When I ate hot food that was too much for me, a friend of a friend told me to eat lettuce with salt on it. It worked. So either it was the salt or the lettuce. Except now in my head is the phrase "rubbing salt on the wound" so I don't think that's helpful.

Heh. I now think it's OK?

I quite pointedly don't talk pay with anyone at work, but DAMN. I was trying to express how impressed I was with how much responsibility this one guy had, and how much he got accomplished even though he drives me insane every time I need anything from him.

Just looking at one metric, the number of people that report to him has tripled, and he's not gotten a promotion, title change, or pay bump over cost of living. The scope of his job has expanded way more radically, including accepting new software applications into his fiefdom, picking up responsibilities from the guy he reported to who left, plus way more. I don't honestly think there's enough money to pay him to tolerate what he has to tolerate to get what he needs to done (we're an irritation to each other, and I think we accept that with decent respect, considering). BUT DAMN. Try and pay him off! I think I will submit him for a co-worker recognition for something like "keeping on".

Someone today told me I was paid in smiles, and I had to tell him he was clearly being paid in relief and gratitude (lights on is basically his job, especially when they go out) (new lights are also his job). All that and his first baby at home too--I guess that's no time to look for greener pastures? The place would collapse without him, but why put up with it?

I'm all flummoxed at my shit this week (which is three high priority unrelated things from three unrelated taskmasters who don't care about each other, and involved incompetent ex-co-worker explaining how she doesn't have time for this--BITCH, I AM NOT EVEN IN YOUR DEPARTMENT ANY MORE. WORK THROUGH FUCKING LUNCH, BECAUSE I WILL BE DOING YOUR JOB THIS SUNDAY MIDNIGHT AND GRATITUDE MIGHT LOOK NICE ON YOU, BUT I WOULD NOT KNOW. Ironically, she doesn't have time to share information she told me wasn't my business when we worked together (I'm not a developer, see, so I can't understand....) and it took a lot of escalation and not a little "how can we both come together so the directors are not unhappy???") but hopefully one task is done.

I do have one user I think I need to call back tomorrow, though. Experience has taught me how to solve her problem now, and the case still seems to be open.

I truly hate it when I see an organization take an employee for granted when they pay dearly in loyalty, and then also try to or do squeeze more out of them.

For our Tuesday staff meeting, I had a quite phenomenal tiramisu from a local bakery for my birthday cake. And the card they got me was . . . Okay, so the cards we get for our colleagues are usually funny and geared towards the recipient personalities in a shallow light-hearted way. But mine . . . jesus. Usually it's about someone's drinking/shopping/eating habits, in a funny bitchy way. Mine was about how I'm the light of their fucking lives, and I put smiles on everyone's faces, and I make work being a joy, and I just about bawled.

Someone today told me I was paid in smiles

I am definitely going to try that at the supermarket next time.

Aw, Juliebird, did we miss your birthday??

It was Sunday, Jesse. I spent it hungover and sleeping, it was glorious. In 1978, my mum went into labor on Labor Day.

Timelies all!

At work today I managed to scrape my right palm on a corner of something. Not a deep cut, but inconvenient and a bit ouchy. (And of course I keep putting pressure on that palm. sigh.)

Well, HBBD anyway!

Thanks, Jesse! I told my new boss to put a bow on her head and count herself as my birthday present.

I set her to work playing with the bulb order. What's nice about her coming out of Longwood is that she understands the artistry behind putting on a good show, which I've been beaten out of doing because even though pansies and violas are technically perennials, it has been okay to toss those once summer comes, but tulips not so much. Even though they really aren't perennial bulbs. I have the baggage of four previous DoH's and a truly horrific ED to unload. But I think once I do I'll be in a wonderful place.

I've been amusing her with my TARDIS USB port and she's been amusing me with her phone alerts "You have a text message, text messages are cool".

Subject line of email (sent widely):

"ESCAPE FIRE Move Screening"

It took me some time to unpack that this was a "movie" and not a directive.