Emails!

Some of you have noticed that I'm actually responding to your emails a bit quicker now!  Let me tell you why...

So, if you didn't know, I have a law degree and a license to practice law in Indiana (and here I am, raising and rescuing chinchillas...), but I still keep up the law license, just in case.  So, that requires going to these boring-as-hell educational seminars several times a year, called CLE's (continuing legal education).

I go to the recorded replays of the sessions out in Valpo.  Normally, this would cost a few hundred per session, but my dad knows someone who knows someone, so we get to "moderate" these sessions... which involves all of switching dvd's (sometimes), but mainly just signing people in.  And if the power goes out or something weird happens, we get to call tech support... but get the session for free. 

How does this relate to my chinchilla emails, you might be asking yourself?

If you've ever had the joy of sitting through one of these CLE's, you'd know that even in the LIVE ones (as in, with a live speaker in front of you), people bring work, or books, or something else to do.  I'm not sure I'd be that bold for a live session, but mind you, I go to the recorded sessions that are just replays... so I bring my computer, log onto the university's wifi, and get to work. 

So, last Friday, I spent a whopping 6 hours of CLE time... answering emails.  Yes, they really do get that far behind.  Partially, because there really is that many of them.  I get a whopping ridiculous amount of junk mail... but I also probably get at least 20-30 emails, per day, that are legit emails that need an answer.  And it's rarely a few word answer, or a short email... I have one that could easily span 2 pages (if printed out) about when they can come, and what their schedule is like, and this and that... and I will read that and respond to that... Well, that email, alone, may take 30-45 minutes to respond to, especially if there's a lot of questions for me in there (as opposed to just info for me to use to answer back to).... and at least half the emails per day are like that. 

Occasionally I'll get an email asking where someone is on the waiting list, and that's pretty quick to answer, because I can look at the list and then email them back.  Simple enough.  Sometimes the emails require more work before I can email back -- for example, I posted about foster homes the other day and two people have since emailed wanting to foster (yay!), but before I emailed them back, I wanted to have my foster contract ready, as I haven't updated it in ages.  So, I saw those emails, and went to work on the foster contract... an hour later, I still haven't answered the emails, but the foster contract is where I'd like it to be.

So, all this said... after spending 6 hours on emails, I now only have maybe 20 in my inbox, which is reasonable for me.... so now just to keep up with it!