First of all, Happy Birthday, tommyrot! I hope you had a wonderful day.

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Now, on to asshat news.

Sorry, but that's also the environment at your new place, bringing that out in you. It's their stupid, stupid mishandling of the entire situation. They had a gem and they didn't have the patience required to see you shine. Fuckers.

JZ, please stop saying (and, more to the point, thinking) that you're stupid. The decisions you made, with the information you had, were good & reasonable choices. I know that dealing with crazystupid people at work can make you start to wonder if maybe it's actually you that's crazystupid, but that's part of their evil plan to spread crazystupid everywhere. Don't let them win!

Oh JZ, I'm so incredibly sorry. How awful for you. Shy or not, sweetheart, you have one of the kindest, best hearts of anyone I know, and there is no way that anyone with two brain cells wouldn't see that. You are such a caring person, such a compassionate person. You are the person who always says exactly the right thing to anyone in pain, the thing that is so insightful and so empathetic that we can't help feeling loved and understood. I wish I had JZ-levels of wisdom to offer you right now. {{{{JZ}}}} This truly is going to work out. If you go back to your old job for a bit, you have not failed. The strategic retreat and regroup is not only valid, but also quite smart.

We love you, honey.

March can be over just as soon as I have my Not Disastrous Book Reading on Friday.

But what if your boss prides himself in his ability to read people, and then his pride gets hurt? Will no one think of the poor boss and his hurt pride?

I'll think of him. And he's welcome to come "read" me when I do, though it'll make him nostalgic for the time when his pride was merely hurt rather than lying in an unmarked grave.

One of the bosses felt she was "distant."

A kick in the balls would be up close and personal.

JZ honey, I just wanted to nod at all the good stuff people are telling you about you, and also at the inventive ways to get back at your asshat erstwhile bosses, and assure you that however it went down, it wasn't because of you. I've met you, and distant is not in your vocabulary. Unless you mean it, and in this situation you never would have meant it. Though now you can, because really who would want to be less than distant with these clods? I'm also gonna sneak in a long-distance hug or two, just because somebody was unkind to my friend and I need to make up a little bit for that.

You've gotten good advice about what to do about your old job, and already some new job leads, so I'll just let the locals handle that part. There's a candle lit here for your peace of mind, and joy when you're ready for a new opportunity, and sweet soothing thoughts for your psyche, love. It will be more than all right, it'll be better.

Also? Belated natal anniversary felicitations to tommyrot, and wishes for a wonderful year ahead.

Did something change with TCM and AMC? Comcast just removed both of them from the DC cable lineup.

Oh dear. What an awful day for the Zmayhem (juliana aside).

and that he prided himself on being able to read people but he couldn't read me at all and never knew what I was thinking or feeling.

So...many...responses to this...

"Well, I pride myself on being able to read people, but I can't read *you* at all and I never know what you're thinking or feeling..."

1) "Perhaps that's because, unlike your previous underlings, I am more complex than a 'Dick and Jane' book. Your lack of ability is not my failing."

2) "I see. I will try to be more obvious and open with my feelings and thoughts." (grabs stapler off desk, staples asshat's lips together) "I'm feeling angry and thinking you should shut the fuck up."

2) *stabbity stab stab* *SPLORCHsqueeky* "Can you read THAT, bitch?!"

Wow. What an incredibly arghSMASHSTUPID thing for these ex-employer people to do.

Damn, I wish I had some kind of support to offer, other than "God, how stupid they are, who the hell would do that kind of idiotic thing?" Were I there, I would totally take JZ for manicures and buy her cardamom ice cream and babysit and all kinds of things.

Candles and pep talks and virtual manicures and unmarked graves with a side of *SPLORCHsqueeky* are some of the loveliest gifts a girl could hope for, truly.

I'm getting less and less sad and more and more bitter. And wondering what they think they're going to do. Fine, so I wasn't good enough--but, at the salary they were offering, I truly was about the best they're ever going to get. Executive assistants with the experience level they're looking for flat out will not work for the money they gave me. They can get someone like me and mentor her or him up into what they're looking for, but obviously they don't have the patience for that; what they want, they can't get. No wonder the fucking job was open for over a year. Fuckers.

Bah.

Deb Grabien came over yesterday to keep me company until juliana's arrival, because I was all despairing and panicked after Hec left for Little League practice. She was at the cashier's at Trader Joe's when I called her; when she hung up, the cashier said, "Sounds like someone had a rotten day." "My friend just got fired," Deb said. And the cashier reached behind her and grabbed one of those 3-pack bricks of dark chocolate and dropped it in Deb's bag, saying, "Give her this. I find chocolate always helps."

Those human creatures? Can surprise you with the random kindness and awesome sometimes.

Hi JZ - glad you're feeling better... um, "bitter" is better than "sad and filled with self-doubt", right?