All in a Day's Work...

Hello, everyone!  Sorry for my prolonged silence, but it's been an odd 4 or 5 days.
 
I'll start at the beginning.
 
Last Monday, I guess it would be January 25, you may recall I teased Rod that while he could make me come over to his cubicle, he couldn't make me open my eyes to look at his desktop.  The lack of control over my eyelids seemed to flip him out and he then insisted he would handle the PeachTree issue himself (which I ended up having to fix anyway).  After I closed out my blog, Rod told me that he was switching me to 3 days a week.  This was completely expected.  Back in November, Jen and I had already found paperwork documenting his plan to reduce hours worked for his bottom line savings.  In addition, with hiring the new developer, I knew he couldn't afford me and the dev, so obviously, I'm the one taking it in the shorts.  Little does he know what a gift this really is!  So, he said I would be working M, W, F effective immediately.  On Wednesday when I came in, I changed it to T, W, Th.  There's no way in Oslow that I'm working 3 days a week and not getting long weekends out of it!
 
On Wednesday night, just as I was about to leave, someone called in on a wrong number, looking for computer help.  Jen took the call, and I asked her to transfer it.  I informed the person that it is not at all what Acme does, but that I work on the side and could help him.  He needed some basic work done on a machine, install some memory, install a new Windows, and Office, that type of thing.  I told him what I charge, and presto!  I had some moonlighting work to do!  So I picked up the machine that night and got to work on it as soon as I got home.
 
So, last week was a three day week.  When I came in on Thursday, Rod seemed somewhat pleasant, asking me basic, normal questions.  He told me he had hired the dev.  A few other normal things.  I had gotten in early so I could finish up the work on my new customer's machine.  I was very proud of myself, bustling around working on it.  Rod didn't notice any of the set up, of course.  Not that the monitor that was powered up, not the network cables re-routed, not a computer sitting in a usually empty cubicle, nothing seemed out of the ordinary I guess.  Oh well...
 
And then, normal went out the door.  You knew it couldn't last.  Didn't you?
 
Rod wanted to go over one of our applications and a demo document I was creating.  Because I hadn't yet finished the document, I had not covered everything that should be demo'd.  Rod asked "So, you will be able to demo everything for this customer?"  I could sense the trap.  Like a wily jungle cat, I crept forward carefully, one paw at a time...  "I'm not sure I understand your question.  I've demo'd the product before, and you said you loved my work.  Are you asking if I can demo the product?  Or if I know how everything works?"  In retrospect, I should have said "yes," and left it at that.  But no, I have a nasty habit of actually telling the truth.  Damn me for an honest person!  Anyway, that opened a whole can of worms.  Did I not know everything?  Are there things I don't know about Acme Product App?  Yes, there are things I don't know, I informed him.  He wanted me to then go find some comprehensive list of things the product does that was hidden out on the network and print it out for him.  Sigh.  I did.  Next, he started flapping it in my face.  He wanted me to highlight in yellow everything I didn't know.  He threw it on the desk at me, and walked away.  He then wanted to have a full on meeting to discuss everything I didn't know.  I don't know if you know Rod well enough yet, but this would have been a meeting of full blown, Spanish Inquisition type torture!!
 
So, I tried honesty.  So much for being the wily jungle cat stalking her prey!  I was toast.  "I don't really want to do all that.  Can we just talk over what you want me to demo, and we can use this list as a guide?"  Now, it's important to note, I was focusing on keeping my tone calm, neutral, and easy going.  I was not being argumentative or yelling.  Immediately, Rod exploded out of his cubicle and came charging at me with his fist waving at me in the air.  I was actually afraid of him, for the first time.  His face was contorted with rage, hate, and red with anger.  "NOOOOO!  You WILL HIGHLIGHT in YELLOW what you DON'T KNOW and THEN we will HAVE A MEEEEETING!!"  I said "whoa, whoa, whoa!  Can't we just talk about this?!"  His rage continued, and intensified.  "NOOOOOO!  LEEEEAAVE!  NOW!  GET OUT!  TAKE THE REST OF THE DAY OFF!!!  LEEEEEEEEEAVE!"
 
So much for playing it cool and calm.  I said "Okay," and began collecting my things.  Within 25 seconds, Rod stomped back over to my cubicle.  "ARE YOU LEAVING?!"  I said pertly, "Yes, I have to get my things together first."  I added "nimrod" with my inside voice so he couldn't hear me.  :)
 
This meant I would now have to just finish out my work for my new customer on location.  When that thought struck me, I grinned in delight.  Fully aware that everyone (well, Rod and Jen) could hear me, I picked up my phone and dialed a number.  "Hello, John?  Turns out I got out of work early today!  Uh huh.  So yeah, I'll be over in about 5 or 10 minutes to finish up that computer work for you.  Does that sound good?"  It was one of the happiest moments of my life, sticking it to Rod that he had not punished me in the least, but had instead opened a door for me.  Sometimes, life is grand!
 
So off I trotted to John's.  I worked at his bustling travel agency for more than half the day.  I was ecstatic!  I was doing the work I love, I was doing it well, people were saying thank you, and I do believe a few personal conversations even broke out.  Nobody got yelled at, nobody got mad, and not even once did I get cussed at.  Well, John did say "shit," but only after knocking over a stack of papers, so it was perfectly normal.  Blessedly, happily, perfectly...
 
Normal.

Eye Tee Girl