You know you take your job too seriously when...

I realized it this morning (I'll call it an epiphany this time, since I think it sounds happier than a revelation) when I pondered my reaction to an e-mail yesterday.

One of the on-campus teachers requested a repeat visit from the exterminator because ants are still in his house. (Where there's food? Where it's warm and dry? Imagine that!) He added that the exterminator told him last week that the ants are getting in because there are tree branches "touching" the house.

Noog Logic, of course, is in play here. Otherwise, why would an exterminator (one presumes he is trained in this sort of thing) not realize that ants are perfectly capable of crawling up buildings on their own? After all, there are no plants touching my mom's kitchen or family room, but ants still show up there. (Maybe Albuquerque ants are smarter?)

There might be a legitimate concern, though, depending on the size of the branches, where they are "touching" the structure, and how they are touching it. If it's a 3" diameter limb pushing against the gutter or rubbing shingles, it will need to be pruned to preserve building integrity. If, however, it's a few leaves brushing the siding, he can go to...

And that's when I realized that I had become indignant because, "What did that poor tree ever do to him?" When one starts to anthropomorphize one's work, one should realize that one might be taking one's job just a bit too seriously.

"I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees."