Christmas is coming already again... 12/22/04
The manager of this company is having a breakdown. Certainly can’t blame him, if I were in his place and had to put up with all the shit he does, I’d have caved in a long time ago… but then, I’d never find myself in his position anyway. I would never let my job become the center of my existence.
The owner of the company, Jabba the Hutt, pretty much owns his life. She’s his aunt. He lives at Jabba’s house, she owns the car he drives, and he works for her at the office here 7 days a week. He runs personal errands for her several times a day and manages her household as well when she is out of the country a good part of the year. He’s her slave, really. And when Jabba is displeased with anything, she takes it out on him. At this moment I’m afraid she will go back on her promise to let him take a few days off (his first time off all year) to visit his Dad for Christmas. And he’d probably think that she was justified in punishing him that way, that he doesn’t deserve vacation time or is neglecting his “responsibilities” by not being at her beck and call 24/7. I think also he will never follow through on all of his half-serious threats to quit this job, because he feels some twisted misplaced sense of loyalty to her, a family obligation (and Jabba is the LAST person who deserves anybody’s loyalty.)
What a mess. He’s endlessly patient and optimistic. An intelligent, productive, well organized guy with amazing skills at social interaction, advertising sales, bookkeeping, anything a business could ask for in a manager – and he’s stuck here, wasting his life and trying to convince himself that everything’s okay as he borrows $100 to live off of from a fellow employee because Jabba took away his sales bonus money.
Other than the current workplace drama… it’s a good week. I haven’t much I need to do here at work, after creating 2 issues of the newspaper on the same week (unprecedented) and victoriously getting everything ready by the deadlines. I have a well-deserved break and can catch up on letter-writing, file organization, straightening up my deskspace and taking deep breaths…Before Jabba comes storming back in here tomorrow. I have been offered the next week (Monday the 27th through Monday the 1st) as days off, but it seems too good to be true. I find myself looking forward to it anyway, and will be mildly disappointed if I have to work any of those days. We shall see. I can foresee no reason that the rest of the month will be stressful or busy for me personally and it is a welcome change.
I haven’t been thinking much about Christmas yet, which I suppose I should since it’s only three days away. Once again this year Steve and I are not buying presents for each other. And no presents for his relatives or mine either. I’ve sent a letter to my Dad (finally) and offered to paint a picture for him. I will e-mail my brother a long letter today or tomorrow. We got our tree this weekend, and it is lovely. Christmas spirit and celebrating my way has come to mean to me: decorating a beautiful tree, drinking eggnog with booze in it, listening to seasonal music, admiring the sparkling lights everywhere, and recalling fond memories of Christmases long past. I like holidays to be Calm and peaceful, or Bouncy happy celebration, with no frantic shopping or awkward obligations.
A co-worker is talking about her dog, and says: "If you just look at her kinda funny, she'll piddle on the carpet." The receptionist replies, "Yeah, a lot of female dogs are like that." Whoa. Am I glad I'm a cat person...
I feel beautiful and fluffy today. Not sure if this is a good hair day or not, it is sticking up unusually but I think I like it. I am treating myself to donuts and cookies that customers have brought in to the office… not too much though. No overloading on sugary things. It is warm and smells good in here. I have a new corduroy jacket, which is so soft and comfy and cute. I also have a Puma hoodie sweatshirt, that I’m dying to wear, but it is too casual for work. Maybe I’ll wear it on the way to the gym tomorrow night, if we end up going. Would be good to get some more exercise back in my life. I’ve been riding the bus to work the past three days instead of walking, now that the schedule has changed and Herds of Obnoxious Tards no longer get on the bus. Such a lazy creature I am… I shall walk back and forth across the office most vigorously all day. Because the cookie tray is far away from my desk.
