...I can dedicate tons of time to helping a new hire get up to speed on things. No, no, it's not incredibly unfortunate timing.
...I can start coming in a couple hours earlier so I'm here when he's here. Never mind that it's been a major struggle for me to get in when I've been getting in.
...I can still not only keep up on my own work, but catch back up on it so everything that needs to get done gets done before I leave for vacation. The shock to my system of a time shift, and the interruptions to my work won't cause any problems.
...while I'm at it, I can pretend not to notice that you're not treating me like a peer any longer.
...I won't notice that all this suggests that I won't be coming back from the vacation.
...I can start coming in a couple hours earlier so I'm here when he's here. Never mind that it's been a major struggle for me to get in when I've been getting in.
...I can still not only keep up on my own work, but catch back up on it so everything that needs to get done gets done before I leave for vacation. The shock to my system of a time shift, and the interruptions to my work won't cause any problems.
...while I'm at it, I can pretend not to notice that you're not treating me like a peer any longer.
...I won't notice that all this suggests that I won't be coming back from the vacation.
Re: Addendum
I hope you feel better about work.