The Two

Well, I have gotten through (though not necessarily over) the abrupt change last week, and even though the teaching and the ripples from letting these guys do what I asked them to do isn't as bad as I thought (even though they've made some fucking boneheaded mistakes), I woke up this morning and thought, "Goddammit, I have to go to work tomorrow."  These days I feel as if the weekend is there just so I won't have to work more than five days at a time.  It's not relief; they are like TV shows that, if you're cynical, are there so the commercials don't bump into each other.

I don't know if the project is going to be over, although I think it's turned a corner.  There is nothing new left to teach or watch out for.  We're just doing now, and I hope they at least do a good job and not fuck up.  Nevertheless, the two assholes who now possess the vast majority of the project (more even so than me) have been doing a bang-up job, but being sort of bitchy in the process.

So there's one who is mostly doing one of My Tasks, and she has been a tad more ... guess I'd say either charitable or adult.  There was this one time where I wanted to show her something, and she said something to the effect of, "Well, but I was told I wasn't supposed to use that program now!"  Well, I heard that as well, and this is something that isn't going to effect the problem with that program, so we could use it, but maybe I'll just wait until you're good and ready.

Either than that what I've gotten from her is organization.  Last week she reordered all the folders I shoved into boxes in an order that is amenable to her in order for her to do her work.  I am torn about this.  On the one hand I feel as if she is ruining "my thing" for her agenda (and without telling me, which pisses me off), and that makes me afraid that she is demonstrating much more competence than I have, which isn't good for my boss to see.  On the other hand, I am kind of relieved that someone took these goddamn boxes out of my hands because seeing more and more of them stacked on top of each other at the end of every day was absolutely killing me.

But one thing I can't shake: If she's so damn good at this, why is she a temp?  Apparently she can organize, she can follow direction, and I think she understands insurance.  Why is she doing this?  Has she just gotten back into the workforce?  Or maybe it's this: She's a really smart woman (just ask her), very precocious, but just doesn't want to apply herself.  She knows she can do great things, she would just rather fuck around and get literally fucked, and that's why she has a kid who is just as juvenile as she is because she's a single mom and doesn't have the temperament to raise a child (a child raising a child, is what I'm saying) and that's why she doesn't have time to build a solid career.  OK, maybe that's being inaccurate and harsh.  I have no idea.  But fuck, that's how I feel, and I think I'm right.

So the other asshole is still the gruff introvert he's always been, but on Friday he made a lame attempt at humor.  I was trying to push out this file transfer, the most important of a laundry list of things I would have no time to do before the weekend began.  So here trundles this man, this bulbous man who believes that striped shirts are acceptable work clothing (note to myself: Do not wear those two checkered shirts to work anymore) and drops a box of envelopes for me.  What he said ... well, I don't think I'm going to repeat it here.  Not because it's offensive -- of course I don't mind writing profanities here, I just wrote one at the beginning of this post, and just fucking now -- but just in case I need to keep my anonymity.

I did not react to him.  Mostly it's because I had to get this file out of here.  But even if I wasn't focused on my job, I wouldn't know what to say to this prick, and so I hope my silent treatment was taken as both ignoring his dumbass comment and realizing I'm dedicated to my work.  But I listened -- boy, did I listen.  And I don't know how some fat twerp like him has the audacity to believe that he can rudely walk around and assume people should part the seas for him because he's harried, then think he can make a smartass comment when someone (particularly the son-of-a-bitch who tried to train him) is also harried.  A guy who gives off the impression that he's fixated on his work shouldn't be busting the balls of someone who's similarly fixated.  I like to think I'm consistent that way, so when I come across someone similarly occupied/worried about getting something done, I think I go out of my way to not bother that person.  This temp, apparently, doesn't see it that way.  He sees it as if everybody should be quiet because he's mad, but should be jovial because he is happy, or at least thinks it's a good idea to make fun of someone.

Well, at least this dick is now working somewhere else so I don't have to deal with his toxic personality.  Unfortunately, tomorrow starts another goddamn week.