Caterwauling

Well, Crybaby Ghettofied won “American Idol.”

I do not look forward to hearing her doing even more interviews. God. Let’s hope she sings them.

I’m going to bed.

But the job still sucks.

OK, it’s bad enough that four furlough days could’ve paid for the brakes and tires that I desperately need (more furloughs coming June 11 and 25), but after one day away, it’s like I walked right back into the trap of idiocy.

As soon as I walked in, I was accosted by Cruise Director’s Bitch about some stuff, and somebody else for some other stuff. I had even been contacted on my freakin’ birthday (my lone day off in months!) about this shit, and I hadn’t even had coffee yet when I saw their shining faces. Ugh.

But then, I was treated to assholes to whom I haven’t responded going above my head to Cruise Director and to Demure!TM, asking why they hadn’t heard from me. Um, the paper went to press, and there were problems goddamn galore all fucking weekend with the files. I did not see fit to answer whiny-ass people who were harassing me about non-related items. And why do I have to explain myself?

J-Ho, the ex-staff writer, got my ass in trouble today. She has been calling/e-mailing because Cruise Director wants her to write a story for me, and I don’t want it. I don’t even understand how it relates to my magazine (well, I could understand, but it sounds eerily similar to an article we ran three months ago). So I finally just had Angie call her and talk to her voice mail about deadlines and stuff. (She used to write for us — what the hell more could we tell her?) Well, she now e-mailed Cruise Director and cc:’d me to say that she desperately needs to talk to me because I am so creative and I can get her people to interview (um, I thought she was supposed to find those, as I did not commission this story), and that I haven’t called her. She did make the mistake (on her part) of saying that I had had Angie contact her because I was slammed with deadlines and couldn’t talk, but she said that simply wasn’t enough information, so she was appealing to him.

I want to fucking kill. I work my ASS off with no compensation for furlough and weekend days worked, and I get in trouble because Teacher’s Pet is hurt that I haven’t called her to tell her how to do the job she used to do?

I have another dipshit who is a subscriber. I interviewed him for an obituary. I had asked him to write down some thoughts after our talk (because I had also delivered the news of his buddy’s death — he was shaken up) if he felt the need. I thought they were great, and I used them. Dipshit re-sent the file four more times (with revisions), even after the paper was printed. I had responded to the first set to say those were great and that I would love it if he could provide a photo of the deceased. He of course replies by revising his text and sending a headshot of HIMSELF!!!

So he was angry that I didn’t reply back to that, so he called my supervisor and complained that he really needed to know the status. I don’t understand why I owe any explanations to anyone about what I do — I had told him the initial submission was great, and because I was three days’ behind in writing the story, I was going to take it and run with it and go hide from the world in the midst of deadline hell so I could get the paper done.

I hate fuckers who cause problems. Really fucking hate them. I mean, this is the shit that appears on my performance evaluations — nobody cares that I work with Angie to train her on my job, nobody cares that we do readings on good business management or that we work so well together or that I solve every fucking crisis that crosses my desk. No, I get chastised for not being able to outright prevent every crisis and I get burned for the fact that I need to vent before going on with my day. They fail to understand that I am a walking pressure cooker while I am here, and that yeah, I may bitch here and there, but I put on a smile and deal with these idiot readers and leaders and other staff.

Speaking of crises, I have a production here — the postage check didn’t arrive at the post office for my papers to be mailed today. Turns out the check went out yesterday (I had asked for it to be AT the post office on the 21st). The post office called, and the check did arrive late today, but it was $400 short (I need to look into this, because I’d sent more than I thought was necessary). So I put in a requisition to have $500 wired to the post office immediately. But, of course, my boss and her secretary are AWOL, so no one has approved my request. A lovely gal in Finance just came to ask for the requisition, but as it has not been approved, she agreed to get the money ready and just hold onto it till the Demure!TM signature arrives to her. It’s nice to know that SOME people are efficient and care about their fellow man — I of course wasn’t prepared to walk into such a shitstorm after taking one lousy day off. This is why I don’t ever take time for myself — one, I can never schedule it, and two, it’s like everything collapses when I’m not here to hold it together.