The Decision

Yes, I went to the interview.

I most likely have the job. They just have to run a reference check, and check my personnel file. Which reminds me - I should probably go look at the file before they have a chance to . . . just in case.

I told my current boss after I came back from the interview. I didn't tell her that it was definately because of Miss Bitca. I just told her I felt it was time for a change, and that the advancement opportunities at the other agency seemed better. And, really, they very well could be. The atmosphere was very nice when I went in, and the ladies I had the interview with seemed exceptionally nice.

Is not wearing shoes worth the change in jobs? I'm not sure. And, really, it's not solely about the shoes. It's more about Miss Bitca's attitude about it. Like I said in my last post - if she had approached me differently, I would have had a completely different reaction (AND, more respect for her). Instead, she decided to get unnecessarily snotty. I can't hang with that. I know me - sooner or later, I'll do or say something completely inappropriate, and I'll be the one who's fired because of it. I don't need that shit. She's not worth it.

Plus, since this is a government agency, and the employees are fiercely protected by the union, there's no way they can do anything about her, other than keep telling her to lighten up. If she gets her work done, who cares if she has a bad attitude and people cannot stand to work with her? She's being protected by the same regulations that made me want to work for the State. It's damned difficult to fire a civil servant.

So, I'll most likely be leaving (barring any issues). Am I upset? A little. But, it's time.

Onward and upward.

Decisions Decisions

The shit hit the fan at work last week.

Miss Bitca, the lady (and I use that term VERY loosely) who doesn't like the fact that I run around barefoot took it to the next level.

Now, since our original confrontation (and, I must say, I didn't confront, I just shrugged her off to the best of my ability), I have been trying to curtail where I go barefoot. I work in a government building for one of the largest state agencies in California. There are about a hundred people on my floor, and we're set up in cubicles. Rows and rows of cubicles. She and I do not work in the same row (thank GOD). I have been limiting my shoelessness to my row. About a 20 foot hallway, if you will. None of the other 4 people who work on my row have any issues with my lack of shoewear.

Last Thursday, I was talking to the lady in the cubicle next to mine. I was standing at the entrance of her cubicle, and Miss Bitca happened to walk past in the main hallway. She saw that I wasn't wearing shoes, and she stopped. I could tell she wanted to say something, but I didn't give her a chance. I turned my back on her, and just kept talking to my friend. When I was done, I walked back to my office. Left her standing in the hallway, fuming.

Aparently, she decided that since my immediate supervisor wasn't enforcing her wishes, she would take it all the way to the Division Chief. That's right. The woman who's in charge of all of purchasing for our agency now knows that I'm a bad girl, and don't wear my shoes.

I was pissed. My supervisor asked me (again) to try to remember to wear my shoes. I told her I do, whenever I leave the hallway. I produce more contracts for my unit than any of the other analysts. I am lead analyst in my group, and I was given that responsibility after only working here for 8 months! The only thing I ask is that I be comfortable when I work. I hate wearing shoes. They make my feet feel like they're on fire. I have a VERY good circulatory system, and I'm almost never cold. Just the opposite. I have my fan on almost every day of the year.

If Miss Bitca had approached me differently, pulled me aside when she saw that I wasn't wearing shoes, and said something like, "I know it's silly, but it just gives me the wiggins to see bare feet. If you could possibly remember to wear them when you're coming to my area, I would appreciate it," I would have had NO PROBLEM WHATSOEVER wearing shoes around her. I understand irrational wiggins. They happen. But she chose to go a different route, and act all high and mighty, and get bitchy.

I called my former supervisor. She scheduled me for an interview on Thursday.

I feel so bad right now. I mean - I love my job. My new supervisor is a complete sweetheart. She didn't ask for Miss Bitca. She inherited that problem when she transferred in. When, in the height of my annoyance last week, I told my supervisor that she was going to lose me, she begged, "Please don't leave me!"

But I cannot stand Miss Bitca. AND, to make matters worse, since I'm lead analyst, I have to start training her next month. I just can't. I cannot be in a confined space with her for any length of time without wanting to break things.

So, day after tomorrow, I have an interview. I haven't told my supervisor yet.

Should I?

Happy First Day of Summer!!!!

It's time for bbq's, swimming, and all that other fun stuff.

Get outdoors everyone!!!

Work Nazis

Due to the fact that I work for a large government agency, I understand that there would be a number of "blocked" sites, due to the proliferation of pornography and whatnot. However, this place has gone too far.

Following is just a small list of sites my work has blocked:

MySpace
Classmates
You Tube
MSN TV Trivia
Any site that contains the word "game"

Shoot, I can't even see my avatar anymore. My work probably blocked that site, as well.

Jeez - it's like they expect me to work, or something.

You know you're bored when . . .

You're sitting at work, and you have nothing to do but a meme that you were tagged for.



That's right, boys and girls - it's the busiest month of the year for me, and I'm so caught up right now that the only thing I can think of to keep me busy is a meme. Is that pathetic, or what?



Anyway, here's the rules:



Each player lists 8 facts/habits about themselves. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed. At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.



Only - I don't tag people, and I don't go asking people to read my blog. So, I guess that's the first fact/habit I'll list. I don't do that. If people want to do the meme on their blog - fine. Go ahead. But I refuse to "tag" people, or go trolling other blogs, begging them to read mine. I read the blogs I want, when I want, and I post what I want to post. Not that tagging people is bad, it's just not my style.

Second fact about me - I hate crowds. Lady K can surely sympathize with that. When I get around a large group of people, unless they're friends/acquaintences of mine, I get hyper-aware. I suppose it's because I value my "personal space". When strangers invade that, I just want to go ballistic. Especially when my children are around. Too many horror stories about them being picked up in crowds where people aren't as aware of what may be happening. Gives me the heebee-geebies.

Third weird factoid - I don't like bridges. Especially if they go over large bodies of water. Plays hell with me when I have to go to San Francisco to visit any family members. Would also explain why I am not close with that side of my family. They never see me unless it's for a funeral, because I really don't like going over the Bay Bridge.

Fourth - I've recently developed a fear of heights. I have NO idea when it happened. My guess would be probably when I had Kidlet, and I discovered the fact that I was, indeed, mortal. I suppose before that time, I was like most young people and had this grand illusion of super-power invincibility. But now, not so much.

Fifth - I'm a hypochondriac. If I feel a little weird, I become convinced I'm dying of some exotic (or even not so exotic) disease. I hide it well. But there's always that niggling at the back of my mind that something is going to be dreadfully wrong with me. If I read something in the news, and I have symptoms vaguely similar, all of a sudden, I get worried that I may have that. Then, I have to make my brain convince the rest of my body that I'm fine, I'm normal, and everything is okay. It's a very strange circle. Which leads me to my next weirdness . . .

I believe that the power of the mind has control over the wellbeing of the body. My mom, for example, has convinced herself that she's sick. Consequently, everything that could possibly go wrong with her has. I, on the other hand, am constantly telling myself that I'm okay, that there is nothing wrong with me, and I haven't been REALLY sick in years. Granted, I have my aches and pains, not to mention the occasional migraine. But when I start feeling icky - like maybe I'm coming down with a cold or the flu - I just tell myself over and over that I'm NOT sick. And it works. Within a day, I'm feeling better.

Seventh - I have lupus. It's a strange chronic illness where my antibodies are always on high alert. When there's nothing for them to fight, they fight my own body. It makes me a little more tired than most people, and a little more achy, due to the anitbodies attacking my joints. However, rather than see this as a bad thing, and get all depressed over it, it sort of ties in with what I was saying before. I have convinced myself that, since my germ fighters are always on alert, that means (to me) that it's even harder for me to get sick. Even though I've read that it could make people with lupus more suseptable to illness, I think the exact opposite. And it works. When I was younger, I used to get pneumonia about once or twice a year. Since I was about 20 (about the same time the lupus symptoms first started showing), I haven't had it. In fact, other than one really bad ear infection about 3 or 4 years ago that waylaid me for about a week, I haven't been sick sick, since my mid-20's. Sure, I'll get the sniffles, or even a cough, upset stomach, whatever. But it usually only lasts about a day or two. Tops. See - super-antibodies!!!

Final fact is - if you haven't already guessed - that I'm typically very optimistic. I always try to see the bright side of everything. I always believe that things happen for a reason - you just have to figure out what that reason is. This is also the antithesis of how I was raised. The two women who raised me were very pessimistic. They could rarely see the bright side of the sun. That's just not me. That doesn't mean I'm Miss Happy Sunshine. Trust me - I have a very sarcastic wit at times. But I always believe there is a silver lining SOMEWHERE. You just have to find it.

That's all for now. If you want to do this meme, by all means - go ahead.

Work Rant

Normally, I try to keep work separate from my blog. Wouldn't want to be dooced, or anything like that. But today, the bitch pissed me off.

We have a fairly new lady working for us. I'm sure you know the type - never happy. Ever. She could win the freaking lottery, and she'd be mad. She always has to find fault with something.

For the most part, I try to either avoid her, or be cordial when I have to be.

This morning, I was looking for a fax, and I noticed that there was one for her. She sits right across from the mail/fax room, so I just grabbed it, and walked it over to her.

Following is the exchange between us.

Me: Here's a fax for you.
Her: (looking at me with disdain, and not reaching for the fax) ..
Me: This IS for you, isn't it? It has your name on it. (As I'm inching it closer to her face)
Her: (sighs) Yes, it's mine. In the future, could you please wear shoes?

Now, that last line wasn't a nice request. Oh, no. It was just dripping with scorn and contempt. And as she took her fax, it was as if she didn't want to touch something that I was handling. Like I would step all over it, and get my dirty-feet cooties on it, or something.

And if you think about it - my feet are SO much cleaner than the bottoms of people's shoes. I mean, I clean my feet once or twice a day. How many times to people clean the bottoms of their shoes? Hmmmm????

Bitch.