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Two-day working weeks are the best
Dec. 27th, 2012 12:11 pmI'm feeling ridiculously (yes, really, believe me) accomplished, because I've finally mastered, understood and beaten the new inventory programme. As always, I'd left it for the eleventh hour, knowing that real dedication to working on shitty projects can only be achieved through increased pressure. Well it worked, and I only hope I'll remember the stuff till the next time I need it.
Yesterday was spent pretty much according to plan. Loooong morning, then I did a bit of shopping (originally intended for Tuesday, but since the weather was perfect on Tuesday I went for a long walk rather than to the gym, which in turn led to groceries-only shopping), then went to the gym, and then -- the most luxurious of luxuries -- had a massage in the late afternoon. There's nothing better than a massage right after exercise and hot shower. I was so mellow afterwards that I fell asleep around 8.30, which in turn led to waking up at 4.15 this morning, i.e. well rested but with a lot of time on my hands. It's much nicer in summer, when the sun's already coming up, but I'm not going to complain.
I had a lot of time on my hands on Tuesday and didn't need to do the grocery shopping in a hurry; while idly browsing the shelves, I actually found gluten-free pasta!!!! Imagine my joy, which was all the greater because I'd forgotten to include pasta into my latest order from Germany.
Speaking of gluten, I really ought to know better at my age and, most of all, I ought to have more discipline. Craving for bread, when I can't have any, is admittedly bad. Remembering that there has to be a piece of (regular) baguette in the fridge and not being able to keep my greedy fingers off it is just plain stupid. Or rather, there were two pieces, but at least I threw one away. Ate the other, though -- and OMG was it YUMMY!!! -- and am still feeling bloated and queasy. Oh, well. In the grand scheme of things it doesn't really matter. Besides, the long-expected parcel arrives tomorrow, and there shall be an abundance of gluten-free bread. It ought to have arrived two weeks ago, but I'd overlooked the fact that the organic instant broth comes in a bloody glass jar, which was of course discovered when the mail guys in Vienna x-rayed it, and so they sent it back. Bummer.
In not-so-nice news, I'll have a Serious Talk today or tomorrow with Gerald, whose behaviour these last weeks has been absolutely appalling. And by that I don't mean the fact that he left our pre-Christmas gathering on Friday after 20 minutes without a word to anybody (we sat together till 4, and he simply left first the room and later on the Embassy without so much as a goodbye), because the gathering was, well, more private than work-related, and so it's just bad manners.
What I mean is that 1) he is not following my explicit orders to register every incoming mail plus his response as an official file with a number (which takes all of 20 seconds), and 2) that he, as the girls told me, was sitting a few days ago at his desk, listening to music with his earphones on and completely oblivious to the fact that Arieta was standing next to him, because she urgently needed some information. Oh, and there's #3, too: two weeks ago, before our first weekly team meeting (one of my de-escalating, peace-enhancing measure) he'd told me that he didn't dare say anything to the girls anymore, because OMG all hell would break loose if he did (WTF???), and therefore already had a long list of topics for the meeting. OK, I said, well that's good, because that's what the meetings are for. Meeting starts, I say a few introductory words and ask Gerald whether he'd like to begin.
What does he say?
"The room temperature at the consular section is so high, 27°, I can't work like that." (sitting slumped in his chair like a sulking teenager)
I said, OK, we can discuss that, too, but first I'd like to address the work-replated, procedural issues.
His answer: This *is* a work-related, procedural issue.
So I counted to ten -- otherwise I'd have thrown him out, which he probably deserved anyway -- and said, Very well, in that case I'd advise you to take off your heavy jumper and just sit there in the t-shirt you're wearing under it.
At least he was (sullenly of course) silent for the rest of the meeting.
So, lots to talk about, and since it's going to be just the two of us, he'll be getting a dressing-down. A real one, complete with a warning that I'm going to take disciplinary steps unless his behaviour changes, and that there will be no more goodies like e.g. getting half a day off unofficially when he takes the 12.35 flight to Vienna. Or having two-hour lunch breaks because he needs to take the car to be repaired. And he doesn't even need to dream of trying to go behind my back and get the goodies directly from the Ambassador, because the Ambassador is going to get rather more detailed information than last time about how exactly Gerald is behaving.
(Yes, I'm bloody angry)
What on earth is the guy *doing*? All he's achieving at the moment is pissing me off, and I'm the only person standing between him and consequences for his behaviour. Was the only one, to be exact, because I'm not going to protect him any longer.
/end of rant
Yesterday was spent pretty much according to plan. Loooong morning, then I did a bit of shopping (originally intended for Tuesday, but since the weather was perfect on Tuesday I went for a long walk rather than to the gym, which in turn led to groceries-only shopping), then went to the gym, and then -- the most luxurious of luxuries -- had a massage in the late afternoon. There's nothing better than a massage right after exercise and hot shower. I was so mellow afterwards that I fell asleep around 8.30, which in turn led to waking up at 4.15 this morning, i.e. well rested but with a lot of time on my hands. It's much nicer in summer, when the sun's already coming up, but I'm not going to complain.
I had a lot of time on my hands on Tuesday and didn't need to do the grocery shopping in a hurry; while idly browsing the shelves, I actually found gluten-free pasta!!!! Imagine my joy, which was all the greater because I'd forgotten to include pasta into my latest order from Germany.
Speaking of gluten, I really ought to know better at my age and, most of all, I ought to have more discipline. Craving for bread, when I can't have any, is admittedly bad. Remembering that there has to be a piece of (regular) baguette in the fridge and not being able to keep my greedy fingers off it is just plain stupid. Or rather, there were two pieces, but at least I threw one away. Ate the other, though -- and OMG was it YUMMY!!! -- and am still feeling bloated and queasy. Oh, well. In the grand scheme of things it doesn't really matter. Besides, the long-expected parcel arrives tomorrow, and there shall be an abundance of gluten-free bread. It ought to have arrived two weeks ago, but I'd overlooked the fact that the organic instant broth comes in a bloody glass jar, which was of course discovered when the mail guys in Vienna x-rayed it, and so they sent it back. Bummer.
In not-so-nice news, I'll have a Serious Talk today or tomorrow with Gerald, whose behaviour these last weeks has been absolutely appalling. And by that I don't mean the fact that he left our pre-Christmas gathering on Friday after 20 minutes without a word to anybody (we sat together till 4, and he simply left first the room and later on the Embassy without so much as a goodbye), because the gathering was, well, more private than work-related, and so it's just bad manners.
What I mean is that 1) he is not following my explicit orders to register every incoming mail plus his response as an official file with a number (which takes all of 20 seconds), and 2) that he, as the girls told me, was sitting a few days ago at his desk, listening to music with his earphones on and completely oblivious to the fact that Arieta was standing next to him, because she urgently needed some information. Oh, and there's #3, too: two weeks ago, before our first weekly team meeting (one of my de-escalating, peace-enhancing measure) he'd told me that he didn't dare say anything to the girls anymore, because OMG all hell would break loose if he did (WTF???), and therefore already had a long list of topics for the meeting. OK, I said, well that's good, because that's what the meetings are for. Meeting starts, I say a few introductory words and ask Gerald whether he'd like to begin.
What does he say?
"The room temperature at the consular section is so high, 27°, I can't work like that." (sitting slumped in his chair like a sulking teenager)
I said, OK, we can discuss that, too, but first I'd like to address the work-replated, procedural issues.
His answer: This *is* a work-related, procedural issue.
So I counted to ten -- otherwise I'd have thrown him out, which he probably deserved anyway -- and said, Very well, in that case I'd advise you to take off your heavy jumper and just sit there in the t-shirt you're wearing under it.
At least he was (sullenly of course) silent for the rest of the meeting.
So, lots to talk about, and since it's going to be just the two of us, he'll be getting a dressing-down. A real one, complete with a warning that I'm going to take disciplinary steps unless his behaviour changes, and that there will be no more goodies like e.g. getting half a day off unofficially when he takes the 12.35 flight to Vienna. Or having two-hour lunch breaks because he needs to take the car to be repaired. And he doesn't even need to dream of trying to go behind my back and get the goodies directly from the Ambassador, because the Ambassador is going to get rather more detailed information than last time about how exactly Gerald is behaving.
(Yes, I'm bloody angry)
What on earth is the guy *doing*? All he's achieving at the moment is pissing me off, and I'm the only person standing between him and consequences for his behaviour. Was the only one, to be exact, because I'm not going to protect him any longer.
/end of rant
