Another Friday

Thank all the heavens that it is FINALLY Friday.  Which means I do not have to come in to work tomorrow.

On Wednesday, Rod gave Dave his notice.  That made me sad.  Jennifer and I called Dave over once we found out and we all talked about this crazy place.  The stories I heard there, well, I'll save those for a weekend blog sometime.  Anyway, in this conversation, Dave told us Rod asked him to stay until November 1, and after that asked that he contract his services.  This sounded like a perfect time frame for me to be able to learn things and get established to take over his position.  The next day (yesterday) Rod came in and told me that he let Dave go... but he couldn't remember if he told Dave his last day was Thursday or Friday. Considering first that Dave doesn't work on Fridays, and second that Dave said November 1, I was amused.  Rod just fired someone, and had no idea when his last day was!!  (Of course, I couldn't wait to regale Dave with the latest story of Rod's faulty memory.  Dave was incredibly pleased to find out he didn't have to come back to this place.  Lucky son of a gun!)  Imagine how my amusement increased upon hearing Rod say today "When Dave comes in on Tuesday, he can show you this and this..."  Hmm.  Really, Rod?  Are you SURE he's coming in on Tuesday?  What would my grampa say?  Don't bet the farm on that one!

Rod is really just kinda creepy, too.  Take today for an example.  I was on a conference call with him with a VIP client, whom Rod considers a "very good friend."  This is the gentleman whose son plays football, you'll recall from an earlier post this week.  This gentleman heads up a boy scout troup or somesuch and as a result, is hosting some sort of Girl Scout overnight thing.  Immediately, Rod's voice dropped into this nasty, lascivious drawl as he said "You shouldn't tell me that kinda thing!"  OHHH EWWW! That's just SO wrong.  These are GIRL SCOUTS for crying out loud.  Gag me.

After that comment, and a few more less ghastly, Rod summarily kicked me off the call.  Thank goodness!  I couldn't handle much more of that "man" talk.

Rod always has to be in charge.  Always has to be numero uno.  No matter how miniscule the item.  Regarding our phones, I was informed today that HE is line 1.  JENNIFER is line 2.  I can therefore be line 3 or 4 on our 4 line phones.  Okay, great, whatever.  I'm sorry for all those times I have stepped on your toes and taken the next line available.  (Okay, when I think about it how it probably bugged him, I'm not sorry at all.  In fact, I'm rather pleased with myself.)

He asked again today about the sig file status for email.  Again we had the same conversation.  Again Jennifer had to call me to update Rod on the status.  Really.  Tiresome.

For Halloween, Rod has decided "to be a girl."  Not a prostitute or anything weird.  He said there is going to be a lot of "putting [his] face on."  I have no clue what that means, but he laughed like I am supposed to.  He thinks the problem with that costume is that some people are not going to think it's a joke.  Yes they will, Rod, but unfortunately, they won't be laughing with you, they'll be laughing at you.

Rod doesn't let you finish very many thoughts when you are speaking.  For this reason, he has very little real idea of what it is I am working on or what problems I have encountered.  As a result, I find myself keeping things from him - because he doesn't know the rest of the history. To tell him one part of the story would shock him too much, I think, and then it would take 30 minutes of trying to explain things that I've previously tried to explain - unsuccessfully.  That's assuming, of course, he didn't interrupt me, and he could remember what it was we were talking about.  (Two HUGE if's when dealing with Rod.)

Lastly, let me part today with some observations.  Rod likes America, and Americans.  Groovy.  I'm down with that, too.  But Rod seems to think that while on a support call with Microsoft, you actually get a choice of where your call will be routed.  (It was a painful 20 minutes as he told some poor girl in the Philipines over and over and over that he didn't want to talk to her, he wanted an American to talk to. She kindly explained that she could put us back in the queue.  Over and over.  Poor girl.)  Another example of his American "ethnicity" bias?  We were speaking to a gentleman named Hakeem.  When he said "This is Hakeem," Rod gruffly and rudely asked "What's your AMERICAN name?"  Ohhh, Rod...

So, happy Friday everyone.  When I say TGIF, I say it with far more zeal than anyone else I know.

Over and out,
Eye Tee Girl