Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Dumb motherfuckers cannot understand a consequence that most 4 year olds have fully sorted out.

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

It’s all just conspiracy shit beamed down from the mothership.

If you voted for Trump, you don’t get to speak about ethics, morals, or rule of law.

Innocent people don’t delay justice.

Not all heroes wear capes.

I’d like to think you all would remain faithful to me if i ever tried to have some of you killed.

… gradually, and then suddenly.

The republican speaker is a slippery little devil.

Jack Smith: “Why did you start campaigning in the middle of my investigation?!”

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

We still have time to mess this up!

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

No one could have predicted…

Hey Washington Post, “Democracy Dies in Darkness” was supposed to be a warning, not a mission statement.

The arc of the moral universe doesn’t bend itself. it’s up to us.

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

Their boy Ron is an empty plastic cup that will never know pudding.

The fight for our country is always worth it. ~Kamala Harris

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

This really is a full service blog.

You are here: Home / Civil Rights / Racial Justice / Kiss My Black Ass / Surprise, Bitches!

Surprise, Bitches!

by | 110 Comments

This post is in: ,

Well, that’s how I was planning to make an entrance. Thanks for ruining it for me, John! *packs away the feather boa*
Some of you know me (in the internet way), some of you don’t (that’s fine). I’ve been a scurrilous member of the Balloonitariat for an unreasonably long amount of time that it’s best I don’t mention for fear of wondering what the heck was I thinking, loitering on internet corners that much instead of becoming a rich tech sociopath and undermining democracy for funsies.

That, by the way, is what I’m wondering about beloved blog host, JC, who must have been on some industrial grade crack to let me have the keys to this place. Ah, well. Too late now! On to the briefest of synopsis on me, your newest blog chew toy.

I am a Kingstonian, born in Jamaica, raised in the wilds of the Queens suburbs of NYC. Which makes me fussy and cynical. Skip ahead a couple of decades – whoa, the things you guys are missing out on. Like, wtf, Georgia? I studied photography & printmaking, becoming one of the first people using computer art, process cameras and silkscreening/photolitho and multiplate monoprints way back in the 1800’s or whenever. I put myself through college by working overnights in print shops and started up as a designer.

Things fall apart, as they do and suddenly I wind up in San Francisco. I was not granted a bikini and blond hair upon landing, which was surprise 1 & it was fucking cold, surprise 2. Started the design and production thing and that went on very well for a while until the economy went ass over teakettle under George “I only seem less horrible now, but I’m still horrible” W. Bush. So tits up everything went and hello, here I am in northernly NorCal that’s not quite so north I have snow, but northern enough that I wear sweaters.

I’m in a relationship with 2 weird cats who were rescued from a local parking lot as little feral kittens. They’re very pretty, a touch headstrong, but loving. Fun fact, I’m convinced all cats are really Japanese so mine tend to have Japanese names.

I woke up like this
Good morning to Hime fans & Hime fans only!
Odo is severely unimpressed
The handsome, majestically floofy Odoriki demonstrates floof in repose for his students.

I’m under/unemployed at the moment, which means I spend a lot of time either looking for voiceover work, or hunting for design or video work. I’m the lead in a sci-fi audiodrama podcast, Ostium and seem to be accruing more podcast roles at a fast clip.

Right now, I’m participating in Script Dash, the screenwriter version of NaNoWriMo. So I won’t be very visible here unless I’m mad, bored while televising a local gov meeting or avoiding writing my script. Mostly, I’ll try to keep threads from getting musty, maybe say something useful or amusing and be boringly analytical. That’s all I got for now because I’m determined to log 10 pages tonight so I’m caught up auditioning for next month’s work while applying for work. Here’s an open thread, have at it. No nudity in the comments please. But if your boss says it’s ok at work, go for it.

Reader Interactions

110Comments

  2. 2.

    Brachiator

    Cool surprise and congratulations (I think)!
     

    I’m the lead in a sci-fi audiodrama podcast, Ostium

     
    I will give this a listen.
     
     

  5. 5.

    MisterForkbeard

    Hey, welcome fellow norcal person! Glad to have you front paging!

    I was literally just posting in the last thread that I had some job-related stuff I wanted to run by people (I’ll be flitting in and out most of today at said job), but Ruemara – I’m curious how you’re doing with the un/underemployed thing. I’m in the bay area with a huge commute and a fairly stressful job with a very ambitious new boss, and I’m considering temporarily joining the unemployed team as a way to decompress and/or raise my QoL.

    I’m curious to see what your experiences are and how you’ve dealt with it. Or for anyone else here who’s been in the same situation.

  6. 6.

    lollipopguild

    No nudity in the comments? I guess I will have to put my pants back on. Congratulations on being given the keys. Do not let certain people who comment here run you off. Thanks in advance for picking up this particular cross and carrying it.

  8. 8.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Brachiator: Likewise. I spend lots of time on the road (up to 4 hours each day I drive to work) and I’m always on the lookout for good quality stuff to listen to.
     

  11. 11.

    Onkel Fritze

    Hi there!
    I’m my own boss so I’m just gonna say nudity is ok…except nude pictures of Trump! Not ok!

  14. 14.

    zhena gogolia

    This is great, I’m so happy. No time to read the post right now but I will enjoy it later!

  18. 18.

    West of the Rockies

    Welcome in your new role!  I’m also NorCal in a red county, blue University town near what’s left of Paradise (where I mostly grew up).
     
    The cats are tres floofy and beautiful.

  20. 20.

    Ohio Mom

    @Cheryl Rofer: It’s easy to comment but not always so easy to respond to a comment.  

    ETA: I typed this comment blind, could not see the comment box on my phone. But I can when I edit, like now.

  23. 23.

    Comrade Colette Collaboratrice

    Another NorCal howdy, and glad to see you on the front page where you, your feather boa, your floofy cats, and all the glorious bitchiness belong.
     
    Holy crap, there’s color?!?

  24. 24.

    ruemara

    @MisterForkbeard: Whew, that’s a question. It depends on what field you’re in. My tech field fellow layoffees all are employed after about 2-3 months. I’m in month 7 and counting. Granted, I’m also black, female and over 40. That’s what- 3 strikes right out the gate? Can you take a sabbatical? Have you applied for other positions to see if the market for your skills is solid enough that you can land another offer quickly? Even better, can you land another offer and grant yourself a month off with a whole new horizon to look forward to? That’s my advice in question format.

     

  25. 25.

    surfk9

    Welcome! I too am from Northern California and am glad for all of the representation here. Please wreck havoc as needed.

  27. 27.

    CarolDuhart2

    Nude Pictures of Trump. The only nude pictures people would pay not to see, or ever see again. A porn site would make money off of threatening to show same, and people paying enough to hide them.  I might do this as a blog fundraiser one day.

  31. 31.

    MazeDancer

    Congrats on the elevation, Ruemara! Looking forward to your spice and wisdom.

    Love the kitties!

    And on the Open Thread note: Another State Department guy overheard Trump as he was talking to Sondland.

    Is there any chance Gordo had Trump on speaker phone…?

    Matt Miller gave Sondland a heads up that the statute of limitations on lying to Congress is 5 years, so Bill Barr can’t save you, bro.

  34. 34.

    Barbara

    Those are beautiful cats and your artistic talent comes through in the pictures.  I look forward to seeing your posts.

  37. 37.

    laura

    This blog needed a norcalina poster bad! Your doing Swell already.
    Your cats are floofy and thoughts are such that I’d subscribe to your newsletter if you had on. In the meantime, Bring It On!

  39. 39.

    Mnemosyne

    I will spill some tea and say that, as far as I know, ruemara is the only other Juicer who has gotten to hold the admirable Samwise, while we were on a visit with Majorx4.

    And the damn cat liked her better than he liked me. ?

  40. 40.

    Sloane Ranger

    Congratulations on your promotion to the Most Noble Order of the Front Pagers Ruemara   Love your kitties.    Ooh, my nym and email are still there!

  43. 43.

    Comrade Colette Collaboratrice

    @raven: Hey Raven – do I remember correctly that you have a Kia Niro? If yes, how do you like it? M. Colette and I must imminently replace our elderly, no-longer-smoggable Prius and we’re looking to go electric or plug-in hybrid. 

  44. 44.

    leeleeFL

    • Welcome to the FP, ruemara.  Hope it’s all you hoped it would be, or not, as the case may be!  
  48. 48.

    LanceThruster

    Your life story seems quite interesting, Ruemara. Good luck on your career arc. Since it is an open thread, here is my contribution. Something I wrote during Operation Cast Lead that still expresses my current views. They are still being brutalized. Sadly, it also applies to so many other people in nations being brutalized in the service of US hegemony. —— To the surviving people of Palestine, I am truly so very sorry that you, your families, your neighbors, and your country suffer so as a brutal slaughter is waged across your land. I have tried to remain informed and active politically so that I could do whatever I can to help prevent my country from inflicting further such tragedies on others. As you might imagine, sometimes I too feel very helpless in this regard. You all have done much to remind me that sometimes courage can be as simple a thing as to just keep moving forward. And for that, you have my sincere respect, admiration, and gratitude. Please forgive us for not doing more to protect you. To the dead, there is nothing I can say to lessen the pain. You are missed. ~ LanceThruster

  52. 52.

    raven

    Yes we do. I like it fine and my bride really likes it/ We get about 50mph and it drives juts like a regular car. We have the touring package which she wanted because of the 8 way seat but I’m not crazy about the 18inch wheels. Also, they put a tire inflation kit instead of a spare and I replaced that. The mileage is heavily dependent on weight so I have’t seen what we’ll get if we use the luggage rack. Also extras are expensive and a place in Ireland has much. better prices. Mick’s Garage

  53. 53.

    LanceThruster

    Hmmm… went to edit, and updating removed formatting and everything runs together. No time/abilty to re-edit apparently. Oh well.

  54. 54.

    LanceThruster

    Re-entered with desired breaks (I somehow messed up my edit/update)

    Your life story seems quite interesting, Ruemara. Good luck on your career arc.

    Since it is an open thread, here is my contribution. Something I wrote during Operation Cast Lead that still expresses my current views. They are still being brutalized. Sadly, it also applies to so many other people in nations being brutalized in the service of US hegemony.

    ——

    To the surviving people of Palestine,

    I am truly so very sorry that you, your families, your neighbors, and your country suffer so as a brutal slaughter is waged across your land. I have tried to remain informed and active politically so that I could do whatever I can to help prevent my country from inflicting further such tragedies on others. As you might imagine, sometimes I too feel very helpless in this regard. You all have done much to remind me that sometimes courage can be as simple a thing as to just keep moving forward. And for that, you have my sincere respect, admiration, and gratitude.

    Please forgive us for not doing more to protect you. To the dead, there is nothing I can say to lessen the pain. You are missed.

    ~ LanceThruster

  55. 55.

    MisterForkbeard

    @ruemara: All good questions. I’m going to give a little too much information on what I do and who I am, probably enough to identify me if the jackals were really interested.

      I work for a business unit of Oracle. I’m white, married, in my 30s. Mostly sole provider for the family, though we have a ton of stock left over from my career and my wife’s career in tech. Enough that we’re not in financial trouble and wouldn’t be if I didn’t work for a year or two, though that would eat our savings in a way I’m not comfortable with.

    My skills are in an interesting place. Our company runs our product to manage our own company – about 11k thousand users. I own that service and have a team of about 35 people that include full software development teams (PMs, Dev, Qa) as well as a suite of administrators to actually run the thing. I’m sitting at the director level and the fact that I ‘run Oracle FOR Oracle’ would probably be very helpful. I can program but I haven’t done it professionally for about 6 years, have mostly been at the policy/management/emergency level of things for a few years.The problem is that I have a service that’s designed for 10% of the current user capacity, an ambitious new boss with Plans, a 2-hour commute to work, and very long working hours. For example, last Tuesday was (including the commute) a 17 hour day. That’s pretty high, but 12-14 is actually sort of normal.

    My own guess is that I’m highly employable in a niche area – management and implementation of SAAS/cloud systems. For anyone using our product I’m probably a gold mine. But this is getting to be kind of ridiculous and I’m considering just taking off and trying to find a job later.

    Sabbaticals aren’t really an option with New Boss without damaging my long-term career prospects here. I’m more concerned with the psychological issues with semi-employment. If you’ve been out for 7 months, does that wear on you? Or is it kind of freeing, if financial questions are out of the way?  

    ETA: Holy shit it lost the formatting. WALL O TEXT

  58. 58.

    (((CassandraLeo)))

    Glad to see you’ve been promoted to the front page. I don’t know about “all cats are Japanese”, but those two look like they belong in a live-action adaptation of an anime.

    Ceterum censeo factionem Republicanam esse delendam.

  59. 59.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    I had a little too much wine at dinner so I am typing carefully. Welcome to the front page, Ruemara!

    It was chilly and rainy today but Barcelona was still beautiful. I miss the interesting conversations here.

    And my nym stuck!

  66. 66.

    wmd

    Where in NorCal is acceptable for new work? Pretty sure my employer can use good graphic artists. I also know some freelance people that may have advice or jobs.

  67. 67.

    Dan B

    Yhe Mike’ster and I have leased Leafs for 7 years now.  The Mike’ster is a car nut, especially electric cars these days.  Here’s his take on Kia Niro vs. Leaf.
     
    The Niro is brand new so we have no record on reliability but all electrics are more reliable and lower maintenance than ICE or hybrid cars.  Niroes (sp?) have active cooling of the battery so they keep the perfect temp for the battery.  It adds complication. Leafs don’t have the cooling so in hotter climates they have had battery problems.  
     
    They are similar in price but the Niro has somewhat better range.  
     
    Leafs have more storage / bigger boot.  
     
    We love our Leaf.  We’ve got a 2019 which is longer range than previous models.  Used Leafs with 100 mikes range go for $8,000.  There are some used Teslas for sale but they are harder to come by.  
     
    Best of luck!

  68. 68.

    PJ

    @MisterForkbeard: I don’t know if this is helpful, but: I haven’t worked in IT, but in other “traditional” areas of employment, the problem with long periods of downtime between employment is that HR tends to assume there is a problem with the unemployed person, rather than the job market, discriminatory or just plain stupid hiring practices, or our economy in general.  Even if the non-employment is entirely voluntary (say, for child care or care of other family members, or to travel, or to start a business), many employers look at that as a negative, because, even though they want to be able to and will terminate you without a day’s notice, their default mode is that their employees should want to work for them forever without ever taking any kind of break.  They don’t want to hire someone who is going to take time off, even between different employers, to have a baby or discover something outside of their workspace.    Of course,  a lot depends on how much they want your skills, and whether someone besides HR actually looks at your CV/resume.  I have found that people who know something about a business are more inclined to not care so much about gaps in employment, just whether you can do the job, but HR people often know little or nothing about the business they are hiring for, and so tend to just go by whatever is on the paper in front of them.  They don’t get penalized for not hiring the right person for the job.  And, of course, personal contacts go a long way in getting someone to pay attention to your application.  

  69. 69.

    ruemara

    @MisterForkbeard: I can answer to the freeing part. I was lucky that my layoff included severance and although the preferential rehire list I’m supposed to be on seems to not be working at all, the resources allowed me to invest a bit more into shoring up my home voiceover spot & promoting the podcast I’m on as well as other’s I guest in. You have resources, a second income and are prime tech meat (white, 30’s, male, big name, big projects).  7 months was freeing, I got to take a chance on voice work and after a lot of months, I feel like I have a good toehold on a start. Still not enough to live on, but a start. I workout when I want and I’ve reconnected with a lot of the creative media work I used to do.  It’s relaxing. It means I don’t have to maintain a work, gym and fitness wardrobe 5 days out of the week. It does get claustrophobic because auditioning for me is a 5-8 hour day. then I workout and come back to write.  But, if the FSM blessed me with enough voice contracts to never set foot into an ad agency or institution again as a FT employee, I’d do it. My advice? Talk it over with the wife. Make a fiscal plan, do the cost benefit analysis and also figure out what you’d do with 6 uninterrupted months of freedom. Never say you’re out of work, say it’s a sabbatical because you’re your own PR agent. Talk projects, talk things you’re doing and even if it’s just relaxing and developing yourself, say, “I took this time to really focus on myself as a husband, and a developer”.

    Once you have an action plan, do it before you get the inclination to “be sensible”.

    Nothing in this life is truly sensible except enjoying as many moments as possible.

     

  72. 72.

    Origuy

    Congratulations, Ruemara. Good luck on the job search. I’m down in the South Bay, working for part of what used to be HP.

  73. 73.

    opiejeanne

    @MazeDancer: Both of them were on speaker phone. Old people do that because we can’t hear any more. The ones older than us tend to shout while on speaker phone. 
     

  74. 74.

    PJ

    @MisterForkbeard:  And of course I missed the point of your question, which is whether there are psychological downsides to being out of work for long, assuming you have enough money saved for survival to not be a problem.  If you are a curious, self-starting, goal-oriented person and have activities or jobs or interests to occupy you, you should be fine.  If you need the structure of a job and having someone assign you tasks which need to be completed within a certain period, or you need the fear of the workplace to motivate you, then being unemployed for long periods can be a problem.  It’s also not necessarily an either/or thing; some people (like me) fit into both categories, and depending on the day, the weather, what I’ve eaten, etc., I do better or worse.
     

  76. 76.

    Marcopolo

    Welcome to the ranks of the FPers! So what’s the balance between dog FPers & cat FPers now?

    Serious question. Looking for suggestions.

    Since we are now in the election year I will, once again, be trying my damnedest to get my circle of friends as active as possible. In 2018 I did a weekly email to all of them but for 2020 I plan on setting up a blog where I can post links to campaigns, links to other election related groups, links for fundraising, and maybe probably a link or two a day to articles. In case my friends ever do go to it, I’d like them to have the ability to comment on posts. Beyond that I do not need anything fancy or frilly. At this time I have no plans to do this on a permanent basis beyond November 2020.

    For folks who’ve been through all this, what are my best options out there? I value ease of use over all else. I’d prefer not to spend much money on it but I’d consider going up to $20-$25/month if need be. I have a brown thumb when it comes to graphic design so simpler is probably best for me. Ideally, I’ll be able to set it up then just do a post a day. Thanks in advance, going grocery shopping but will check back in a couple hours.

  77. 77.

    gsp

    Looking forward to reading your posts. Just try not to hate on Bernie too much, I like the guy. :)

    Beautiful cats.

  78. 78.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    The guide today kept warning us about pickpockets. I’m sorry your kid got robbed. Even if not much was taken, it’s upsetting.

    ETA: That was for Bill in Glendale. I thought I hit reply, but maybe not.

  79. 79.

    patrick II

    It is a very nice introduction. Nice to meet you. What an interesting and eclectic bunch the front pagers are.

  81. 81.

    Comrade Colette Collaboratrice

    @Dan B: Thanks! I’m glad to hear from people with more experience of EVs than I have (mine consists of test-driving a Tesla once).
     

  82. 82.

    Comrade Colette Collaboratrice

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: I’ve consistently been having that problem – the first time I hit Reply, it doesn’t take, so I close the comment window and hit Reply again and then the @nym shows up. There’s some discussion of this in the thread downstairs, so you might want to add that you’re having the same issue. 
     

  84. 84.

    ruemara

    @gsp: I must have missed where I brought him up at all, as he’s not even tangential to my life. I support you in liking him.

     

  87. 87.

    Brachiator

    @MisterForkbeard: 
     

    I’m more concerned with the psychological issues with semi-employment. If you’ve been out for 7 months, does that wear on you?

     
    It might be obvious, but it is essential that you discuss things with your spouse.
     
    A good friend quit his job years ago and discovered that his partner was not interested in being in a relationship with someone who was not working, even though things were still comfortable. The essential nature of the relationship had changed. BTW, the partner didn’t realize that the change would be upsetting and had initially been supportive. Resentment built up.
     
    That said, years and years ago, I left a job that was no longer fulfilling. I worked part time in a new field. I was able to quit altogether for more than a year and worked on myself and travelled. I had a great time. However, I did go through all my savings. Ultimately, the field in which I worked part time became the source of my new full time career. Also I was single, so some of my decisions were simpler to make.
     
    BTW I also dealt with some resentment from friends. Some people believed that they had to stay in jobs they hated and felt that I had no right to be happily unemployed. It really bothered them. But I had confidence that I could find a job and was not willing to work in an unpleasant environment just for the money.
     
     

  89. 89.

    Barb 2

    Welcome! Welcome new front pager! 
     
    I love your kitties. Great photos of your furkids. Japanese cats – don’t forget – they love raw fish. That what my Japanese furkid tells me.
     
     
     

  90. 90.

    Dan B

    @Comrade Colette Collaboratrice:  The Mike’ster and I have leased Leafs for 7 years. We love them especially our 2019 with approx 120 mile range. Said Mike’ster is a “gearhead” car nut especially electric vehicles. He watches a couple podcats on EV’s every day. Here’s his take on Niro vs. Leaf.

    Niro’s have good range. Maybe more than the current Leaf. They’ve also got active cooling for the battery. This keeps the battery at the ideal temperature. But it adds complexity – still less than any internal combustion engine (ICE) or hybrid. Our maintenance has been tire rotation and system updates that were done at tire rotation time.

    Leafs have more storage.

    Since the Niro is brand new there is no reliability record but it is an EV. Leafs have had some battery issues from overheating, especially in hotter climes.

    Used Leafs can be had for $8,000. There are some used Teslas but they are scarce so check prices to see if they are under $30,000.

    We love our Leaf and don’t understand why people still drive ICEs. They are quiet and nimble plus we can startle friends with the torque. The only complaints are from Oscar the Kat who cries because the scary Dr. Mengele (vet) is part of the car ride.

  91. 91.

    MisterForkbeard

    Thanks everyone for the replies, which I really appreciate.

    Most of the advice is broadly in line with what I’m thinking. The wife is fully in support. though she has some asks that boil down to “Don’t take a lowe paying job until our youngest kid is out of daycare.”

    Gonna proceed carefully on this, but Ive gotten close anxiety attacks due to stress a twice this month, and thats not something ny wife and I are willing to compromise on. That is BAD.

    Thanks again to the BJ commentariat and new FP’er. If there’s any further advice id love to hear it.

  92. 92.

    TomatoQueen

    So glad to see you in your new role and also thank you for the bonus treat of pics of those lovely kittehs.

  94. 94.

    Dan B

    Comrade Collette;
     
    My comment dissppeated until I posted a second that also failed to appear.  Pressed refresh and Viola! two posts.
     
    The other thing is we have leased so we get upgrades to higher range models every three years.  This mattered when our first Leaf had only 80 miles.  We’re mulling buying our current model because 120+ miles is enough for getting to Portland, if we ever go again, and is getting Mike to Bellingham to see his rapidly declining mom.  He only stops to charge once.  It’s 90 miles one way and we had to charge on the way up and again on the way back.  It’s only 15 – 20 minutes and there’s food (taco truck) or casino (uck except fantastic Japanese restaurant at the Snoqualmie Casino with a balcony overlooking the valley and the front range).
     
    There are plenty of charging stations but they are getting crowded as the number of EVs increases.  Our governator and lege have a plan for more charging stations so we’ll be in good shape.  Some areas may not so add that to your calculation.  
     
    Best of luck!

  95. 95.

    Keith P

    I finally got a good shot of my little boy being persistent enough with the old lady I adopted to get to snuggle with her. It makes for a nice pic, although his sister was off sleeping by herself and didn’t make the shot (that’s a super-rare pic)

  97. 97.

    Ruckus

    @MisterForkbeard: 
    I was out of work for about a year, 2012, although it wasn’t my choice, GWB arraigned it for me. Along with several thousands of my friends. On the other hand, in some ways it was liberating. Notice that I’m not suggesting being forced to take a years “vacation” was fun, just a different slant on life.
     

  99. 99.

    UncleEbeneezer

    Congrats Ruemara on your promotion to FP status. Been a fan of your comments for a while.

    New place looks good, so far as I can see.

  100. 100.

    Ruckus

    @ruemara:

    Nothing in this life is truly sensible except enjoying as many moments as possible.

    That is why you will always do well. Priorities.
     
     

  102. 102.

    Brachiator

    Just a quick BTW on quitting jobs.
     
    Years and years ago at a certain job, I noticed that I would get cranky on Sundays. I would even get a stomach ache. I realized that this was in anticipation of the pointless and destructive office politics that would inevitably unfold on Monday morning. Some executive would blame us for some minor thing that happened over the weekend, or even invent some wrong that required redress. The boss who previously protected us against this nonsense had retired and we no longer had anyone who would stand up for us.
     
    Anyway, crap like this made it easy to bail out when I could.
     
    It has not always been easy. I’ve had to scramble to make up for lost income and opportunities and unexpected family issues sometimes added to the stress for a time. But there are some jobs and some work environments that are unacceptable. I’ve pretty much been able to stay true to my principles. Luck and skill have helped. I know that I am blessed that I have never had to make a terrible choice because of necessity or desperation.
     

  106. 106.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Brachiator: I can sympathize with that. New boss gives me that feeling sometimes – I woke up at 5am earlier this week and couldn’t sleep because I felt a little sick to my stomach. Took me awhile to realize it was nerves 
     

  107. 107.

    susanna

    I was in stress-filled job, knew it would be and set parameters that if reached, I’d quit.  Got there, did that, and once I said yes, things worked, even when not as planned.  It’s all in the building of your life experiences.   Co-workers never left and survived it fine.  Mr. Forkbeard.

     

  108. 108.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    @opiejeanne:
     I use speakerphone (but with the volume low and the phone held close to my face) because I don’t like pressing the cell phone against my ear and potentially getting skin oil or sweat on it.

  109. 109.

    susanna

    Another NoCA resident, in Facebook area, south of SF welcomes you, Ruemara.  
    I’m looking forward to your posts.
     
     

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