Work = Annoying

I stole this Ten on Tuesday from Florinda.

The title is: 10 things that annoy you about work. Man oh man was this one easy for me.

Here is my list:

1. Boss (aka NIB (New Italian Boss))
2. Customers
3. Vendors
4. No matter what bathroom I go to or what time I go - it seems that it closed for cleaning.
5. My 6x8 (inches not feet) cubicle where I bang my knee every time I turn around because it’s so damn small
6. Meetings at 8am and 1pm (means can’t be late to work or coming back from lunch)
7. Meetings that run past 5pm (which I actually don't stay for - I have to pick my kids up by 5:10)
8. The horrible terrible parking situation which causes me to walk 6 miles both ways uphill in the snow every day.
9. Grey walls, grey desks, grey filing cabinets, blue grey floor.
10. No windows or natural light whatsoever
11. The fact that it's kept at 30 degrees below zero. I have to keep a second winter wardrobe in my overhead bin for layering as it gets colder throughout the day.

Oh wait that was 11 not 10. I guess I don't follow rules very well.

This one is my own addition since it was so easy to come up with the above list. Here are things that don’t annoy me about work.

1. My team
2. The starbucks coffee stand in the cafeteria
3. My team
4. Automatic paper towel dispenser in the bathroom (when it's open)
5. My team
6. Fingerprint reader on my laptop (love this!)
7. My team
8. Lunch out with Hubby and other fun people
9. My team
10. Ummmm..... My team?

I ummm couldn't think of too many things that don't annoy me at work... That should probably tell me something...

Uninspired

I'm feeling totally and completely uninspired today. And today's post will be a rant against NIB (New Italian Boss). I almost yelled at him today. His stupid, unethical, slightly illegal, control-freak decisions are starting to really bite him in the asscrack.

The problem is that now he's putting them back on ME! For example, I raised an issue and provided a damn good solution back in January. He lied to me - said he was good with my decision and would support it. It ends up that he did the OPPOSITE of my suggested solution. I found out about his LYING through an entirely different company. He got what he wanted - which was not my suggested solution. And now it's fucking blowing up on his ass and leaving tiny bits of ass-shrapnel all over the place. (man, trying to get ass-shrapnel out of your hair is NASTY!)

But, now - he wants me to fix it. He wants me to try to implement my suggested solution. And it's too fucking late. The course has been set and the fucking ship has sailed. I can't fix his fuck ups. Nor do I really want to. And you know - if this was the only issue I had with him today - that'd be one thing. But, that was just one of many many issues.

So, I'm cranky, PMSy and totally uninspired. I just want to drink my nice glass of wine and pout (or gloat.) We tried to swim again this evening and it was even colder today - and there was a fierce wind. BRRRR!!!! I could only get in for a short time and would only let the kids stay in for a little bit longer.

NIB Returns

Bleh...

Today freaking sucked. Sucked with a capital shit. I got so angry I almost hung up on NIB (New Italian Boss). Really... It took every ounce of self control I had not to hang up on his cunty-assholeyness (that is inspired by Suzanne).

I got yelled at today. YELLED AT!!! I'm a super duper awesome performer - always exceeding expectations - outstanding employee (yes, I have a big ego too) and I WAS SCREAMED AT FOR SOMETHING I DID NOT DO... Screamed at... really... WTF? The button pushing words that were dare uttered from my mouth?

"I do not think this is a very constructive conversation."

Which, it wasn't. NIB was not listening. At all. He was talking over me. And over my super bright and wonderful employee. He didn't care one nano-snatch about what we had to say. He wouldn't be quiet. And finally I made the horrible and terrible statement above. Most normal people will ask in response to the statement above - "Oh, how can we make it constructive?" Not go off on a tirade about something I didn't even mention - nor was I even thinking.

It was a conference call. And I had to put the phone down and I could still hear him yelling. I'm totally not shitting you. It took everything in myself for me to not hang up on him. One of my direct reports was also on this conference call. As was someone from an entirely different group. SO COMPLETELY unprofessional. After he finished yelling - I told him that I was speechless and that I was hanging up the phone. He actually said, "Ok, have a nice day. Goodbye." Honestly - WTF? Floored. I'm still floored.

I used to have a boss somewhat like this. And he yelled at me once in a staff meeting for an entire hour. This was 9 years ago. I would tune into him and listen to him rant (about something the person I took over for did) and about how bad I suck for letting my previous co-worker do this horrible horrible thing. When, I was just a peon - and I'm the one that uncovered the problem and was trying to fix it. In all of my management training classes that I give now - I use him as my bad manager example. He now is not allowed to manage people - because he sucks at it.

I think I have an entirely new type of manager to use as an example of a horrible terrible manager. For the years of 1999 - 2007 I had the world's most awesome managers. Two of them actually. Really. They were both super. I have a special love for them I think might be unnatural. But, I think I also took them for granted. Then, last year, I got a new manager (US manager) and he wasn't super, but he wasn't horrible. I can work with that. Just stay out of my way and I'll do my job and give you amazing results.

Nib though - NIB is making horrible decisions. Horrible. And then screaming at me when I try to just ask questions. Not even mean or rude questions - just questions. I guess there subordinates aren't allowed to question their managers. He also won't let me do what I do best - he won't let me do my job. It's making me uggy..

I'm still fuming. Maybe I'll go work in HR - they are all US people.

Over Confidence

I'd like to send this to my New Italian Boss (NIB), but I don't actually have the balls to do it. (or my confidence is at the appropriate level?) NIB scheduled a meeting today with me at 4am in the morning. I dutifully set my fucking alarm clock for 3:50am, it went off and I rolled out of bed and came downstairs to see if he sent me the audio bridge that I had requested. He had not. There was a message from him saying that he couldn't meet with me sent about 2am and rescheduled it for 4am next Monday. GRRRR.....

He then scheduled a meeting on both Wednesday and Thursday from 1am to 3am. Ummmm - NO. NO! FUCKING NO WAY!!!! The biggest issue I have with this is that I still have to work from 8am to 5pm at my US job, then I log in when I get home at night to deal with any issues I've got from Asia (because that is their work day.)

This global thing is totally stupid. Stupid I tell you. I think NIB is being a bit overconfident if he thinks he can just demand that I literally work 24x7. That is just not going to happen. ARGH!

PS - My other stuff updates.

I'm testing for my brown belt tomorrow. Yay! Go Me! I broke TWO boards today (my arm is totally bruised - but it sort of makes me feel like a tough bitch. I was totally thinking of NIB's face when I smashed those two boards.)

I went back to the sports medicine doctor and she basically said my knee is totally fucked up. She was showing me the MRI and yes, there is a minor tear in the medial meniscus - but that is the least of my problems. The underside of my knee cap is totally ripped up. This is due to my biologically messed up knees and previous knee surgeries. The cartilege is completely rough. These two things are actually causing strain on the tendons - which in turn is causing pain. And they do not know if surgery will fix the pain issue - because the pain is a side effect of the other things, and those things can't really be "repaired" just removed which may not make the tendon strain go away. So, more physical therapy for me - at least for the next 6 to 8 weeks. Bleh... It's so time consuming.

Pretty Much Sums up my Recent Life

When it was new, the clown train seemed like it would be a fun, happy and exciting time. Then, it fell off the rails, the expectations it had were not met, and the rust set in. Now, it's just a scary scary thing to look at that isn't going anywhere.

Laugh Therapy

Ok -

So, every Wednesday at 8am I have a meeting with nib (new italian boss). He is in Italy with two of the other managers on his team, and I'm in California in a room with the managers who report to me. I always end up pissed and cranky and it totally ruins my day. My managers always end up frustrated and pissed and it ruins their day. I decided that today, instead of getting frustrated (and more frustrated and more frustrated) that I would laugh at the ridiculousness of it all.

So, I started to giggle a little. Then, I started laughing. We would put him on mute and I just cracked up. By the end of the meeting - I had tears streaming down my face. Everyone else in the room was laughing too. We honestly didn't get anything accomplished (we never do in these meetings) but no one was pissed or frustrated either. The only thing it ruined was my makeup - because the tears took off all my mascara.

And you know what? I had a great day the rest of the day. Nib doesn't listen. He interrupts. He talks forever with no point and doesn't let anyone talk back. He asks for useless things. He tries to control everything (that he shouldn't be controlling.) I'm not going to change him. But, I'm not entirely sure how to deal with him yet. So, in the meantime, I need to simply laugh. I need to get some optimism back. I need to stop taking myself so fucking seriously.

So, I laughed today - and it made all the difference.

I can't believe she's going to be NINE!!

Tomorrow is my daughter's birthday. She is going to be NINE!!! I will have a NINE year old. That just seems so old. These past nine years have gone by so incredibly fast. Shoot, seems like just yesterday I got a positive pregnancy test and had a heart attack. My mom begged me to move the wedding up. But we kept it as planned and I have a little bump in my wedding pictures. I remember so clearly taking a walk at lunch time to talk to hubby (well, he was just my living-together-in-sin boyfriend at the time) about what we should do. Our wedding was already planned - the baby - well not so much... She started off coming 6 weeks early because my water broke and they didn't know if she was going to be ok. There were a thousand doctors in the room when she was born and as soon as she started crying they all disappeared. Unfortunately, she was an extremely sick infant, she then became demon toddler - oh the stories I could tell about her hour long fits so severe they would end in vomiting and her pissed-offed-ness where she would take off her diaper and pee in little polka dots all over the floor. However, about age 3 or 4 she turned into such a sweet and wonderful little girl - I don't know why, but it was an extremely welcome change and is now turning into such a brilliant, talented and caring big girl. She is so smart (I'm not just saying that 'cause I'm the mom - she's really been moved up two grades. The girl will be smarter than me by the time she's 10.) She is amazing good at baton twirling. I honestly can't tell you how amazed that this child came from my body. So, if any of you readers out there have restless toddlers - it changes. It really does.

Tomorrow, the actual birthday day, we are going out to Chevy's for dinner. I've already made Rice Krispy treats for her to take to school. I've also already made her requested cake for the family cake eating extravaganza (each piece is a FREAKING 9 points - almost half of my daily allotment) - it's a chocolate cake with blue wintergreen frosting. Weird cake - but tastes wonderful. I have to special order the wintergreen flavoring from candy distributors. I blame my mother-in-law who created this cake for hubby, who then passed his lust for it on to the children. It's a dark day when I have no wintergreen flavoring.

Oh gawd - work is still the suck, the job that I adored has become so incredibly painful. Nib (New italian boss) told me today that he is the boss and I had to do what he said. Unfortunately, he doesn't know what the fuck he is doing. He doesn't even understand the basics of expense vs capital (which is a big deal when YOU ARE MAKING THE FUCKING BUDGET!!!) I should SO be managing him - just because he has more time in the job he got the position in the company merger. He isn't a better manager, but he has more time in the industry. But, I actually have more people reporting to me than ever has. The whole thing blows, I was ok with it at first when he was still listening to me, but now he is just making dumbass decisions. My dilemma now is do I let him hang himself and take the department down? Or do I try to save the overall group by my own sweat and tears and ire - even if it makes him look good? Oh, the decisions. I'm taking my first step and trying to fix this chaotic situation tomorrow. I'll let you all know how it goes.