Right? I think she's keeping the damn roses on her desk so people ask her where they came from so she can freak out.

And just now she came to me telling me that I don't need to be telling people where the roses came from when people ask me. It is not my job to fucking lie to my other co-workers for you.

Oh man. What a train wreck!

I'm with Nora. Drama queen on overload.

Don't lie for her Aims, but don't play into the crazy either. Somebody asks you where the roses came from? (and why would they, really) my answer would be, 'Ask Crazy Mama, it's not my business.'

It's so sad when an energy vampire succeeds in sucking everyone in. What a waste of oxygen.

Egad. But then, when I was a kid, there was a big local deal involving a man who stalked and killed his ex-wife. And then insisted on visitation rights for their daughter.

(I knew the daughter slightly -- her mother's parents got custody, and they were members of our church. Between regularly visiting her father in prison, and living with grandparents who weren't quiet about their (understandable) anger with said father, it's surprising she wasn't an even worse psychological mess.)

And if she doesn't want to destroy the roses, at least find a nearby nursing home that roses can brighten up. Let somebody get some good out of the drama.

job searching question for the hivemind:

Tom had a phone interview with a company from New Orleans last Thursday morning. He thought it went well, he was asked to email his salary requirements, and we haven't heard anything from them since. Would it be appropriate to follow up with the HR liaison with an email along the lines of:

I just wanted to touch base with you regarding any follow-up you might require in considering my candidacy for a position with [Company]. I know that a half hour on the phone isn't much time to get a good idea of where I fit in with the company, so I wanted to reach out to see if there was anything else I can help you with. I also would like to note that there is certainly room for negotiation as far as my previously stated salary requirements. Being from out of state, my requirements were based on some research but are not definitive numbers.

I also wanted to ask what your thoughts on the hiring process timeline might be? Any information on that would be most appreciated, thanks!

Thoughts? We are really, really going crazy. Not least of which because the last job he applied for, that called HIM out of the blue and scheduled him for an entire day of interviews NEVER GOT BACK TO HIM ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.

He's convinced that his dog is sick and I don't think there is anything wrong with her besides that she is thirteen. But when he met her she was ten so it isn't even that much of a Sunrise, Sunset thing. He's lost his shit with this whole recession thing(which I understand) but compared to many he is actually lucky but he's not coping well at all.

I'm sorry. It could be he's projecting his concerns about his economic health on the dog. It's pretty easy to do. I got my cat a couple of weeks before my dad died, and the time leading up to the anniversary of his death I kept thinking something was terribly wrong with the cat, even though I could objectively see that he was fine. Brains = weird.

erika, my elder sister is going off the rails, too. Her job has been axed so she is understandably upset because she may be unemployed as of June. BUT she has other options, and she can draw unemployment--and she will draw enough to nearly equal what she brings home now. She is so negative and angry about everything that it's almost impossible to hold a conversation with her. I think she's depressed but she won't go to the doctor.

When my twin brought up the fact that we need to hold a 50th Anniversary party for my parents, she wigged out and stated that she wouldn't feel much like celebrating since she was going to be unemployed by then.

I'm completely over the drama.

Aims, that woman sounds like she's part of the problem. Yikes.

My sister just got her car towed again. How many times does this has to happen (and it does not infrequently) before you start paying your parking tickets, or, even better, stop parking illegally?

Nora, I think that the sentiment of the email is good, but the tone should be a bit more confident/stronger

I just wanted to touch base with you regarding any follow-up you might require in considering my candidacy for a position with [Company]. I know that a half hour on the phone isn't much time to get a good idea of where I fit in with the company, so I wanted to reach out to see if there was anything else I can help you with any questions or concerns that were not addressed during the interview. I also would like to note that there is certainly room for negotiation as far as my previously stated salary requirements are negotiable if necessary. Being from out of state, my requirements were based on some research but are not definitive numbers.

I also wanted to ask what your thoughts on the hiring process timeline might be? Any information on that would be most appreciated, thanks!

Just some subtle changes that I think present a more confident candidate.

Thanks so much, Vortex!

Hmm, upon second read, I would take out the "if necessary" when talking about salary negotiations, so the sentence could read "I also would like to note that my previously stated salary requirements are negotiable."