Monday, April 03, 2006

The New Job

So its been a month since I was in a cube.
I'm kinda missing the fresh meat parade that comes with a company that is comprised of 80% temp workers, but since I work the front desk at a Temp AGENCY, the fresh meat HAS to talk to me and they are always on their best gentlemanly behavior because they don't know I don't rate them/have control over their getting a job.
In fact, last week there was a 23 year old fresh from his water polo training that morning. Hes been on scolarship and taking extra units to stay a student at the university to play for the team. He was so beautiful and tall and latin and sweet and young and put together even the Big Boss said "isn't he a looker, eh??"
Yeah, its not too bad here.

I signed the paperwork to be a permanent employee last week. It kinda sucks that the paychecks won't be every week anymore, but people keep telling me its better to have a perm position than to be a temp, so I'm not gonna argue. Just because my coworker isn't getting commision off me anymore and I get paid the exact same (well, with taxes cutting me raw on a biweekly payment schedule, I'll make less I guess), and I do the same work at the same place, it didn't make THAT big a difference to me what kind of time card I filled out.
The staff was all thrilled that I was being 'promoted' and there is more of a sense of 'your permanent so be here and do good' now, so its better for them I guess.

Naturally I am a bit miffed at my immediate managers style. I am coming to realize I buck authority in my goddie two shoes way... I didn't really have cut and dry examples before, but its pretty obvious that if I think I come up with the idea myself it is BRILLIANT and if I am told to do something I will fuck it all up with malicious diligence.
For example, two weeks ago Mousy called my cell phone 45 min before I was to be in the office pleading with me that she was stuck answering phones all alone and if I could please if at all possible come in and rescue her she would appreciate it - I was 20 min late that day.
There is an evolution happening though.
Case in point: last week I walked in the door and picked up the phone at 9:03am. I needed her assistance with the callers request. I call her desk.
"Hi. Your late. AGAIN. What is it?"
"Hi. And I never get out of here before 6:15pm. EVER. And half the time I don't book OT about it. Maybe we should call my hours 9:05am-6:05pm and both breath easier??"
(this was said as I ripped off my wet coat, sat in my chair, logged in, opened 4 programs, and winked at one of the THREE candidates in the lobby who heard everything I said because I was just THAT happy to be barked at.)
"FINE."
"Great. Now will you take this call please?"

Another example of how Mousy is not exactly mentor material.
Last Friday, as she is leaving...
"I wish I could just go to my boyfriends and be there with him."
"oh, is he out of town this weekend?" (me, trying to look interested)
"no, my parents won't let me stay over at his place."
"Sorry. Um, can I ask how old you are??"
"23. Yeah, I don't want to talk about it."
"ok. so what ARE you going to do tonight, since what you want to do your parents won't let you?"
"probably homework. or maybe they rented a movie I'll want to watch with them."
"sounds good. have fun. bye."

Yep. My manager lives with her parents and has to do homework before visiting her boyfriend. I would have died if she told me they were her ride and waiting downstairs for her. I would have laughed right in her never smiling, always complaining about what day of the week it is, getting paid more than me because she learned how to suck ass before she got her Big Gold Stickered degree weasly little face.

Today. A jewel. She comes up to my desk and just stands over me until I turn around, look her in her beady eyes, and acknowledge her. Its about the time of day when lunch breaks are happening and I am thrilled at the idea that she is going to stick to HER schedule and kick me out at 1pm. You know already this is not what happened - why would I write that in the RANT section of the post???
My Mousy Manager looks me square in the eye and says "I'm not taking a lunch today. I am too exhausted to stay the full day and I have a ton of homework to do tonight anyway, so is it ok if I leave an hour early?"
Me - ::blink:: ::gasp because I forgot to breath in the presence of such an anomoly of heirarchy::
"I mean, will you be ok up here by yourself if I go early? Otherwise I guess I could take a lunch now..."
So then I sit staring at her in shock AND offense that she is asking me not only PERMISSION to leave early but if I won't grant that she will take MY lunch break.
I finally utter "no, I can handle 1.5 hrs instead of 1 hr alone on the phones, thats fine with me."
Her reply - "ok good!! I really don't want to stay late, I'm glad your ok with me leaving early."
I took lunch an hour later anyway, just because it was another fit of 'I don't know what I'm doing' when she wanted to go to the bathroom when I asked when a good time to break would be.

If I was better at drawing with keyboard characters I'd make a face right here. Wide mouthed shock. Hair blown back. Tonsils in plain view. Alas, all you get is my suckiness at trying to get this computer to hold a picture for me. Dumb corporate satalite p.o.s. won't let me store jpgs or some chytt (cool spelling, huh? I've been diggen it when I email a buddy who has naughty word blocker =) )

I know its time to change my Cubeville chat on the sidebar and stuff but seriously... I'd rather go shake my ass in front of the gym rats who do leg presses than reformat my blog.
Its taken me almost a week just to post - and I've started three this week!!
Maybe I'll be super cool and fork the dough to get someone to make a template for me... right after the dog gets a haircut, I get some food in the fridge, the shampoo gets replaced, and I find my damn W2s so I can do my taxes...

Lots more fun drama to talk about but I gotta bolt so use your imagination and comment on these tidbits of juicy dilemma:
Next post, it turned out to be WAY too much to just add at the bottom!

2 comments:

curmudgeon said...

"Then maybe mother and I will knit baby booties while we watch Lawrence Welk."

Since you sometimes read emails at work, it's a good idea to not use n@ughty words. Especially if your network gurus have sniffers looking for them. :)

But, cool. The new schedule works!

Undercover Mother said...

Resisting in a goody-two-shoes way is called something in psychology.

Oh yeah. Passive agressive!

I think you could have fun dropping little notes about your far more adult and exciting life to your Amish boss. Oh wait. They have TV. Mennonite.

Congrats on being a permanent fixture!