what are you doing right now?

[lurkyloo]

Jan 7, 2024 23:51:28 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

Jan 7, 2024 21:18:04 GMT -5 countrygirl2 said:

Walk, I can't imagine not buying a nice stove. You guys spend tons of money on traveling. I suppose I could have bought a better one than the lower end one but than us not planning on being here later was the reasoning. Again time will tell.


 

I’ll get what I want.  The first shot was just to put the bug in TD’s ear.  I was pretty sure he would automatically turn me down, but ultimately he will get me what I want.

You should have seen his response when I asked for a VitaMix a few years ago.  What?  You want to pay $400 for a freaking blender?  Are you out of your gourd?  There was so much eye rolling about that, but he came home with a Vitamix for me one day.  

I have been having flashbacks to my mom.  I remember her telling me that I really needed to time my requests to my dad.  Don’t hit him at certain times.  Don’t be a pest about it, drop the bug in their ear and let them think about it.  I did this about going on the world cruise too.  Perhaps I should have started this awhile ago, but the stove issue has just gotten worse.

I guess I need some time to get used to new ideas myself 

[steph08]

Sending you positive "staying employed" vibes, daisylu. 

[lurkyloo]

Man, this seems like an exceptionally crappy start to the week.  Hugs to all that need them.

DS’ test still negative today but pretty sure it’ll be positive by tomorrow.  Not enjoying the generalized feeling of dread.

[raeoflyte]

Jan 8, 2024 9:33:05 GMT -5 lurkyloo said:

Man, this seems like an exceptionally crappy start to the week.  Hugs to all that need them.

DS’ test still negative today but pretty sure it’ll be positive by tomorrow.  Not enjoying the generalized feeling of dread.

[cooper88]

I was off all last week. Even though I know I left everything all caught up, I'm feeling a low key sense of dread about today. There's some nefarious shit going on, all from the top (not on my team), and therefore out of our control.

[taz157]

Jan 8, 2024 8:42:58 GMT -5 daisylu said:

Jan 8, 2024 7:28:05 GMT -5 daisylu said:

F******CK. 

CEO sent an email yesterday asking all professional and clerical to WFH today and then scheduled a TEAMS meeting. The last time that this happened a whole lot of jobs got cut. Please send prayers.

Email prior to meeting says they are cutting 7% of professional/clerical. If you are one of them you will receive a meeting invite titled "Exit Conversation" by 10:30AM. Meeting will include severance and other discussions. 

😱😱😱 What a way to announce it!

[daisylu]

All "Exit" meeting invites have been sent. My team is intact, at least for now. Would not be surprised if we are "reorganized".

[finnime]

Glad you and your team are unscathed, daisylu.

[zibazinski]

Someone who uses “ divorce “ in speech makes me wonder if they’ve been thinking about it.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Jan 8, 2024 9:55:55 GMT -5 daisylu said:

All "Exit" meeting invites have been sent. My team is intact, at least for now. Would not be surprised if we are "reorganized".

Whew!

[chiver78]

I'm listening to a presentation and rolling my eyes HARD. this particular group in Europe that drives me batty is introducing a new process to the change control system that essentially adds at least a month to the whole overall timeline of every change, because now we need to present these changes to them to review and give their permission to proceed. talk about creating work to justify your position. 

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Last night I knitted a gauge to see if I’m good to start this sweater.  I’m right on the button, so happy with this.  

Right now, I’m trying to figure out what to do about this yarn.  I needed 4 hanks of it, 3 were very close.  The 4th (of about 4 remaining) seems to have more purple than blue in it.  I chose the hank remaining that seemed the closest to the others.  I am afraid that if it’s not close enough that it will look strange.  The woman I bought it from suggested using it alternate rows.  Great……just one more complication!  

The yarn is merino/silk/linen blend that knits up absolutely beautifully.  It’s a lot finer than that I’ve been working with, so this is going to take forever.  

I’ll figure it out.  The pattern is Lemon Spritz by Olive knits and it says it’s for advanced beginners.  We will see.  

[Pink Cashmere]

Jan 7, 2024 19:09:53 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

Jan 7, 2024 17:35:32 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

Sounds like Kiddo, except his voice isn’t shrill. But constantly talking and lack of volume control, yep that’s him. 

Even though I can’t go home to get away from it, I can and do, go in another part of the house or send him to another part of the house, as needed, when I can’t take it anymore. But that’s not the same as being at a gathering at someone else’s home, with someone else’s child being the perpetrator, and nowhere to escape to, besides just leaving. Of course Kiddo is technically “someone else’s child” to me too, but when he’s at our house, I treat him like he’s mine, which means I tell him when his endless talking about random stuff is making me want to throw my ears in the backyard. These days, he thinks it’s funny when I start talking about taking my ears off, but that usually helps him hush with all the constant, random chatter, because he has learned that the next thing is that either I’m going to leave the space or he is.

I don’t mind him talking like a normal person or having conversations with him, but I don’t need a play by play description of everything we see on tv or outside, plus every other random thought that pops into his head that is just comments…… like that wall is gray, gray is an okay color, but did you know walls can be other colors and I’ve seen walls that were painted other colors, like blue or yellow. Yellow is a nice color, I have a shirt that has some yellow in it. I wore it last Tuesday when I went to the grocery store with my Mom. But I don’t have a lot of shirts with yellow in them, it’s not really my favorite color anyway. A boy at my school wears a lot of shirts with yellow in them. I don’t know why he wears all those shirts with yellow in them. I also don’t really like purple. I see you don’t have a lot of purple stuff around the house. It’s a good color, but I don’t really like it. I don’t have any purple shirts. And did you know I just saw FIVE ants crawling around on the deck? I tried to step on them, but 3 of them got away. They ran down between the boards on the deck before I could step on all of them. Did you know there are gaps between the boards on the deck that ants can run down? I bet it’s probably a LOT of ants under the deck, but I’m not going to go under the deck to see, because there’s no telling what else is under there. It’s probably spiders and bugs down there, since bugs like to hide in places like that. Did you see that squirrel that just ran across the yard?

All of that to say, I completely understand, from experience with Kiddo, how that can wreck your nerves.

Is it like watching Rainman? Maybe he's just highly intelligent and has more information in his brain than he knows what to do with.

I never watched Rainman. Kiddo is a very smart little guy. I don’t know what all the talking is about though.

[Sunnyday]

Jan 8, 2024 8:53:29 GMT -5 daisylu said:

Jan 8, 2024 8:47:40 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

happy fucking new year. woof. 

here's hoping your world isn't changing too much. 

They did the same thing at the same time last year. That was when I was working for a facility and then was offered my current position. 

Time will tell.

Thinking good thoughts for you. You are already going through a lot, you don't need this right now.

[Pink Cashmere]

Jan 8, 2024 6:13:17 GMT -5 daisylu said:

Jan 7, 2024 22:50:49 GMT -5 Knee Deep in Water Chloe said:

Pink Cashmere , that's both perplexing and annoying. 

@daisylu , I don't understand why he keeps threatening divorce. That's not funny. 

No, it isn't. It is his way of lashing out because I found his secret. A secret that didn't need to be a secret. The fact that he made it secret is a problem for me and when he wanted to throw one of my issues back at me yesterday,  I wasn't willing to pretend that I didn't know anymore. 

I don't know what's going to happen, but I'm not going to let him make me out to be the bad "guy" while he acts like he has done nothing wrong. 

It is icy outside this morning and I made of point of getting out of bed an hour before my alarm to tell him that I love him before he left for work. I wouldn't want our last words to be not so nice if something happened. 

I do think we can repair things, but I also think know it it's going to be ugly getting there. 

I am sorry you and your DH keep having issues. I really hope you and him manage to repair things, even if the process is ugly.

I agree with what you said earlier about how when a woman is finally done, there’s usually no going back, and I understand you trying not to get to that point.

[andi9899]

OMG! Why are all the men I deal with at work not comprehending the English language today?! It's driving me batty!

[andi9899]

Currently I'm wondering why on earth I decided to write transportation accounts. I'm so frazzled right now I can't stand it. There must be something seriously wrong with me.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

"working from home" today due to the weather because they keep acting like we're all gonna die.   I can't do much at home so my working involves finding things in our talent manager to learn.  I have a "prioritizing tasks when overwhelmed" video going on in the background.

I pretty much know all this.  MY question which this won't answer is how do I prioritize when I have a micromanaging manager who wants me to prioritize HER way but doesn't communicate that to me when I push back on her demanding that if I am SO wrong that I am singly handedly destroying the lab's productivity THEY need to sit down with me and develop a list of priorities so I know what I am supposed to focus on because clearly we are on two different pages.

Riddle me that Batman!

Not in a good headspace with my job.  I got a lot out in our culture meeting because we were discussing things we want to ask HR as a group.   I apologized for sounding like I was in a bashing my boss rant.  She's a symbol of a lot of the dysfunction in our department because if we didn't have that dysfunction she either wouldn't be the way she is OR she wouldn't be managing people at all.

IDK if anything will really change.  Me and a coworker think we freaked out the Micro lady with some of the things we said about our department. 

I like the idea of bringing things to HR as a group.   The micro lady asked about going to HR and several of us pointed out going alone is a nuclear option and isn't always about "having the balls" to stand up.  I said let's be honest every single one of us either has been or knows someone who has been retaliated against for going to HR.  And even though you are supposed to be protected we all also know the burden of proof is on YOU in Nebraska to prove you were retaliated against.  I am easier to get rid of and replace.  I am not going directly to HR without the capital to survive and/or only have one foot out the door.

I absolutely will if my manager carries through with her threat to rate me as below expectations for my annual review that is built into the process that I am allowed to demand mediation. I am not sure she will because when pressed she can never give me examples of how awful I am outside of "someone" complained and I am pretty sure I know who those "someones" are.   She would have to provide concrete documentation to HR for her rating she can't just say I don't smile enough or I don't put the spatulas where she thinks they should be.

[swamp]

Jan 8, 2024 12:49:40 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

"working from home" today due to the weather because they keep acting like we're all gonna die.   I can't do much at home so my working involves finding things in our talent manager to learn.  I have a "prioritizing tasks when overwhelmed" video going on in the background.

I pretty much know all this.  MY question which this won't answer is how do I prioritize when I have a micromanaging manager who wants me to prioritize HER way but doesn't communicate that to me when I push back on her demanding that if I am SO wrong that I am singly handedly destroying the lab's productivity THEY need to sit down with me and develop a list of priorities so I know what I am supposed to focus on because clearly we are on two different pages.

Riddle me that Batman!

Not in a good headspace with my job.  I got a lot out in our culture meeting because we were discussing things we want to ask HR as a group.   I apologized for sounding like I was in a bashing my boss rant.  She's a symbol of a lot of the dysfunction in our department because if we didn't have that dysfunction she either wouldn't be the way she is OR she wouldn't be managing people at all.

IDK if anything will really change.  Me and a coworker think we freaked out the Micro lady with some of the things we said about our department. 

I like the idea of bringing things to HR as a group.   The micro lady asked about going to HR and several of us pointed out going alone is a nuclear option and isn't always about "having the balls" to stand up.  I said let's be honest every single one of us either has been or knows someone who has been retaliated against for going to HR.  And even though you are supposed to be protected we all also know the burden of proof is on YOU in Nebraska to prove you were retaliated against.  I am easier to get rid of and replace.  I am not going directly to HR without the capital to survive and/or only have one foot out the door.

I absolutely will if my manager carries through with her threat to rate me as below expectations for my annual review that is built into the process that I am allowed to demand mediation. I am not sure she will because when pressed she can never give me examples of how awful I am outside of "someone" complained and I am pretty sure I know who those "someones" are.   She would have to provide concrete documentation to HR for her rating she can't just say I don't smile enough or I don't put the spatulas where she thinks they should be.

Why do you need to be all smiley in a lab?

You're not Iron Man. 

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Jan 8, 2024 12:59:47 GMT -5 swamp said:

Jan 8, 2024 12:49:40 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

"working from home" today due to the weather because they keep acting like we're all gonna die.   I can't do much at home so my working involves finding things in our talent manager to learn.  I have a "prioritizing tasks when overwhelmed" video going on in the background.

I pretty much know all this.  MY question which this won't answer is how do I prioritize when I have a micromanaging manager who wants me to prioritize HER way but doesn't communicate that to me when I push back on her demanding that if I am SO wrong that I am singly handedly destroying the lab's productivity THEY need to sit down with me and develop a list of priorities so I know what I am supposed to focus on because clearly we are on two different pages.

Riddle me that Batman!

Not in a good headspace with my job.  I got a lot out in our culture meeting because we were discussing things we want to ask HR as a group.   I apologized for sounding like I was in a bashing my boss rant.  She's a symbol of a lot of the dysfunction in our department because if we didn't have that dysfunction she either wouldn't be the way she is OR she wouldn't be managing people at all.

IDK if anything will really change.  Me and a coworker think we freaked out the Micro lady with some of the things we said about our department. 

I like the idea of bringing things to HR as a group.   The micro lady asked about going to HR and several of us pointed out going alone is a nuclear option and isn't always about "having the balls" to stand up.  I said let's be honest every single one of us either has been or knows someone who has been retaliated against for going to HR.  And even though you are supposed to be protected we all also know the burden of proof is on YOU in Nebraska to prove you were retaliated against.  I am easier to get rid of and replace.  I am not going directly to HR without the capital to survive and/or only have one foot out the door.

I absolutely will if my manager carries through with her threat to rate me as below expectations for my annual review that is built into the process that I am allowed to demand mediation. I am not sure she will because when pressed she can never give me examples of how awful I am outside of "someone" complained and I am pretty sure I know who those "someones" are.   She would have to provide concrete documentation to HR for her rating she can't just say I don't smile enough or I don't put the spatulas where she thinks they should be.

Why do you need to be all smiley in a lab?

You're not Iron Man. 

It is a thing of hers.  I am not the only one who has been in a meeting or talked to about not having a "friendly face" at all times.    According to her it is "unprofessional".  I wanted to point out we work in a lab not Wal-mart.   According to her it makes us "intimidating" and people won't want to work with us if we aren't smiling.

As long as I am answering questions (or helping them find someone who can), assisting with sample delivery and following up through emails/teams for clarifications that should be enough.  Whether or not I am smiling shouldn't matter.  

Short of screaming at people or hissing when they come into my area (which is sometimes tempting) I should be meeting my "customer service" requirements but according to her I am destroying morale inside and outside the lab with my "snippy" attitide and not smiling all the time.

The running joke is I am going to go out and get so much Botox I can't move my face a la Joan Rivers.   They can't be mad at how terrifying I look because after all I am now smiling 24/7!

[swamp]

I'm totally going to start hissing and people when they ask me for something. 

[lurkyloo]

Drama, you should totally ask for HR to be present for the mediation if you get below expectations.  Keep it professional and all but make her justify every last issue and specify how they can be fixed and how they tied into the scoring.

Also consider getting one of those bizarre smiling bad guy masks, the black and white mustached ones 

[lurkyloo]

Jan 8, 2024 9:39:58 GMT -5 cooper88 said:

I was off all last week. Even though I know I left everything all caught up, I'm feeling a low key sense of dread about today. There's some nefarious shit going on, all from the top (not on my team), and therefore out of our control.

Low key dread seems to be thick on the ground.  WTF 2024.

[giramomma]

We have to exude positivity publicly in our workplace. As per one of higher ups, no one likes negativity in the workplace. 

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Jan 8, 2024 13:15:07 GMT -5 giramomma said:

We have to exude positivity publicly in our workplace. As per one of higher ups, no one likes negativity in the workplace. 

Oh crap you might have my manager.

Gotta love toxic positivity.

What's funny is the people she claims I'm being negative to all say I'm one of the easiest and most polite to work with in the lab.

Guess who isn't.

[Pink Cashmere]

I asked Mister this morning what was going on, why hasn’t he been talking to me. He hasn’t said much to me at all since Thursday.

He said he is agitated and conflicted. I asked about what. He said things with us, and the fact that his birthday is coming up and his Momma won’t bake him a pie and his parents won’t go to dinner with him.

I was thinking about things last night, and how even though we have had issues before, things have never been like this between us and we’ve never gone this long being at odds. I also thought about how it’s only been 4 months since his Dad died and next month will be a year for his Mom. So I wasn’t surprised today when he mentioned them and his birthday.

I already figured next month would be difficult, but since we already are in a bad place, looks like it will probably be worse than difficult, and it’s starting already. His birthday is in February, his Mom died less than a week after his birthday, and his brother’s birthday is a week after that, all in February. And of course they won’t have their Dad on their birthdays either, and it still won’t even be 6 months since his death.

I don’t know what it feels like, but I do understand that it must be very painful. Instead of letting me be there for him, he seems hell bent on pushing me away. I don’t know what to do with that. It’s depressing.

[MarionTh230]

Ran to the grocery this morning after dropping Kiddo at school.  List was relatively short and I managed to get everything needed for the menu this week.  I went first thing this morning because rain and bad weather is predicted for later today.  All after school activities are cancelled.  Got my afternoon rearranged to pick Kiddo up instead of sending her to the after school program.  No biggie really since there was nothing time sensitive on my calendar this afternoon.  Easy to move things around.

Only, we have a new principal now.  And she wants to send all the kids out to the carline pick up.  Ok, that's fine.  I don't really care.  I have to sit in the carline traffic anyways to get up to the building.  Makes no difference to me.  But, I don't have a hang tag, so are you just going to hope I'm the right person to pick my kid up?  There's a reason we don't pick up from carline even when after school care is cancelled.  They have to ID us and record who picked the kid up because we don't have hang tags.

This is going to be a hot mess.  I'll be one of the lucky ones.  I'm at the school enough half the staff know I'm Kiddo's mom.  And Kiddo will see my car.  I'm pretty sure Kiddo's teacher is one of the carline attendants in the afternoon too.  But, all those other parents?  How are they going to know they are sending the kids home with the correct people?  What a hot mess this is going to be today.

I did manage to side dress the outside plants with fertilizer since there is a lot of rain predicted.  I'm about to clean and prep the produce I bought this morning.  Then try to finish my work day.  There is really no telling how many more text messages this school is going to send about this mess now.

[Cookies Galore]

My Charlie had to get an echo at the vet today and I picked him up on my lunch break. Man, you haven't lived until you've seen a three-legged cat coming out of sedation. Poor thing is trying to walk but just ends up dragging himself in circles. I'll be having an unproductive afternoon since I'm working from the couch so I can keep an eye on him.

[giramomma]

Jan 8, 2024 13:29:00 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

Jan 8, 2024 13:15:07 GMT -5 giramomma said:

We have to exude positivity publicly in our workplace. As per one of higher ups, no one likes negativity in the workplace. 

Oh crap you might have my manager.

Gotta love toxic positivity.

Yup. 

So, I wouldn't even count on documentation helping you. 

Just like me, you will have two choices. Pretend it's all OK or leave.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Jan 8, 2024 14:33:31 GMT -5 giramomma said:

Jan 8, 2024 13:29:00 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

Oh crap you might have my manager.

Gotta love toxic positivity.

Yup. 

So, I wouldn't even count on documentation helping you. 

Just like me, you will have two choices. Pretend it's all OK or leave.

I'm trying to leave.  The review will determine if I keep trying to move out into the rest of the company (which is an entirely different planet than the labs from people I've talked to) or really ramp up leaving the company all together.  I don't want to work someplace where grinding people into the dirt in order to block their career development so you don't have to hire someone to replace them is encouraged and supported.

They hired the new guy not because he would be good at the job they hired him because he was the least ambitious and least experienced so they figured he would stay around for awhile.  The actual top candidate talked about how the job would be a stepping stone and they didn't like that she was ambitious.   Wish I was making that up but a coworker who was on the hiring panel confirmed that was the deciding factor.

He does the job exactly as well as you would expect based on the hiring criteria they used.