5. List out stuff you’re grateful for. It’s important to remind ourselves regularly of our blessings. Make a list of five things you’re grateful for. That feels great, right? That’s a lot of emotional progress. Go ahead and take the rest of the day off from work." His blog, Nonprofit AF (previously), frequently features satirical takes on life working in the nonprofit/NGO sector (previously), such as "Honest email auto-replies you can use during these challenging times".
posted by brainwane (7 comments total) 25 users marked this as a favorite
 
“This is an auto-response. I will try to get back to you as soon as I can. But what exactly is the point of doing so? Life is a loose collection of primal screams echoing in the Void. As Heinrich Böll once said, ‘I am a clown…and I collect moments.’ Are we not all clowns putting on the makeup of professionalism, collecting moments of productivity and meaning to display in gaudy curiosity cabinets for other clowns to gawk at? Your email and my response are nothing but a series of ritualized actions to distract us from the horrors of inevitable oblivion.”
I needed this forever ago. But now will do too.
posted by iamkimiam at 5:31 AM on January 4, 2021 [15 favorites]


My internal out of office message includes:

"If this is truly an urgent emergency or you want to text me a picture of your dog, my personal contact information is available on our CRM."

It has served me well.
posted by phunniemee at 5:33 AM on January 4, 2021 [1 favorite]


Starr across the abyss of holiday emails
posted by zenon at 7:41 AM on January 4, 2021


I love the author's bio :

Vu’s passion to make the world better, combined with a low score on the Law School Admission Test, drove him into the field of nonprofit work.

I wish someone would make a funny blog for my profession :(.
posted by Jess the Mess at 7:43 AM on January 4, 2021 [1 favorite]


My favorites from the back-to-work tips are probably:
12. Take a short walk. To your car. Drive to another state. Assume a new identity as a brooding, mysterious vigilante crime fighter. Fall in love with a local but make sure they never know about your dangerous night-time hobby. You’re only doing that to protect them. And they won’t understand. Nobody understands!

13. Divert the topic when people talk about their resolutions. People going on and on about their resolutions during icebreakers are the worst, am I right? All that self-improvement, so elitist. Whenever it comes up in a virtual meeting, just say “I don’t believe in new year’s resolutions. They are an oppressive tool of the patriarchy.” Then just stare directly at your webcam.
posted by brainwane at 7:46 AM on January 4, 2021 [3 favorites]


Vu Le is a goddamn national treasure. In between being funny, he writes really sharp, smart critiques that I use allll the time to explain misperceptions about the nonprofit field.
posted by desuetude at 8:03 AM on January 4, 2021 [3 favorites]


Thank you! Browsing NAF, which I had seen before but lost track of, did a lot to cheer me up on an otherwise bleh morning.

Especially when I found a remarkably accurate description of my last job in the old 8 Classic Nonprofit Jokes to tell at Parties post:

"What do you get when you cross a Program Director, a Volunteer Manager, and a Janitor? Answer: A situation that is not too uncommon in most nonprofit organizations."

(I loved that job, but they really needed more staff. I hope the new hire is doing ok.)
posted by sibilatorix at 10:46 AM on January 4, 2021 [5 favorites]


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