microscopic

Background: I'm a new TA for this semester, and the prof in charge just asked us to send her our schedules so she could assign us sections to teach. I looked at the available sections, I saw that there were 3 sections that are held from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm. With our TA duties (answering questions and cleanup), I would probably be done at 10 pm. Dilemma: So...I really, really don't want to teach these sections. I have classes of my own at 8:30 am every day, and it just seems ridiculous to have to be on campus from 8 am until 10 pm. I drive ~15 minutes to school, unlike most of my cohort who live within walking distance, so it's a waste of time and money to go home in the middle of the day. I know grad school has its late nights in the lab, but I want the reason that I'm exhausted and out late to be my own research and degree, not my TA assignment. Though I wouldn't bring this up to my prof, I also have a cat. He'd be okay, but I think it's rather unkind to leave him alone 14 hours a day and sleep the rest of the time I'm home. Is this one of those "suck it up, you're in grad school now" moments? Would it seem disrespectful or annoying to request that I don't teach those sections (there are 12 other sections that are at more reasonable times for me)? Or is it reasonable to ask that someone who lives closer to campus be considered for the night sections first? Thanks!

Don't stress too much! I applied to a program (not at Columbia or Berkeley, though) where decisions were supposed to be released by early March, and I just got an acceptance this afternoon. A delay in a decision definitely doesn't automatically mean it's a rejection.