"Whah whah whah...my other job isn't paying me enough...

...so I'm gonna call people at my desk and bitch and moan about it while I'm working here at THIS job." -- Bleh

For the love of all that is good and holy, SHUT UP Bleh! Nobody here cares about your 2nd job and its problems. We especially don't care because you're supposed to be working here, not talking about job #2. Maybe you should quit this job and go work your other job and annoy those people instead!
AHHH!

Why has this gone on for so long?

Long-time readers (and perhaps newer ones as well) probably wonder why the hell I've stuck it out in this office for so long when Bleh is the kind of coworker that could drive one to the very edge of sanity and confusion? Well, there are quite a few reasons, and today I'll write about some of them.

1. "It's the economy, stupid." Yep, we're living in harsh times and jobs are scarce, especially in my field. Also, the young are not appreciated in my field, nor are they paid very much, so my current options are stay here and survive, or leave and be in the poorhouse. Bleh isn't hauling in the dough and she actually does do some work when she's not whispering loudly to her kids (who are here almost every day!) or mysteriously away from her desk.
2. Why should I have to be the one to leave? She should leave, yes. She's the one with the boat- and plane-buying husband and a second job she could work from home. No one would give a sh*t if she had her widdle-baby teenage children with her all damned day if she was in her own house. (But then again, no one would give her any attention either, so we see why she won't go anywhere that has no captive audience.)
3. I've gone through all the proper channels to try and resolve this conflict but can't get the support I need. My immediate supervisor (The Supervisor) has an aversion to conflict, so she's no help. Bleh's not going to be fired because, get this, the Powers That Be think I'm the problem! Yes, you read that correctly -- they think I'm high-maintenance because I've dared to complain about Bleh's lack of professionalism. My Supervisor's supervisor tried to give me cubicle walls to 'solve' the problem(s). When I politely declined (because honestly, that would do nothing but put me inside a cube outside of which Bleh would continue to be Bleh), the Head Honcho made fun of me with The Supervisor in front of my face. Talk about employee support! Sure, there's actually one more level of authority above Head Honcho, but at this point, I don't think I could take another round of rejection and apathy regarding my plight. I mean, seriously, if the two people who could help me won't, why would the guy two buildings over who probably doesn't even know my name help me? He's even less invested than they are.

So, The Powers That Be have decided to let Bleh run rampant and stick the shiv of fate further under my fingernails. Maybe there's some cosmic lesson about patience and love that I'm supposed to be learning by suffering this bullsh*t... maybe not.

Maybe the Universe can go f*ck itself.

Planes, Phones and Crazymobiles

Well, no plane. The Husband flew to wherever his new plane is and learned he was unable to fly it back home. Apparently he learned to fly on a different kind of plane and had no clue how to drive the one he bought. Heh! He now owns a plane in another state.

The Daughter, a.k.a, Mini-Bleh, has been over a lot this week. She's taken to just coming over and chatting up the interns in my department, even when she's not scheduled to be at work! (Does my Supervisor do anything about this? NO.) Apparently Mini-Bleh is just like her mom and has no life outside of this institution. I gotta tell ya, she does it one more time, I'm calling her aside and telling her she can't just wander in and have playtime with the interns...they're supposed to be um, working. I'm sure she'll run crying to "mommie" but I really just don't care anymore.

And finally, Bleh was back on the phones again today, this time about her 2nd job. She actually sat over there loudly talking to a client while she was on the clock! This woman is so bat-brained she has no idea how lucky she is to work under an oblivious supervisor.

Me? Not so lucky...but that's why I call my lovely readers The Schadenfreude Fans. :-)

Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay...

...Callin' my other job's coworkers, to chat away...just wastin' time....

Just another Pleasant Valley Tuesday...

Or it was until Bleh actually showed up for work. She strolled in at 8:47, then disappeared to get coffee. She finally sat down at a minute to nine and, without missing a beat, picked up her cell and called Lucy to talk about Job #2.

I tell you this woman has no shame! None!

She's a handful today

Phone call number seven:

Bleh's been chatting with Lucy about Job #2 at her office phone for more than 10 minutes now. She's telling Lucy that she always takes Friday nights off.

Well, good for her. Why does she even bother showing up here at all? She could do all her chitchatting at home without bothering anyone!

I feel like I've been taking crazy pills.

Bleh, for whatever reason, has decided to give up her second job*. Oddly enough, she has recruited another colleague in our office to replace her when she quits job #2 next month. The other colleague apparently wanted a second job to make money to send her kid to college. We'll call this other colleague "Lucy."

So no, there's nothing wrong with this scenario in and of itself.

HOWEVER, there is a problem with the fact that Bleh is on the phone with Lucy right now, giving her tips on how to perform this other job! Hmmm...let's all use our time at this job to train someone else for another job in another office. Nooooooooo... not obvious. Not obvious at all.

*Ironically, she was bragging earlier about having paid cash for the used boat she and The Husband just bought. Bleh Logic: quit your second job and buy a boat.

Hey! Let's bitch about my other boss while I'm working here!

Bleh is on the phone at her desk at this moment talking to The Husband about how she's struggling with her other boss about assignments.

Oh! Now she's arguing with him. I just love it when they fight. It's so romantical.

[Vomit!]

Not without my tutu!

Number of times I've had to hear about Bleh's daughter's ballet audition being canceled this week? At least eight. Maybe more. Number of times she's made personal phone calls just today: Four. She's been on her current call getting work assignments from her other boss for about 15 minutes now. Classy. Number of times I've gotten angry about this shit: So far? Only once. I've been able to keep it together until now. I'm gonna go take a break now before I hit her over the head with the personnel handbook or shove her damn cell phone up her wedgie-lovin' ass.

Strange Entitlement

Bleh arrived 15 minutes late today (as usual). She put her stuff down at her desk, then waltzed over to tell the Sup that she'd be leaving early at 3 today. Why? Because she is tired from helping The ML move in this weekend AND because of that she didn't get to finish her work for her other job, so she's skipping out on this one to go home to work on that one. And so she doesn't have to use as much leave, she's "skipping lunch" today too. What bullshit!

What's next? She's gonna start flinging her own poo at the Sup? Geez. Well, here's to lying down and taking it...

UPDATE: Bleh just left a voicemail for her other job's boss saying she'd leave this job early to finish working on that job. Bleh is so thoughtful. She remembers to let both bosses know how incapable she is of time management and being professional! Oh and don't forget subtlety.

It's 11:11 am: what to do?

Why, take a phone call from the boss of your second job on your cell phone, that's what!

In other Bleh news -- she's been showing everyone a picture of her daughter all morning. Apparently a friend snapped a blurry pic of The Daughter wearing the infamous $300 ballet tutu*. I think I've sat through about 5 different show-n-tell sessions of this photo this morning. Any more and I may have to vomit.

*Apparently this thing cost several hundred dollars, none of which The Husband would pay for. It's no surprise. We know where his money goes. And yes, she brought the tutu to the office to show everyone. It's that important.

To every season turn turn turn...

The Husband actually did something for Bleh today! She forgot some file having do with her other job and called him at home to get him to email it to her so she could send it to her other boss who had called just before. Sure, she shouldn't be yakking on the phone with her other boss during work hours HERE in the first place, but I guess I'm a bit sentimental today and I wanted you all to know The Husband isn't 100% jerk, just 99%.

Everybody's working for the weekend...

...except Bleh. She got a call from her other job's boss today, letting her know there was some work available, but not a lot. Bleh said, "I need the money so bad, I'll take whatever you've got."

Guess that new TV is not so fun now, eh? At least her husband can kick back and enjoy it. He only has one job to worry about.

The Buffalo Excuse

Yep, there was a buffalo blocking Bleh's car this morning, hence her late arrival. I was surprised she even gave an excuse. She usually just strolls in 15 to 20 minutes late everyday without a word.

I found it satisfying that she told each person in the office personally about this incident, save for me (although I'm sure she knew I heard her story every time she told it).

You know...if she had any wits, she would have never agreed to living an hour away from her job on a working farm that she can neither commute from in a timely manner, nor manage effectively while working a full-time job and a 2nd part-time job. How many jobs does The Husband have? Only one. Enough said.