17 posts tagged “workpeeves”

I'm bored, but I don't want to work :( I'm wired from all the sugar & caffeine I've had so early and I have no where to expel that energy other than at work which is boring.

I'm dreading a 4 hour meeting I have this afternoon - watching it loom closer and closer. The only reason we need four hours is because we're trying to do the run-through of the training for the project I'm working on and they keep interrupting me. I can't even get through an entire section of my outline before I'm stopped and our trains of thoughts collide and somehow we end up talking about topics completely unrelated to work. It seems to worry them that I'm not working off of a script - and I'm worried they're going to be interrupting me so much during the live training that no one will learn anything. Have they no faith?!

I'm getting my hair done tonight. Its been approximately four weeks and you can see my roots but not too badly. I mainly would just like the color to be as dark as it once was. I'm tempted to ask her to go a shade darker this time, but my sister says that the light color looks wonderful. It might be darker this time no matter what I do considering it's a darker shade to begin with. I'm also going to get my hair cut - but by a different person on a different day as I can't afford to color and cut at this salon with their prices. I like the length - but when I put curlers in, the longer bits in the back do nothing and simple silently rebel against my best efforts.

Last night I went to Ikea with my sister and her friend. We got lost going there even though I've been there a million times. With the gas prices as terrible as they are, I was cringing to see the miles traveled climb as we had to backtrack. I bought this wall rod and four of these hanging cups - though I'm not really sure where I'm going to put them. I'd like to use them in the kitchen but we don't have any free wall space that wide. I think I might put glue magnets to the wall connectors and put it on the side of the refrigerator instead. Pretty good idea, eh?!

Thank God its Friday.

Yesterday was pretty rotten at work - so far as it was very stressful and we had to back pedal and give into silly demands and I'm not happy about it all. The worst part is that I took that out on a co-worker of mine and I felt really bad about it. The good thing is that I apologized and she accepted and we're on good terms again. I'm hoping that today is going to be better!

I'm finding that I'm really not using Twitter that much and may cancel my account. The updates page is too overwhelming in the fact that it's just random thoughts with next to no explanation - and a ton of them. My thoughts are hardly ever one sentence thoughts - which I think Twitter is intended for. Plus no one seems interested in what I'm doing so...

Last night my sister and I finally finished watching the Battlestar mini-series (I'd seen it before numerous times, my sister has never been able to finish it though) and she loved it :) I'm happy because I really like the show and I love to share stuff like that with my sister. I lent her the first season and also season 2.0 - because I remember what a cliffhanger the end if the first season was and I know she'd go crazy! Watching the mini-series has really rekindled my passion to finish the 3rd season which we'd almost done before we went to Scotland.

Today is Thursday and I'm frakin' glad. If only it were Friday!
 

I'm feeling better today - so far as my mood and my outlook. Though I'm having some problems at my job right now, I'm going to go on vacation and come back with a clean slate and just keep working and trying my best as I was before. I'm not going to let one incident - that was blown completely out of proportion to the actual situation - ruin this job for me right now. However, I'm still determined to look for other jobs or perhaps become Paul's person job hunter. But that's all for another post.

My knee is feeling better. I'm not free from pain all the time - but most of the time I am and that's the important thing. I'm still taking ibuprofen in the mornings though, as it seems to be after I wake up that it hurts the most. I'm just glad that the terrible pain went away as I really didn't want it to ruin our Scotland trip.

I went to JoAnns on Monday night and bought some straps and small buckles to put inside of my carry-on bag for Linnet. Last night I put one strap in but it took me awhile and I wasn't able to get the other two in. I'm hoping that tonight I can work on it some more if not Thursday. She fits well in the bag - however I find that I have to remove her wig so that it doesn't get muffled. I'm sure if it was a normal synthetic wig it wouldn't be so bad but the mohair gets teased and tangled so easily. However, I'm still very much in love with the wig and am considering buying a second one so have as a back up for when this one falls to pieces from my constant attention :)

I joined two group orders recently - both for Dollmore - and I'm frustrated by how slow they've progressed compared to my very first one. The first of the two, the organizer said that she wouldn't take any money orders unless they were sent three days before the order closed - but she didn't keep up on the orders coming in and so the order closed long before she realized we'd reached our max. Therefore people who were sending money orders sent them long after we'd closed the order and so she didn't place the order for a good week after it closed. Very frustrating considering I'd joined the group in order to bypass the fraking money order wait. To top it off, by the time she made the order a bunch of stuff was sold out - luckily I wasn't effected - but I feel bad for the others who were. The second of the two was much quicker and more efficient in regards to the organizer, but then Dollmore didn't respond to our order for two weeks! I was hoping to have the order before I left - but that's not going to happen as Dollmore is sending it out tomorrow and it can take three days to get it from them and then three days to get it from the organizer. The money I save using a group order is wonderful - however the process is frustrating more often than not. Once I get back - I'm doing my own group order so that I don't have to wait on others and I get the store credit!

Anyhow - this was just a bunch of little stuff that would have been pointless to put in their own post :)

I'm in a bit of a sour mood today, work wise.

Early this morning an internal customer called, a customer I generally do not care for to begin with, and it's been shit on my shoe ever since. This customer is one of those people who knows nothing about computers - which I have no problem with generally - but refuses to try and help themselves in the least. I've dealt with people like this before, who need that "hands on approach" at all times - but generally they're nicer about the whole thing. They're not as demanding. Its as though they see my job as a "service" job - and I do not - and so our ideas of helping are different. I'm here to "help" - not to do it for you. If you can do it for yourself, you should. Since I've begun helping this person - the job is not even finished yet - I've heard them tell me at least four times, "I don't know anything about computers."

Fine. I don't care that you don't know anything about computers. What I do care is that you flat out refuse to learn anything. Your job may not be "computer specialist" but it certainly isn't "dumb ass" either. What worse is that I know this person isn't an idiot (and God I hope I'm right - because they've got a high-responsibility based job) - they're just pretending to be one so that I am forced not just to hold their hand - but to in fact wipe their ass. I work for the Help Desk. Not the Service Desk. Learn some professional courtesy and at least try to care.

To make matters worse, while trying to help this person I apparently didn't help them in the way they were looking and so they complained to my boss. I'm so sick of people complaining to my boss. I know that you can't make everyone happy when it comes to customer service fields of any kind - but I'm so tired of being the first one to get complained against.

I wish I could take the number of calls of the people I help and average them against the number of people I don't help (or more so, just don't like how I help them) - and remember which number is bigger and hold on to that so I don't get discouraged. I love helping people - I really do. I love that feeling of knowing I've adverted a "crisis" and became someone's hero if only for a minute or so. If only I wasn't the enemy to some as well...

I'm stuck at someones desk doing virus removal - so, so, so, so, so, SO boring. To make matters worse I've got one of the many LocoRoco songs stuck in my head. They have a soundtrack - I should get it :P

My Souldoll order is in Customs in LA, my bag (I ended up getting the green one for my doll) has been shipped and should be here on Monday, I have no idea where Linnet's head is as tracking still has not updated from "Electronic Information Received", and I haven't heard back from the eBay seller about my boots. I've got a lot of things floating out there.

I've gotten a bit into The Sweet Far Thing, yesterday while at work, but accidentally left my book at work and so was unable to read last night. I know I won't be able to read it tonight since my sister is coming over and I need to spend the time before cleaning. I'm still optimistic though about finishing it before Tuesday. I have two medical appointments on Monday and waiting rooms are the best for reading.

Anyhow... I'm bored.

I'm going to forward this post with:

• This post is all about drama at work, skip if you're not interested.
• I'm experiencing the joys of being a woman and I have very little patience and understanding today.

To catch everyone up: I quit the Wellness Committee. I did the newsletter for this month and part of the newsletter is an advertisement to get new members. The committee got three new members since I made the newsletter though, so I asked the new chairperson (who is why I left the committee) if I should take off the advertisement. She asked if I could wait until Monday to send it off to be duplicated and redistributed. I said sure.

Flash forward to this morning. I get a reminder at about 7:15am to send the newsletter to be duplicated and redistributed. Since I hadn't heard from the chairperson I emailed the committee and asked them what they wanted me to do. The following email (start at the top) is what went on.

From: Maura
Sent: Monday, February 25, 2008 8:15 AM
To: !Wellness Committee
Subject: Newsletter
Everyone –

I’d like to deliver the final revision of the Newsletter to the mailroom today for distribution. I spoke with Chairperson about this and have not heard an answer so I thought to ask the committee; with the 3 new members, would the committee like me to remove the “looking for new members” portion of the Newsletter?

From: Chairperson
Sent: Monday, February 25, 2008 8:16 AM
To: Maura
Subject: RE: Newsletter

Maura...I did respond to you... and I asked you if you could wait until Monday for an answer.... you said of course...

From: Maura
Sent: Monday, February 25, 2008 8:18 AM
To: Chairperson
Subject: RE: Newsletter

Sorry Chairperson, its Monday :)

From: Chairperson
Sent: Monday, February 25, 2008 8:18 AM
To: Maura
Subject: RE: Newsletter

Yes, it is...and I start at 8:00..why not give me a little time...geez...

From: Maura
Sent: Monday, February 25, 2008 9:15 AM
To: Chairperson
Subject: RE: Newsletter

Chairperson, I don’t really appreciate your tone. I can only deduct from your email  rudeness and sarcasm. When I emailed you and said, “Sorry Chairperson, it’s Monday :)” I was apologizing for emailing so quickly about the topic – an apology I thought you were looking for with your first cold response to my email – I thought I made my intentions clear by saying “Sorry”. My day starts at 7am and I’m trying to get tasks done like everyone else on a Monday. However, I can only assume that you chose to take the email personally to respond with such a lack of professional courtesy. I know that I’m no longer part of the committee, but I don’t believe that gives you the right to drop any measure of respect and politeness you might have previously showed me. In the past I haven’t said anything about your emailing style but this time I’ve chosen to do so.

Furthermore, when you asked me to wait until Monday – I took that to mean wait until Monday to send out the newsletter not to wait until Monday for your response to my question. Again, a simple misunderstanding that has been made out to be something personal and deliberative.

From: Chairperson
Sent: Monday, February 25, 2008 9:23 AM
To: Maura
Subject: RE: Newsletter

Maura,
Maybe you should look at your own e-mail style.  The first line in your email told me everything this morning: 
" I spoke with Chairperson about this and have not heard an answer so I thought to ask the committee;" 
Sorry, but I could only take your email one way.

I left it at that, chose not to respond. The main reason being that I'm confused by her response. She basically reiterated what I'd said, which was it was a misunderstanding and I thought I would have heard from her by Monday. This woman is so frustrating! I hate people who are rude in emails. Its one thing to know me - to be in a casual, joking working relationship with me - it's completely different when we're hardly even friends. I know that some people are all right receiving emails like this all the time - but I'm not. I'm not here to get verbally/electronically abused by you - I'm here to work and be treated with the same kind of respect I try and treat you.

I feel sad now. I want my cat.

As I've probably already mentioned, I'm apart of a committee at my work. Drama exploded late last week that ended in one member leaving. For an upcoming event - the largest that we do for our employees throughout the year - I volunteered to create and distribute emails & flyers for the event. I create this design and send the flyer to the committee for review before I continued with text & final placement of the design elements. At first, everyone is in love with the poster and then two members decide to make waves.

The first starts in about how we had all agreed to keep a specific color scheme - and this complaint baffles me because I was told that our color scheme was red, black and white - which are the colors I used. Plus, I instantly offered to re-colorize it once I know what colors I was supposed to use. This is late Friday and when I come into work on Monday I find the logo everyone was talking about in regards to our color scheme and create a color pallet and send that to the committee. Again the same person emails, in essence whining, about how she just wants to stick to the color scheme everyone agreed on (ironic that she says "everyone" when only three out of eight people seemed bother by the color scheme I initially chose). At this point I'm ready to strangle her. I respond, attaching the document we sent out to our vendors for this year's event that has the logo I took the colors from, asking what the hell she was talking about. What the hell am I supposed to be using?! Stop assuming I'm a frackin' mind reader and just tell me what the hell you want! Then she emails back saying that the logo on the document I sent was for "external" purposes and I should be taking from a different logo - a logo I didn't even have access to. Oh, that was clear as mud - fellow committee member - clear as mud. Anyhow - so I redo the color pallet again and at last she seems satisfied.

The second member says straight out that she doesn't like the design and it's not "cohesive" with the rest of our publications. Ugh. Let me give you a lesson in manners when working with a volunteer group: when someone volunteers to do work that they don't have to - drink the kool-aid and like it unless there are errors that need to be corrected due to looking incompetent as a committee. Seriously. I didn't bust my ass creating - IMO - a great design so you can decide you don't like it. I can take constructive criticism when it's about something that needs to be fixed but a design you "just don't like" is not something that needs to be fixed. Especially when the rest of the committee seems to love it. Also, if you're going to have some kind of specific idea of what you wanted the flyer to look like - why not clue me in? Not let me waste four hours of my time by creating the flyer so you can snub your nose at it. On a stranger note - how can the flyer not look "cohesive" with the rest of our publications when I'm the one who makes all the publications?! Am I missing something? I have a pretty distinct and loved-by-me style and I think it shows in all of our publications. In the end I grow a pair* (because I'm not this "aggressive" when I'm with the committee) and explain that I'm not changing the design due to time constraints and the simple fact that everyone else likes it. I also state that if I'm not creating "worthy" enough publications for this volunteer group - I'll simply stop volunteering. Nothing more is said about the design.

The committee member who left emailed the committee saying that everyone complained too much and there was too much conflict within the members and decision making. I can't agree more. However, I made a commitment and I'm not willing to back out of that yet. I'm very sorry to say though that the person I respect the most - the one who invited me to join the committee - has now also decided to leave (not now, but after our large event) because she too feels that the current members are not working together and she doesn't have the time to work out and through the drama. I'm not sure if I'm going to stay once she leaves because she's the one I work the hardest for - she's the one I want to make proud.

*Yes, I know. I'm a female and in actuality can't "grow a pair". I have my sayings, so just smell what I'm stepping in :P

Today is proving to move by very slowly - its as if after I realized it was Thursday and only one more day until Friday - my whole world came to a screeching halt.

My portable hard drive (formerly my laptop hard drive) has been acting funny lately.Recently I've been getting some write failed messages (despite the fact that the files were still there) and it's been reacting funny with both my Zune & with Media Player (the majority of the files on this drive are music files). I'm doing a scan on it now and it's been going for out two hours. Boring.

I'm getting easily irritated with my internal customers today - and that frustrates me. The last time I was "curt" with one they shipped me off to a customer service training course so quick my head spun. The training was pointless (in my point of view) as I do not act like this regularly. I guess I'm just getting fed up with people acting completely helpless one second and then telling me how to do my job the next. No siry, that is not fun.

My current obsession with the Souldolls has not ended (has only had salt rubbed in the wound by the sudden appearance of two on eBay), though its been properly stifled by our current shortage of money. I got a little zealous with paying bills with my third (and sort of bonus because we usually only get two) November paycheck and didn't take into account having to take Ripley to the vet. So we're in a bit of a crunch until next Thursday. From that paycheck we'll have to replace the money we shifted from savings and do our holiday shopping. It's okay - you live & learn.

Speaking of the vet - the flea control we used on Ripley is not working and I'm pissed. That stuff was not cheap because she's such a small dog and they need "specialty" brands and sizes. I'm going to call the vet and ask what we're supposed to do now - because I'm not dropping more money into the same treatment if it's not even working. In the upside on puppyland - Ripley has become very good in the house and she roams free when we're there (though we still check up on her often). She's pretty used to the crate - even walks in there willingly sometimes - so that's a big weight off of our shoulders. We've kind of given up hope on training her to go on the pad because she just wont. She'd rather wait for all eternity to go outside apparently. I'm not going to complain. I'm still going to look into getting her signed up for puppy training though - because she's still terrible on the leash and I want her to know when to come at my calls when it's important.

Well, this has been a whole lot of random stuff, but I've used some time up so I guess I've accomplished my goal.

I really don't want to be at work today. It's very slow and I have so much more I could be doing at home - or at least away from work.

• Our bathroom (unlike our guest bathroom) is really dirty. I'm one of those people who clean community areas more than I do personal areas. Since I have my family over so much I clean the guest bathroom more than our personal bathroom and now it's beginning to show. I have to vacuum our bedroom and vanity area, clean my bathroom floor, clean the glass shelves, clean the toilet, clean the vanity counter & mirrors. Getting the energy to do this once I get home is pretty hard - ergo why I haven't done it yet.
• I got two new dolls in yesterday and they need my attention! I want to take some pictures of them, and Lowri (HH) has got something strange going on with her hair. It's almost as if the hair ends have been accidentally rooted into the scalp in a few places creating loops! I'm very upset about it and would like to spend some time trying to fix it :( Tomorrow I'm getting my much anticipated Aislin (IH) and this weekend is going to prove to be busy so I almost feel like if I don't do it now I wont be able to do it for awhile...
• I need to do some studying - which I'd likely do away from home because home distracts me. My MSCDST certification bootcamp is coming up the first of October and I'd like to get familiar with the practice tests that came with my course books before heading in there. I'm having conflicting feelings about this certification because on one side is my co-worker who says he thinks I'll do more than fine and then on the other is my husband who says that I need to really concentrate on studying. I'm staying alone in a strange (yet nice!) hotel for an entire week and that is really stressing me out because I'm rubbish at being by myself.

All in all - I just want to go home. I don't feel productive here at work today and I almost feel bad for getting paid :(

This is an update to my earlier post entitled Up and down. Up and down.

I went to my review this morning and everything went fine. The "incident" was not ever mentioned, all that was put in the review was under Interpersonal Relations section and it simply said that I had been reported as being curt to some customers and they wanted me to work on that. I got a six instead of a seven - but in that section only. In the end I got my raise, I got a check beside "very good" in the overall performance (only one below excellent) and they've encouraged me to work towards flexing to the next position which basically means that my job is split into two experience based positions and they want me to gain enough experience to go into the second position.

I think that my emotions got the better of me again. I got too worked up and over-offended and I'm sorry if I seemed overly dramatic to some. I'm not usually like this. My sister tells me its a good sign, she said it's a sign that I care about my job enough to care how good of a job I'm doing. I do care. I have no shame in admitting that. I remember once I worked in a clothing outlet retail shop, and they started this small incentive program where they'd give us "dollars" (fake dollar bills with our company logo in the middle) for doing a good job. You couldn't do anything with the dollar bills but it was the recognition that was important. I was given a lot of dollars. The other girls started snickering behind my back saying I was such a loser for trying to get the dollars and that this was just a stupid retail job. My boss heard them once and called me into her office and said, "You're a good employee and there is nothing wrong with that - no matter what job you're doing." I will always remember that.

Thanks to everyone who commented on my last post and gave your suggestions, well wishes, and past experiences. It means a lot to me to know that the relationships I've built here - though they're mainly web-based - are still important and caring :)