Someone remind me that I shouldn't care if someone I barely know thinks I'm stupid.

We've got this thing going on at work where I've come in on the middle of a process and really don't know what the hell is going on, but because of my position I'm the one who gets all the calls from Finance Guy. Already I've prepared a document with completely incorrect information, because my boss gave me the wrong instructions, and blithely sent it to him, leading to an irate phone call with obvious overtones of "You're an idiot."

Today he called to follow up on whether I've got the corrected document ready yet (I don't, but only because everyone has been on vacation till this week, and this week we've been too busy with new intern orientation). He gave just his first name (a VERY common name, btw) and his department, which I didn't immediately link to the report because it's such a big, general office. Then he asked about the report, but used a different name for it than what we've been calling it in my department. Given all that, and given the fact I'd been tunnel-vision focused on what I was doing when the phone rang, my first reaction was, "Wha? Huh?" Again, the disbelief and condescension on his side were blatant.

WHY does it bother me so much that this guy thinks I'm stupid? WHY am I feeling so tempted to run up to his office and outline my intellectual credentials and areas of expertise so I'll feel like he respects me properly instead of sneering at me because I'm ignorant in this one specific area that happens to be his job?

The only proper response, Susan, is @@@@@@@@...forever.

Guess what y'all!

I CAN HAZ PASSPRT!!!!

Southwest Airlines just confuses me. First, you can't fly if they think you're too fat, now you can't fly if your outfit is "too revealing".

Oh, man. I felt like my meeting was going on forever, but figured I'd only spent about an hour in there (don't wear a watch).

Nope, it was closer to two. I feel more justified in wanting a nap now.

Pets In Uniform

Imagine: your dog, cat, or other pet in full military regalia. We make this fantasy a reality. Using the latest digital techniques, we combine a photo of your pet with the uniform and background of your choice.

Their heds iz pasted on, meow!

If those people are getting people to pay for that...well, good on 'em, I guess.

Here is a picture of my cat in a Stormtrooper uniform: [link]

Weekend:

• Homework
• Visit pseudo-FiL in hospital
• Homework
• Homework

First, you can't fly if they think you're too fat, now you can't fly if your outfit is "too revealing".

But she DID fly. She just pulled down and up her shirt and pulled down her skirt. The picture of her is "after" the adjustment.

I'm not sure its worth making a fuss about. She was embarassed to be called on her tiny outfit but not embarassed to wear it?

Of course, if they were rude to her that's not ok.

deep breaths

Thanks, DJ.

I've emailed my boss and coworkers to nudge them to give me what I need to complete the report by Tuesday.

That is all I can do.

I will NOT dwell on it.

I will NOT stew.

It isn't worth it. I'm going to go help with afternoon orientation and then have a good weekend and use the intelligence that I have even if this guy doesn't know it to work on my current manuscript.

The maximum risk to falling cats question reminds me of the old story about engineers inspecting bombers returning from missions in WWII. The first impulse would be to figure out which parts of the plane were damaged most often by enemy fire, and reinforce or armor those parts. Supposedly, the correct answer was to reinforce/armor the parts that were not damaged in the returning planes. You already know that the damage to the returning planes is survivable. It’s the parts NOT damaged in the returning planes that need additional armor, because the planes that were damaged there did not return.

I have no idea if that story is really true, but I find it to be a good heuristic tool when inspecting scientific results from multiple angles. In the “how many stories fall are the maximum risk to cats” example, you could look for the fall heights that were under-represented in the population of cats brought to the hospital. That might be a good guess for maximum fatality, because it is the very dead cats that you don't see in your data. They've joined the bleedin' choir invisible.