Public Service Announcement

Science lesson time.

Polyethylene glycol is not the same ingredient that is in antifreeze.  That is ethylene glycol.

Write that down in your copybooks, people.

Not The Best Friday Ever

After weeks, nay months, of speculation, my program was moved over to the newer section of the building.  You're probably thinking that this isn't such a big deal, but moving sucks.  Not only did I have to get 3 years worth of accumulated junk into my new, smaller, drawers, I also had to move my coworker's junk.  And she had a LOT of junk.  Plus the moving was sweaty work and I have a date tonight.  Now instead of going home and relaxing for a minute, I have to jump in the shower and wash off the sweat and dust coating my body.

My new desk makes me feel very short.  The desktop is higher than my old one, and if I have the chair at a height that is comfortable for keyboard and mouse manipulation, my feet barely touch the floor.  I do have a much newer and more efficient computer now, so I am happy about that.  However, I don't have Outlook anymore and that means I don't have access to many many email addresses or saved emails.  The IT guy says he can fix that for me.

And it's not like the day started off great either.  As I mentioned above, my coworker was not in today, and my back-up back-up person was taking calls for a different program.  This meant that I had a pile of papers on the fax/copier that needed attention.  Then came the DE, then came the VM retrievals, then came the move.

I'm still damn glad it's Friday, because I would seriously consider calling out if I had to work tomorrow.  I want a beer (maybe two) and a back rub.

Oh No!

This is not good news.  And while I don't work for JnJ, I do deal with calls for a leading generics manufacturer.  You would think that one has nothing to do with the other, but you would be oh-so-wrong.

See, people can't seem to distinguish between a name brand product that has been recalled and a generic product that has not.  This means that oodles of panicky individuals will be bombarding the customer service line for the generics manufacturer and I will have to QC all those inquiries.  It's times like this I wish I had a much larger readership so I could put a message out there, or know that lots of people would follow the link to the FDA and have the proper info.  Alas, my core readership consists of reasonable individuals who will either do their research before succumbing to panic, or they don't use the products in question.

No Good Deed...

I try to be a good person - Stop laughing! Seriously, stop! OK fine, I'll wait until you're done...

Better? Good.

Anyway, I was at the light at Red Lion and Philmont this morning and there was a car in the left-hand turn lane. I notice the passenger crane his head around and, dammit, I should have been looking in the other direction. The passenger makes the universal sign for "I'm a dickhead and got into the wrong lane. Will you be a sucker and allow me to cut in front of you when the light changes?" I gave the "Fine, but I'm not going to smile about it" head jerk. Mistake.

First of all, if someone is nice enough to let you in, you do it with alacrity, right? Don't get all wishy-washy and dither about. This person was NOT efficient. Then they went slowly and loopily down the road. I had hopes that they would go left at 232, but no. They made a, yep, slow and loopy right-hand turn onto 232 and failed to accelerate. I thought for sure they were going to come to a stop and I was going to have to curse loudly. They did not stop, but neither did they exceed 25 mph. Mind you, the speed limit on that road is never lower than 35, except in the one school zone and it was well past that time. So we go putt-putting past Bryn Aythn and Cairnwood and then, blessings upon us all, their left turn signal comes on just before Byberry. Yes, my punishment is ended! Alas, no, it was not quite over.

Instead of making a left-hand turn and relieving me of my ill-conceived good karma gesture, they stop. that's right. Dead. Stop. There was no oncoming traffic. There was no fluffy little bunny in the middle of the road. I can only surmise that there was a vortex in the space-time continuum that only awful drivers could see and they were searching for the best way to avoid getting sucked into a parallel dimension. Luckily for me, I am not a terrible driver (and yes, I know everyone thinks they are a good driver. Just roll with me on this one.) and I was far enough behind them that I could swerve around them on the shoulder. I checked my mirror a couple yards past them, and they were still sitting cluelessly in the middle of the road.

Before you decide that I'm completely uncharitable; I do understand that people get lost and drive around aimlessly like stupid-faced sheep. There is no shame in being lost, just do it with authority please. You don't lose points if you have to circle the block, or double-back. Some of us are familiar with the area and are on our way to work and do not want to get all pissed off (mostly at themselves) for letting some dope cut in front of them at a red light. This is why people are mostly out for themselves.

The Stupid Thing That Is Annoying Me Today

It's the coffee cup lids here at work.

We used to have the dome lids:

Then, probably in order to save a few pennies, we switched to these lids:

I hate them. (They aren't the brand pictured over there, so none of this hate is directed at Dixie) The lids are terrible. You are supposed to peel back the tab and lock the little nub into the divot. A divot that has only a passing resemblance to the nub. I have gotten poked in the septum on more than one occasion. Not really one for the "fun" column.

Not only is there the locking issue, but the edges created when you peel back the tab are lethal. I don't have a particularly full lower lip and I still feel like I'm going to have hash marks. Bloody hash marks on my lips. And no, I can't just remove the lid because we aren't allowed to have open containers at our desks. Knowing my luck, I'd take the lid off to get a sip and promptly dump scalding hot coffee all over the place.

Blergh Part Two

Did he cancel on me?

-Yup.

Was a reason given?

-Nope.

Am I pissed?

-A little.

What happens next?

-Damned if I know.

Blergh

I did the grown-up thing in a moderately grown-up way.

Sent a text asking why he didn't call.

He fell asleep.

Did he call tonight?

No.

Will I tell him to call me?

No.

Will I still have dinner with him?

Leaning towards yes. After all, I do need to put forth some effort.

Does this make me a lame-o?

Eh. Jury's still out on that one.

What I Should Have Said Was...

When you can type an email (Outlook has a spellcheck, ya know) without any mistakes; then you can lecture me on data entry errors. Got it, Princess?

"Your execrable vanity is unpardonable."

I'm in kind of a strange place at work. For the last 6-8 months, I have been covering for our data entry supervisor. She finally made her reappearance at the end of May. I had a sit-down with the VP to see how things were going to go. The VP informed me that everything I had been doing would be transitioned piece-meal back to the DE sup. I'm thinking "Yes! I get to go back to my regular project and not have to deal with this annoying shit anymore!"

Now would probably be a good time to mention that I have some problems with the DE sup. She's barely competent, she treats everyone like her least favorite eunuch, and her perfume has been known to induce asthma attacks. I'll admit that I can be somewhat bossy, but I do my damnedest not to belittle and subjugate the people beneath me. I say please and thank you and never assume that my work is so much more important that anyone else's.

The transitioning is happening verrrrrrry slowly. Meanwhile, I have to deal with this annoying woman who alternates between lording over me like Princess My Shit Don't Stink, and running to my supervisors to whine about how she doesn't like my attitude. Tell you what, Princess, you're in the minority. Just because I'm not all fake smiles and sunshine like you are, doesn't mean I'm throwing you attitude. We are not friends. In fact, we are barely coworkers. You have no authority over me and quit acting like you do. Don't micromanage me one minute and then step back saying, "Well, I take care of the DE people; I assumed your supervisors took care of you." Oh wait, I forgot - as long as your ass is covered everyone else can go rot, right?

Danity Kane = Bad Role Models

As I was driving home from work today, alternately pelted with rain and besieged by sunshine, I had a thought: Danity Kane's song "Damaged" is going to create a whole new generation of females who believe other people are responsible for their mental and emotional well-being.

Sample lyric:

"My heart is damaged (so damaged)
Damaged (so damaged)
And you can blame the one before.
So, how you gonna fix it, fix it, fix it?"

We've all had shitty relationships and emerged from the wreckage, broken and weeping. Despite what we may feel at the time, things get better. Time heals all, and other applicable cliches. Some people can take that experience and learn from it, becoming a better and stronger person. Some people gather their pain close and nurture it in a garden of darkness. These people become bitter and angst-ridden, and are all too ready to blame others for what life may be lacking.

The girls in Danity Kane are beseeching a new man to fix the damage the previous man did. If you are going into a new relationship with that kind of baggage, I can guarantee the relationship won't be especially successful. People cannot rely on other people to provide happiness. People (friends, partners, family) can enhance happiness, but they aren't the source from which it springs.

I'm continually disgusted by the notion that a woman needs a man to be complete. I have had happy relationships and I've had not-so happy relationships. When I'm not happy I change things. Familiarity and fear of the unknown can cause a person to stagnant in an unhappy situation, but it is unfair to blame the other person when something can be done.

Don't for a minute think that I'm dismissing out of hand people in abusive relationships - that's a topic I'm not getting into. This is about taking responsibility for your happiness, and not expecting it to be handed to you, all wrapped up in a pretty bow.