The clock is ticking

I absolutely HATE it when people think that their time is more valuable than mine.  The situations in which this irks me the most are when graduate advisors/supervisors/bosses (i.e. people with more power than me) are involved.

For example, I have a standing appointment with my graduate advisor every other Thursday to discuss progress/data/direction, etc.  Often times she can't remember that we have a meeting (hello! This is the 21st century - use a calendar!  Use Google Calendar for that matter!).  Other times, she shows up very late (e.g. 15-20 min late for a 30-60min meeting).  And to make matters worse, the reason she is usually late is because she is shooting the breeze with someone.  How hard it is to say "I would really love to hear about X, but can we schedule a time to talk later because I'm running late for an appointment?" This has always irked me, but has really become an issue lately as I'm trying to  graduate and I need timely input from my advisor.

When I posted my frustration on my facebook status this morning (after another canceled meeting - this one due to a full day of interviews that she has known about for likely months!), a friend responded with this statement: 

"Just playing devil's advocate.... But what makes your think your time is better than theirs? It goes both ways....I just think Americans have serious entitlement issues..."

I replied with "I'm not saying that my time is more valuable than theirs, but that our time is equally valuable. This is more of a respect thing... I respect you enough to be on time and be prepared for our meeting. I would hope that you respect me enough to also be on time and be ready for the meeting. Canceling at the last minute or showing up 15 minutes late with no prior warning says to me that I must not have anything important to do and of course I will be willing to wait around for you to get your act together."


I would like to think that this is not "American" entitlement, but rather just basic human courtesy.  What do you think?

Take two.. or is it four?

Okay.  I'm giving this blogging thing another try... I've got lots on my mind, so we'll see how this goes.  Enjoy the ride!