2000-08-03 10:30 pm
Co-worker frustration
I did go to Jovita's alone last week and had a pleasant time. It ws the Cornell Hurd Band's fourth anniversary at Jovita's. Mark was once offered a job with Cornell but we still lived in Dallas and there just wasn't enough gigs to justify the trip each week. He would love to sub in with them some night and I wish he would get to too, that would be cool.
Mark, fortunately, did not forget my desire to get out of town for my vacation. Last Friday we cut loose and went east instead of west. We went to Bastrop and ate barbeque there and ate ice cream at Lock Drug and explored a couple of antique shops (not much to offer there I'm afraid). We went on to Smithville and found some better shops and the cool "Hope Floats" house by the Colorado River...what a cute little town. On to Lockhart, the barbeque capitol of Texas, and since we were there we had to compare some barbeque so we had some at the new Kruetz Market (I'm probably spelling that wrong but it is pronounce Krites anyway so maybe the spelling doesn't matter) and at the old Kruetz Market which is now Smitty's. Hard to choose which one is truly "better" but we liked Smitty's just because of the old feel the place has. I can't believe these places don't have sauce or forks or even decent bread. Yes, I was raised in Texas but I like my barbeque with more than a piece of brown paper and a slice of light bread. (see!! that shows I'm a Texan or at least a Southerner---who else calls white bread 'light bread'?)
Our trip continued on to McKinney Falls State Park. Just a quick exploration of the so-called falls and the park. Very nice! I look forward to going back to it. I really would like to be a walker and hiker and I want to go to more places like this and really get some exercise. The park is only about 10 miles from our house so very accessible.
Saturday night we celebrated Perfect C's birthday with her and her family and friends at Jalisco's. Fun night. Her sweet POSSLQ (person of opposite sex sharing living quarters) bought dinner and drinks and made it a fun evening. I hope she enjoyed it. There weren't lots of friends so I felt quite honored. She's the best. I have now been friends with her for one year. It is rare to develop "best friends" as you grow older I've discovered but she is getting close to it rapidly.
The thing I've been thinking about and most wanting to put into this journal is my frustration with a co-worker. I called a friend that used to work here and bitched with him a while and that helped me get it out of my system. You know how it is, "civilians" don't really know what it is you do and how you work so when you complain about a co-worker they don't really get what the problem is.
"The Stallion" and I have worked together almost a year. I didn't know until today that he was fired at a local radio station and was unemployed over a year before he came to work with us. You'd think a person like that would be willing to make things work smoothly and cooperate on the job. But, then, someone like that: a whiner and complainer. . . doesn't go for smooth and cooperation.
The deal was (feel free to surf on. . .this is just for me to get it out) I got promototed to a better shift on one of my radio stations. I've been doing the nightshift for a year for them and now I've moved up to nights. Not a big deal, doesn't change my work much but it is a nice stroke to know that they agree that I'm too good to be on nights. So, "the stallion" is assigned to work the all-night shift to take my place. I give him the lowdown on the station and he says he will get the full details on the next day. I let him know that this is one station that wants there shows a full 24 hour in advance. It's not a big deal to get it to them 24 in advance because there is no current content to deal with.
Well, Tuesday rolls around and the Stallion's show will be on at midnight. The program director of the station calls me in the afternoon and wonders why the guy's shift isn't there yet for midnight. I tell him I will check on it. He says, well, tell the guy to skip it and he can start tomorrow night. I go to tell the Stallion that his procrastination won him a reprieve. He's quite delighted with that news. I reinforce that he needs to get his shift done earlier. He goes into this long litany of complaints of how that is impossible with the way he does his job and how he works. He CAN'T do the midnight shift until the last thing in his day. I let him know that doing the shift the LAST thing in his day if fine. He will just be doing the following day's shift LAST instead of tonight's shift LAST. He acted like he'd never even thought of that. Duh.
I gave the Stallion a very detailed typed summary of how my show worked. I had worked very hard on preparing these memoes before a vacation in the past to make it easier for my substitutes. I give it to him but still stand there and explain a lot. He goes away and comes back with the question "now what am I supposed to do here??" I had to say, "Stallion. Did you even READ what I gave you?" Obviously now. Next time I'll just say, "Call the program director at the station." Very irritating. I had liked this guy for the most part but now I am ready to avoid him at all costs.
This is also the guy that months back started unloading some of his marriage troubles on me. Men just shouldn't do that (unless they WANT to start an affair....uh....yuck, I hope that wasn't his intention).
Sad thing is, I'm having a smaller and smaller circle of friends at work.
Enough for tonight.