I'm about to lose my shit. My work situation, which I don't feel I can discuss more than very vaguely here, has just gotten more complicated.

Deep breaths, vw. None of this mess is your fault, of your making, or, really, your responsibility. I'm quite proud of you for kicking up a fuss to fix the situation when something was obviously wrong instead of just walking away.

How horrible is it that the very selfish part of me is like, "This is totally going to wipe out my references for the past two years"?

vw, just remember that *you* didn't cause the problem OR the complications. I hate that it's such a rotten situation for you, but you did NOT cause this. Hang tight.

You know. I have to wonder how I get myself into this situations. Is it me? Am I just that much of a pushover? I feel like I'm always dealing with some stupid crisis that's "not my fault." Somehow they've got to be partly my fault. Or they just follow me. It's insanity.

How horrible is it that the very selfish part of me is like, "This is totally going to wipe out my references for the past two years"?

Okay, it is SO not. There have to be other people there, other than your boss (I'm trying to be vague) who may not be in as high of a position as your boss but whose reference would still carry weight. Your boss is not the only person who observed/knew what a kickass job you did, and his reference is not necessarily a crucial thing to have to show how good you were at this job.

Somehow they've got to be partly my fault.

No, no, no and no. And, in case I forgot: No.

Teppy is wise, vw, listen to her. Also, Sparky is so right about things not being your fault.

Joining in the less-than-good day ... at least I'm in good company.

I had the first appointment for a crown yesterday and, for some reason, panic struck. I've been seeing this dentist for several years and he's good; his predecessor was good. The dentist I saw as a child was horrible ... and I was having flashbacks to HIM.

The appointment went as well as could be expected, but today I'm feeling like crap - slightly queasy (I managed to not throw up on the Metro - the commuters should be grateful (for those of you who don't use Metro, one upchuck and the entire line shuts down until they're sure it's not anthrax or nerve gas) ) and my mouth hurts. Came in and there are messages piled up and my ex-boss - who hasn't yet gotten the "ex" part is sending demands for me to send on some old image files ... the problem being that someone decided they weren't needed and deleted them. I kept telling him they'd been deleted and he kept saying I should check with someone else. It was like the dead parrot skit, only not funny.

Maybe you priced it too low, P-C!

I know!! I'm half-kicking myself here. On the other hand, if I had priced it at $1950, these same people might have found it unreasonable. I guess there's no way to know, and, realistically, I hadn't expected to sell it for more than I paid two years ago. That's all I was hoping to get, and I think I should be able to get it with the number of people interested. That being said, I'll likely take whatever the woman I see on Saturday morning offers me since she's desperate to replace her car that just broke down. Unless one of the other people actually quotes me something that makes it worth my while to hold out for more cash.

It looks like my strategy of making my ad read more like a personals ad than a car ad paid off. Or people are just really jonesin' for cheap cars right now.

vw, I'm sorry you're having a crap work situation.