Chix Chat

Hi, Michele!

Yep, it is the birthday of both Darrell and Ray. They are a study in opposites: Ray is a physically attractive jerk (pretty much) and Darrell is less attractive physically but a super-great guy. Take a guess which one I would rather have! I secretly love the thought of Ray hoping that I’ll call him today and yet the whole day will go buy without even a word from me. Sometimes silence says more than words ever could. Actually, I doubt that he’s thinking of me; he isn’t the type to sit and pine for someone to call. He is, after all, a man.

Anyway, that is great that it went better for you at work. I was praying and generally sending good thoughts your way and wondering how it was going.

You said that you try to picture the worst thing that could happen in a given scenario; I heard that was a very good mental exercise for calming fears. I heard a radio interview with a Christian singer and she said that same thing, "If you’re going to play the "what if" game, take it all the way."

That Jeff guy you mentioned sounds like a Joewiel wannabe! I’ve known plenty of people like that; I can just imagine the look that you’re talking about. It burns me up that people do think that just because you’re not married and don’t have kids that you’re some naive child.

Definitely, guy bosses are usually easier to get along with than lady bosses. It is a sorry double standard, but more times than not, a lady boss can ask me to do something and she will come across as more of a bitc? than sounding managerial and authoritative. Do you find that to be true or am I just difficult? I’m trying to recall if any of my bosses has been younger than me; I can’t think of any but I know some that were very close to my age. I can think of one -Tommy - that is like that Jeff guy - he was only two months older than me, but he thought he was so professional and so grand. (I get ill now just thinking of him.)

Today, at work, the part-time guy Rocky is in for the first time in a long time. He’s "helping" us put together stuff for the booth tomorrow. Sometimes I don’t know why KA (my other boss) asks for his opinion; they never seem to take any of his ideas! Plus, they are stressing me out with all this last minute crap. "Here, Anne, make these changes and print this." I have such a stack of crap on my desk to do. WHY DO THEY ALWAYS WAIT TIL THE LAST MINUTE?

Adding to my stress level is the fact that I must soon register for the spring semester and I am still undecided over what classes to take. I need to take two and a lab, and I should probably take another one. I seriously wonder if I will have the time to take three extra-tough senior level classes and work. If I don’t take that third class this spring, I’ll have to take it next Spring (2003!) and I will have four tough senior level classes then! However if I am looking at the schedule right, that will be the last semester that I have to take. But what if I fail a class between now and then? These classes are only offered once a year. That’s how I’m in this mess, because I failed the class I have now last time and it’s only offered in the fall.

In other news, I sat down last night ready to watch my tape of Angel and "King of the Hill" started playing. After I stopped shrieking, "What the &^%#^??" I realized that I did indeed set the timer correctly, but the show didn’t come on! Darn it! I guess there’ll be no review next week. I checked the channel’s website and now they’re only showing the WB programming on their cable affiliate! Darn it! Is there any way that you could tape the next few Angel episodes mail them to me? You could put them on one tape and send it in a couple of weeks. I can send you a lot of postage to use. Or if you have any other ideas, please let me know. I’m going to have to come up with another plan. This really sucks! Either we can pay an extra $40 a month for cable or I must inconvenience other people to tape it for me. I wrote to that channel and expressed my extreme dissatisfaction over that situation: like they care. I was thinking that I’ll probably have to f*&^#@! buy cable but they don’t f*&^#@! offer the "digital" cable that carries it in my area! Aaargh! I guess I’ll have to rent an apartment in this area so I can get it. Or maybe I should get the business package at work; that won’t cost more than $100 a month. (Sarcasm there.) I hate this!

I am so peeved that I just want to go home! And of course *this* is the day that we’re really busy.

That’s it for today. Talk to you soon! God bless!
Anne

Hi Anne!

You know, I could feel your prayers when I walked into work today.  Danielle was praying for me as well.  And I like to think my future husband was too (although he wouldn’t known specifically why).  Nora was fine with me.  It was almost as if Friday never happened.  She asked me to go to the bank to do the deposit and I did (I’m the one who usually does- I do the least amount of work-HA!) and she thanked me.  Before she left she told me to have a nice day and I returned it.  Wierd, huh?  Well, it was me Kristin and Shelly again tonight and we didn’t have anything to price, but Nora told us to dust and we went over the store with a fine-toothed comb!  Danielle drove me to work and I said to her, "I wish Anne was here right now!"  I’m sure you would have walked in with me for moral support.  ANd once again I have to point out how much it totally sucks that we don’t live close to each other!

I did mention to my mom that I was thinking about trying to get a job at the bank in a few months.  When she asked why I just replied that I needed a change.  I think God will give me some kind of sign when the time is right.  I think what happened on Friday was God’s way of preparing me.  I’m honestly not scared to move on.  In every situation I’m in, I always ask myself "What’s the worst that could happen?"  That way I don’t freak out so much.

Forgive my language, but that Joewiel sounds like a total prick!  And usually guy bosses are so much eaiser to get along with than girl bosses.  They’re not as catty and irritable.  Was he much older than you?  That’s another thing that makes me see red.  A "boss" who is only a few years older than me, and looks down at me.  When I worked at *****, Dana was one of the office managers (this was before I became one) and she was only about three years older than me and she tried to act all high and mighty.  Of course I was too quiet then to fight back.  Now I would be like, "Whatever".  Then Jeff was one of the floor managers.  He was about my age (about 21 at the time) and he was married with two kids.  Anyway, he and Monica (another office manager she was in her late 30’s at the time) were talking about his kids.  Well, I was standing right there and I just asked nicely "How old are your kids. Jeff?"  Jeff turns to me and looks at me like "Excuse me, child, but you just inturrupted an important, adult conversation," and he says really snottily, "Two and six months" (or whatever he said).  And I was thinking to myself, "Fuc*^% ass#@!(!!"  Its like HELLO?!  I am not a child!  Why does society think you’re an "adult" if you’re married and/or have kids?  Meanwhile Jeff had to get married because he knocked up his girlfriend (and she was only 16 at the time!)  Yeah, I call that a mature, responsible adult!

See, now I’m thinking at how they treated me like a child at ***** and I’m starting to get mad!!  Well, maybe this is good in a way, it’s keeping my mind off the current situation.

Oh!  Another time that made me pissed.  Ok, first of all, why do people assume that just because you’re a virgin, you know nothing about sex?  That you’re completely innocent and naive?  This story involves me, Monica (manager),  Dotty (real name Dorothy.  She worked back in the deli and she was in her 40’s at the time) and Missy (cashier who was in her early 20’s at the time).  FYI I was about 25 or so.  Okay, Dotty was standing by the office, talking to Monica and Missy and I walked over to the office the same time.  I think she was getting change and I was getting a phone card for a customer.  Well, whatever Monica and Dotty were talking about, they hushed up as soon as Missy and I walked over.  Then Monica said something like, "Well, Missy’s probably been there and done that"  Missy was a wild girl, to say the least.  She drank, smoked and I know she lost her virginity when whe was about sixteen or so.  Anyway, I got the phone card and walked away, but Missy stood there and Monica and Dotty started talking again.  I don’t know if it was what they were talking about before or maybe they started a new conversation, but I took "been there and done that " as something referring to sex.  So of course they would have continued with Melissa around because they didn’t want to damage my virginal ears.  OOOHHH!!!  That made me so mad!!  I wanted to say, "Hey!  Just because I haven’t had 20 dic&% shoved up me, doesn’t mean I don’t know anything about sex!"  Then a few times Monica said to me regarding Chaz: "He’s way over your head."  Excuse me?!  I know he drinks!  I know he messes around with girls!  There is nothing anyone could say about him that would shock me!  Why do people just assume I’m this innocent, wide eyed child who lives in her own little world?  Ok, maybe I do sometimes, but I can face reality just like anyone else!

side note- Missy has a kid now.  A boy, I think. I don’t think she married the father.  She was always friendly with me, but she was your typical "white trailer trash".  I know it isn’t right to judge, but that’s the only way to describe her.

and lets just say that she did marry the baby’s father.  Compare her wedding night  with mine  !

Anne, I’m going to end this letter now.  It’s raining and I’m afraid the power will go out!  And I don’t feel like retyping this letter!!
OH!  I’m glad everything went well with your bosses daughter!  New babies are always so exciting!
 
catch ya later!  Take care and God bless!
 
Michele

Per your request, I did indeed stop and pray for you today as you’re at work. Well, don’t keep me hangin’ - how did it go?

I am the same way as you: even when I’m right, I do not like to be at odds with people and I don’t like for them to think that I’m wrong. I know you can’t help what people think, but it is upsetting to say the least when they’re giving you a hard time for stuff that isn’t true!

I agree that God doesn’t want us to stay at jobs where people act that way. I liked your plan: to be the best employee there so that even Nora can see it, and then to leave.

I was wondering if you’d told your parents and what they said. It’s probably best not to mention it if you think that they will hurry over there and tell her where to go. I think that would be the worst possible thing to happen; it would definitely hurt more than help. I mean, if she won’t believe you, she surely won’t believe your family. She’d say, "Well of course they’d take her side."

I still can hardly believe that Nora is the same woman that you’ve told me about before. I remember your concern the time she had to come back so soon after her surgery that she didn’t get a chance to recuperate. And then she springs something like this on you.

Her recent tirade reminds me very much of a boss I used to have: Joewiel. (Pronounced "Joe-well".) He was the manager at the ***** where I worked for about a year. I believe I’ve already mentioned him before under worst job ever or worst boss ever. Yep, those are him! I could give mucho examples, but I’ll just give one. I was by myself in the store one day, until I was joined by one of our roving sales representatives, whose name I forget, so I’ll call him Greg. A customer came in looking for a paint sprayer, and Greg was talking to him. I figured that would be the best, because Greg knew more than I did about the sprayers. Eventually, Greg sent the guy to the commercial products store. Several days later, Joewiel called me into the office; he was literally fuming because the customer said that I sent him to the commercial store. I said, "*Greg* told him to go there." Joewiel obviously didn’t believe me, and he obviously wasn’t interested in hearing my side. As I recall this was about the time he came to me out of the blue saying that I wasn’t performing up to snuff, that I wasn’t learning all I could about the business. I was going to college at that time too, and I did not sign up there as an intern! I was a salesperson for Pete’s sake. About the time he became really impossible like that, I turned in my notice.

I remember the other guy that worked there was telling me not to let Joewiel make me quit that job. I thought, "I’m not planning to retire from here, so what exactly do I gain by staying? I am not working every day with that dictator."

Joewiel differed from Nora in that he was pretty much always a jerk, but some days he wasn’t as bad as others. It wasn’t like with you where everything was fine and then BLAM!

I just remembered another of Joewiel’s quirks: there were three employees in that store including him, yet whenever he’d tell us something it was always, "You and .. the other one" and he’d say "the other one" as if the name truly escaped him. Or perhaps he didn’t want to waste his precious time saying our insignificant names.

Anyway, here I am pretty busy.  We are having a booth in a local business exhibition, so I get to print the brochures, etc. I hope that I don’t have to stay too long at the booth during the actual exhibit, because I cannot speak intelligently about whatever business these people do. I would just hand them a brochure and the bosses’ card and say, "They’ll be happy to talk to you." I’m sure the receiver of the card is thinking, "Then why aren’t they *here* to talk to me?"

Did I tell you that my bosses’ daughter had her baby Friday night? It was a boy - seven pounds and some-odd ounces. Mother and baby are doing well. I do not know what they named him. My sister asked, "Did they give him some weird name?" I thought, "No, I’m sure they gave him the name they wanted him to have."

That’s it for today. Talk to you soon! GOD BLESS!

Anne