'Tis The Season

Well, the holiday season has begun, and with that, after spending much time catching up with family and friends, the inevitable questions about my single status have begun. Luckily, with my medical issues I have gotten a reprieve until now, so I cannot in good conscience complain too loudly. Nevertheless, something about the holiday season brings out all the wannabe matchmakers looking to hook two people up before the New Year.

Now that I have hit the big 3-0, the obsession with my marital status (or lack thereof) has reached a fevered pitch with all of my married friends (who probably just want me to get married so I can be as miserable as they are), and family members (who are just nosy mothereffer’s anyway). Oh yes, you know what’s coming next.

To take a stand, and in some subconscious way to get our families off our back, my last single friend (we’ll call her Penny) and I have just signed up at a few internet dating sites, and have decided to write about our escapades and uncover, with evidence, what kind of guys are really out there. The sites and names of our dates will of course remain top secret, but suffice to say that with a little internet savvy, it should be no problem to guess what they are.

Before I get a ton of hate mail railing on how this is not fair to the guys, I would like to say that we are taking this totally seriously. We have been completely honest in our profiles about what we are looking for and hope that the guys that we deal with have been honest in theirs. Besides, it has got to be better than hearing Aunt Gertie claim she knows the “perfect” guy for me.

The Things I Am Most Thankful For

2006 Edition

I am thankful that I am no longer ill, am off medication and no longer under medical supervision.

I am thankful that I am working again and that my brain is functioning at high speeds once again.

I am thankful that I had a really great 30th birthday, complete with surprises thanks to my family and friends.

I am thankful that the computer geek at work hooked up my computer so when I plug my iPod in I can play hip-hop music, especially Jay-Z’s Black album, which pisses my AssDirector off.

I am thankful that I finally found the perfect pair of brown high boots, after literally searching for YEARS.

I am thankful for all of the new people that I have met this year and have become friends with. That includes you other bloggers out there. ;)

I am thankful that the trailer for the 5th Harry Potter movie has come out… and looks really good. The release date for the movie is 07/15/07, and that the rumored release date for the 7th Harry Potter book is 07/07/07. July 2007 is all about HP.

I am thankful that the easy listening station has been playing “Last Christmas” by Wham. In my opinion, this is the best holiday song ever.

Of course, I am also thankful for my family and friends, who need mental help sometimes when dealing with me, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Happy Thanksgiving.


P.S.: The only thing I am not thankful for is that I have to work on Friday. I will have the whole office to myself, with only 2 staff, so I guess it could be worse. The agency could have mandated another staff development day. :(

Rant of the Day

If there is one thing that I have serious issues with, it is when people don’t tell the entire truth under the guise of “sparing my feelings”. I would rather find out the whole story at first, and deal with that hurt, rather than hear a fictional account and find out the truth at a later time.

To make a long, ridiculous story short and anonymous: An acquaintance became interested in one of the guys that I have been talking to. Since there is nothing serious between us, I think it is a non-issue, but she wouldn’t tell me the truth; that she asked him out on a date. I found out later, and when I asked her, she STILL wouldn’t tell me the truth about it. She claims that she is trying to spare my feelings about this “triangle”.

Honestly, there is no triangle. He and I don’t like each other like that. Obviously she is interested in him, and since he is a grown man, and I don’t own him, he can make his own decisions about who he wants to date. I also like to think that I am mature enough to deal with adult situations…meaning that I don’t sit around and cry like a little bitch when things don’t go my way.

I really hate being involved in girl drama, especially when I really couldn’t care any less than I already do.

When the Shit Hits the Fan...

Everyone gets dirty. The past two weeks have been the most stressful of my entire life. I had to participate in the termination of two employees. I am not good at firing people. I’m sure I was more emotional about both situations than the employees concerned.

The first employee was fired due to sexual harassment. He was working with us for about a month. Office Mate was his direct supervisor, and we all thought he was a good worker. Apparently, during all this time, he was sending sexually explicit notes anonymously to the administrative assistant in our unit. The NYPD was contacted and did an investigation about the notes and found that he wrote them. Most of the things written on those notes were serial killer creepy. Needless to say, it was not a pleasant experience for everyone involved, especially the admin.

Compared to the first, the second firing was a breeze. The employee was caught falsifying documentation, including her credentials and time card. Don’t ask me how someone can forge a diploma, or why they would go through all that work to risk getting caught and losing everything.

So now it is up to OM and I to hire two more people for these positions, hopefully neither candidate comes with a rap sheet.

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Lately, while commuting to work in the morning, I have noticed an increase of PDA on the trains. Let’s keep that stuff where it belongs…in the darkness of a bar, up against the jukebox with a stranger. That's where I do it. Oh, who am I kidding, I’m just salty because it is not me getting any in the morning.

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I am still on the apartment hunt. The apartment I mentioned in a previous post was sold before I had a chance to place a bid on it. I guess it was for a good reason, but I loved, loved, loved the water view. I am hoping that another apartment in that building becomes available soon, or that I can find something else to my liking.

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My dress down Friday plan was almost thwarted by my AssBoss; but I am too wily for her. Last Friday was another staff development day, so I wore a pair of khakis. Not too bad. This Friday, cargo pants and a long sleeved t-shirt.

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I have posted a picture of the offensive Crocs that my sister owns here. The picture was taken with my cell phone camera during a stealth mission. I think my second career should be as a spy!

Don't Hate Me Because...

I'm sure there are a myriad of things that I could be hated for, but being female? I didn't think that I could be hated on for that, but I have been proved wrong.

The scenario:

I'm standing on line to order my lunch. The guy in front of me orders this grilled chicken hero with assorted accoutrements. I order a grilled cheese sandwich on whole wheat. Can you explain to me why his sandwich was $ 3.00 and mine was $ 4.95? And don't give me any BS about lunch specials either; I work in SoHo, they don't believe in that around here. I don't care about the money, but when I questioned the woman, she couldn't give me a response as to why the chicken sandwich was less money than 2 slices of whole wheat slapped with a few slices of cheese.

Was the bread freshly baked with hand-ground wheat grown on premesis? NO. Was the cheese freshly made from free range cows grazing on Varick Street? NO.

Please, can someone explain this logic to me. I have no problem paying for food, provided it is warranted. A grilled cheese sandwich is not haute cuisine. There is no celebrity chef behind the scenes using rare ingredients. So why? It all comes down to penis (doesn't it always?). I don't have one, he did. Sandwich lady was all flirty flirty with him, while I got the rainy day attitude. Therefore, I will not be frequenting that lunch place any longer, which sucks because their soups are really good.


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P.S.: I am officially declaring that my hair is my #1 nemesis. After years of begging and pleading with it to work with me, I have given up. Like Milli Vanilli sang all those years ago, "Blame it on the Rain... yeah, yeah".

Don't Call 911 For Me...

OK, so I wasn’t able to claim that my spleen exploded and that I needed to leave early and leave the torture of this training day. This is where I have an ethical dilemma. On one hand, as a manager, I need to make sure that my unit is complying with all of the regulations established by our funding agencies and NYS. On the other hand, I really hate to micromanage my staff, because I don’t like to be micromanaged.

At today’s training, OM and I needed to present and explain a new procedure in our assessment process. I think that this new procedure is BS, and not going to work long-term; and mentioned my thoughts in the preliminary development meeting, and was shot down by the Assistant Director of the program and told to be more of a “team player”. (Who, by the way, only has a Bachelor’s degree and is supervising people with higher degrees than her. It’s really not about what you know, but who you know).

Fast forward to today’s meeting when the staff is all complaining that the changes are irrelevant to the assessment phase and implementing them would really be out of their job description. What is a “team playing” middle manager to do? Blame it on the collective “they”. As in:

“They” want us to do this.
“They” decided that this would be more cost-effective.
“They” think you all could do a better job.

What I really felt like saying was:

The crazy AssDirector who is trying to impress her new boss, is coming up with these maniacal ideas that make no sense to what our program does, in order to make a name for herself so that she can get the promotion she was passed over by her bosses’ predecessor.

I’m saving that gem for when I really need it; I can’t show my hand this early in the game. I’ll save it for when I get into trouble for dressing down on Fridays.

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P.S.: I don't know what is wrong with my Google Reader; I am not getting the updates for the blogs I subscribe to. This means that I have to go to each one individually, which I am not down with. I'm all about one-stop shopping aka I'm lazy. :(

What Does a Girl Have To Do To Get A Day Off Around Here?

Because the agency that I work for is a bit wrong, we do not have Election Day or Veteran’s Day off. Our funding source is closed, but that means that we get two days of my most favorite thing…Staff Development! Less than 6 months on the job, I’ve already participated in 3 developmental/bonding days and have another 4 scheduled before the end of the year. WooHoo!

Seriously. One of the downside of being a manager is that I can’t outwardly show my contempt for these inane team building exercises and trainings. I am on a break right now and am trying to figure out what type of illness I can claim to allow me to leave early.

To be continued......



P.S.: Vote, Vote, Vote!

I’m Good Enough, I’m Smart Enough and Gosh Darn It, People Like Me!

This post is a compilation of everything that has been in my head lately. I know that my posts have been sort of lacking lately, but… I’m back bitches!

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I don’t think of myself as high maintenance, more like no maintenance; however I do expect a certain level of propriety during the following situations:

Subway Riding: All NY’ers know about the courtesy seat left between riders on the subway. If the train car is empty, there is no need to sit next to someone. You are supposed to skip a seat. Why is it then when I have the good fortune of being in an otherwise empty car, I always get someone coming to sit right next to me? I know I look unthreatening next to a bunch of teens making noise, but seriously… save some room for the Holy Spirit; my fat ass needs its own space.
Restroom Usage: Maybe I’m sensitive because of my own past issues in this department, but in public bathrooms, when you are dropping a bomb, please be aware that you need to flush the toilet during the act so that the entire bathroom and hallway outside the bathroom doesn’t smell like the gutter behind our office building.
Morning Behavior: I usually don’t speak in the morning, in fact, I mostly present with a surly demeanor and a scowl on my face. Although, when someone says “good morning” to me, I respond in kind, at the very least acknowledge it with a head nod or something. I’m not trying to have a long drawn-out conversation with you before 9am. So then tell me why when I go out of my way in the morning to say “good morning” to someone, I don’t get the same return courtesy? Yes, I’m looking at you cute book boy from the coffee shop. Be nice…it’s free.

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This past week at work has been a bit stressful. It’s a long story; here is the Cliff’s Notes version (with my comments in parentheses).

[Story Removed]

I actually had to referee a showdown between members of the staff. My whole thought process can be summed up by this:

Personal business does not belong at work. We are not animals; we don’t shit where we eat.

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My agency does not have a dress down Friday policy. I do not recognize this; we work in social service, we should dress down all the time. In the time that I’ve been working here, in my own little rebellious way, I’ve been dressing down and waiting to see how far I can go before I get into trouble. Today’s outfit is brown corduroys and a button-down white shirt from Old Navy.

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As an update...

I am saddened to report that my sister has gone out and bought a pair of Crocs. I know. That's why I'm looking for a new place to live.