With Respect

At work tonight one of the main supervisors questioned Roni about one of her calls. She had overheard something Roni had said and wanted her to clarify it. Roni pretty much ignored her but made some snide remark as the supervisor walked away.

The supervisor heard her and was not a happy camper. Roni was still upstairs when I left – don’t know if they were going to talk to her about her attitude or what. It offended me the way Roni treated this supervisor and I almost said something but bit my tongue as it really wasn’t my business.

I have a great respect for this supervisor. She is usually pretty quiet but will not back down when she knows she is right. She was in a very bad marriage that resulted in her being battered and beaten often. She finally left but had no job skills and several children. She worked and struggled to get where she is now. I would never speak to any supervisor the way Roni did, and certainly not this one.

I don’t know what is up with Roni lately but she is losing a lot of people’s respect because of her attitude and accusations. She is very negative and believes everything is a conspiracy to make her look bad.

She can’t seem to put the past behind her. Yeah, she use to teach advanced mathematics – but what does that have to do with her current job? She things she should be treated with higher respect because she believes she is a higher caliber and smarter person then everyone else.

Unfortunately, most people don’t care who you were 20 years ago – they live more in the here and now. I approach every new opprotunity as the chance to learn something new and work to earn the respect of my peers. I would never presume that I was an employee valued higher then any other employee. I take criticism from my peers and try to use it to do a better job. Yes, sometimes it stings but I’m not going to argue with them about it.

Roni believes people should grant her respect the moment she reveals her education level. Maybe she is too good to do this job…

Um…Still Summer

A mark of a good book is one I continue to think about even after I’ve put it to bed. “Still Summer” has been that way for me. I keep running over what I would have done in that situation and the many things they did wrong. I do know I would be terrified but also believe I would handle myself better then any of them.

My own story has to do with a sailboat but, of course, mine is not a tragic tale. Maybe the subject appeals to me because I’ve always been entralled with the sea.

I wonder how long it will take me to miss Florida once I’m gone. I know I will but doubt it will be all that bad. I hope to take vacations to other areas rather then let Florida dominate my destinations as it has in the past. Don’t know who my traveling partner will be but I’m sure I’ll figure out something.

Crux of the Matter

Ran into my neighbor Lucinda when I got home last night. She was outside pacing on the sidewalk. We chatted about fifteen minutes. As we wrapped up she asked me why I had abandoned her so much. I finally told her that I quit going over so much because she has been so negative and I had enough negativity in my life. I don’t think she agreed that she’s been really negative lately but it felt good to level with her. We agreed we’d both try to be more positive.

A good friend of hers, whom I met once, died of cancer night before last so she was upset about that. She also got word that her brother isn’t expected to live out the week so she is leaving for New England this weekend. I wish she would move up there – she is so unhappy here.

I spoke to Personnel yesterday and they informed me that I can’t get any money back from my investment fund – that I have to wait till I retire. However, one of my coworkers is also thinking about quitting and said she is postive they are wrong because she’s checked into it herself. So now I’m no closer to the answer – I will have to make some more calls on Wednesday when I am off work.