it was nice while it lasted

I had a co worker (we'll call her "Clare") who blew up at me.  It was the first time I ever had that happen where I work currently.  That's pretty amazing, b/c I've worked at my current law firm for over 4 years.  I am in the same room/office as 5 clerks.  I teach them how to use a software program and how to do discovery (discovery is a long procedure  that is done towards the beginning of a lawsuit).  I am pretty relaxed and the atmosphere is relaxed too.  I can count the number of arguments others have had with another clerk on one hand. 

A couple Tuesdays ago, Clare accused me of not teaching her something that needed to be taught to her earlier.  I said that wasn't true.  She never asked; she then responded that I had a faulty memory.  I said, "No, I would remember something like that."  At first, the conversation was in a joking, chiding manner.  When I didn't laugh with her and simply disagreed with her, she got really angry and said I was rude and demanded an apology.  NONE was given (for what????). Then she said, "I am through being nice to you Vince."  No response.

Then she said, "The other clerks despise you."   I said that was just nonsense.  I know how people act when they despise someone else, especially at work, and that's not the way I'm treated at work!! I told her that it was amazing that she was so confrontational seeing as how I helped her so much when she was first starting out.  Then she said "What about the help I gave you?"  (what help?  I'm the one who taught her!).  There was only one other person in the office, her friend,  when she talked all this trash.

Since then, I have limited my conversation with her to only asking once a week what her work schedule will be.   After the incident, there have been a number of times where Clare  would whisper to her friend (we'll call her "Jill"). Today, Jill worked next to me and Clare jokingly told the guy sitting where Jill normally sits, "You had to ruin everything, didn't you?" She was not too happy that she couldn't whisper to Jill. So she e-mailed her instead, & Jill would not respond b/c she was working hard.

So, Clare writes a note on a post it, folds it, and gives it to Jill. I smiled b/c it sounded like school (doesn't it??) that she would actually pass a note to her friend during work. 

I saw Jill throw away the note. It's now after 5 pm, when most people leave. & I picked up the note and Clare wrote to Jill, "Read your e-mail".

Kind of a shame I wasn't able to find out what the e-mail was. It had to be something if she couldn't tell her out in the open. I needed to laugh and relieve a little boredom.

I have basically resolved that if Clare ever talks to me that way again, I will talk to her attorney/supervisor, and let him know that I am going to the office manager and report her.  I basically wanted to give her a break, because she is a good worker and does her work well.  The other thing is that I don't completely trust the office manager, and I don't want the whole situation to spin out of control.  In the last 10 days, the strategy has worked out well.  Yet, I will never think of her the same way again.  I knew that she had a combative side to her just by the remarks she made when we got along.  So, what she did wasn't altogether shocking.  The hope is she will use her intelligence and not allow it to happen again.

There is a part of me that felt proud.  I have taught probably over 50 clerks and had those clerks work in the same room as I.  In 4 1/2 years, this has been the first time that a clerk has been upset with me (and it wasn't even my fault!).  That's a pretty good record if I do say so myself!!  

VICTORY! (more about this later)

A victory for the struggling  working class who have been made poor by rising health costs.  A victory for people who could potentially be thrown into bankruptcy (again due to rising healthcare costs), because the health care insurance companies rejected them.  A victory for the American people who will save nearly $2 trillion in the next 20 years  in Medicare and Medicaid costs.

A loss to the the Republican party and all their followers who have been saying very little but "no" during this whole debate. 
A loss to health insurance executives who have piggishly over indulged in executive bonuses and seven-figure salaries.  I love the part of the healthcare insurance reform that forces insurance to have 85% of their revenue going to actually paying their insured medical bills (NOT executive bonuses, lobbying & advertisements). 

Computer BLUES!

sent my computer into the Geek Squad and they said that it's a hardware problem. It's the memory. So it will be out for a good long time, I'm afraid. My heart just sinks writing this!!    :(  !

I gotta kick out of Andy. We have a much older computer, and the only way to get access to Internet is by dial-up. But I'm not going to pay the fee. Since Andy has a checking account, he has volunteered to pay the monthly charge for dial up Internet which is only $5 a month. With the work he does in our house, I'm sure his allowance can afford that. He said he couldn't take not having no access to Internet. Yeah, NO KIDDING! He also can't stand not playing computer games too (the reason our computer is getting fixed is he fried our memory trying to download Farm Mania).

So, I won't be able to post very often with no computer at home.  I won't be able to do a lot of things.  There's a website for Kuma, and they have this awesome Tank game that is set in WWII Tripoli.   I was playing that at night when everyone was in bed.  Some Satruday nights I didn't get to bed until 3.  MB didn't like it, but I said, "Hey, at least I'm not out at the bars drinking!"  

It certainly was a fun adrenalin rush feverishly climbing up the hill in your tank & then blasting tanks from 100s of yards away.  YEEAAH!  

Well, all of that is on hold for a few weeks until our dear computer comes back.  I explained to Andy that he is NOT the only one who greatly values the computer.  The computer to me is like my baby.  I'm as close to that computer as the kids are as close to their guinea pig and new little dog they'll be getting Monday.