American Idle

I work with a woman that I call The American Idle. Not idol. Idle. She has been an intern for the past two years. One day a week she comes in and is supposed to be working on her dissertation. She prefers to sit there idly and do nothing. She talks, texts and eats oatmeal. She complains that she has no time to do the statistics that are necessary for her thesis. She does this for three hours and then packs up and leaves. She expects our volunteers to do her work and then pouts when she sees that the have not done any of it. It has become a power play. She is 43 years old and time is ticking for her. By the time she finishes her degree, she will be ready for retirement. Maybe that is what she is training for.