Wednesday, July 19, 2006

What the HELL constitutes family?

This morning, I went into work late. My ex-mother in law landed her happy cigarette smoking ass in the hospital last night. My ex-husband, who I am still quite close with asked me to help him out with her. Makes sense, right? I am a nurse and all that mumbo jumbo medical bullshit goes in one of his ears and out the other. Between the late night, the nerves, the anxiety of this situation, I woke up with a terrible headache this morning and needed to sleep in.

Now, I know that is technically a "no-no". After all, I was just written up for my absences. I was out quite a bit earlier this year when I was going through my knee surgery issues. My fault? I think not. I got hurt in the line of WORK, people. They should be kissing my fat Jew ass that I am not their new partner right now. Lucky for them, I didn't inherit Esthers "sue everybody" ethic. So, okay. Written up. First time in years. No big deal. I don't care.

However, being a nurse, a migraine can really compromise the integrity of your patient care. My office manager doesn't quite grasp the concept. A sleepy office manager will make mistakes that will either A) fuck up payroll, B) screw up the computer or C) get less paperwork done than usual. A sleepy or sick nurse can potentially kill a patient. KILL. Dead. As in NOT REBOOTABLE by hitting Control/Alt/Delete. In my mind, it was much more important that I slept off that migraine. Plus, this is my mother in law. And, despite the fact that her son and I are no longer married, this woman has always been there for me. Sure, she's psycho and does some pretty batty shit, but we love one another like a mother and daughter should. We fight, but we embrace afterward. We don't get along sometimes, but we get past it. While Esther is the more harsh side of Marie Barrone, the ex mom in law, Maria, is the SOFTER side of Marie Barrone. The nurturer and the overbearing caretaker. Plus, she's the side of Marie Barrone that cooks.

I will not forego that woman's lasagna for the mere technicality of a divorce. I may be fat, but I sure as shit ain't stupid. A big girl's gotta eat and despite being a Jew Princess, I can't eat takeout EVERY night, can I?

At approximately 10:30, I sauntered my ass into the office. Tra la la. CP is here. Let the festivities begin. I kick it into high gear and whip through all the paperwork that everyone else couldn't manage to get done. *eye roll* I follow the doctor through his clinicals. I am witty! I am brilliant! I am personality plus, baby! Nurse extraordinaire.

Then...from the right, stealth as a shark, my office manager slides up next to me.

"We need to talk," she says.

"About what," I ask, knowing full well I am about to get lectured for my disappearing act this morning.

"Well, this, um...not showing up this morning. That was not acceptable."

"I called in! I didn't just not show up."

"Right, and that's fine. It's just, well, you can't take sick time for in-laws. Especially EX in-laws."

"She's my family."

"No, CP. She's your ex-husband's family. She is HIS responsibility, not yours."

"Excuse me? She very well IS my family. She is my children's grandmother."

"And?"

"And??? And that makes her my family. That woman has known me since I am 19 years old. She was there when I gave birth to my daughter! I call her "mom". She is the only mother I have ever known!"

"Still, she is not your family. Not by our guidelines."

"Well, I am so sorry. But by MY guidelines, she is my family. She will always BE my family and if she needs me, or if my ex husband needs me, I will be there for them...always."

"In our handbook," she states, quite aloof by now, "it states immediate family. Your children, your husband and your parents. THOSE people are your immediate family."

"Really? Hm. Well, in MY handbook, things are a bit different. In MY handbook, if you called me right now and told me that my mother was dropping dead in one part of town while my ex mother in law was dropping dead in another, I would be going to see my ex mother in law FIRST. She has always taken care of me and my children. She has always been there for me. My mother had a car accident earlier this week, Office Manager. Did you hear me mention it at all? No. That is because I don't give a shit about it. However, when my mother in law is coughing up copious amounts of blood and vomiting, I DO give a shit. She is my family. She will always BE my family. Even if my PRESENT husbands parents were dropping dead, I would still be at my ex-mother in laws side first."

*silence*

*more silence*

*staring contest*

*really uncomfortable silence*

"It's not going to be tolerated, CP."

"Do what you have to do, Office Manager. There are other jobs. I only have one family."

She stalked off. I know she was furious. Suck it up, sister. This is me. You knew what you were getting when you hired my loud, obnoxious, New York ass. This is my world. You're just a squirrel tryin' to get a nut. Heh. In all honesty, as a person, I like my office manager. She's a great lady, dealing with her own serious health issues. She has a very strong work ethic and she is (usually) a very compassionate person. But, I am not going to be bullied into who my company deems "family". I mean, seriously, should my husband not grieve my children if they died, just because he is their stepfather? And for that matter, what ABOUT stepparents? My father is my stepfather. He has raised me since I am 11 years old. My real father was a piece of shit, drug addicted loser. When HE died back in 1986, I went to his funeral and back to work the next day. I cried more when my fucking DOG died. But, if it were my stepfather? I'd be a basketcase. Even though he hasn't had an opinion of his own since marrying Esther back in 1981, he is a great man and a terrific father.

Further, my office manager didn't have this conversation with me in the privacy of her office, but rather, right out in the middle of the nurses station. In front of the Doctors. In front of the patients. In front of my co-workers.

I know what she was thinking she was going to accomplish with this strategy.

*Hmmm, if I admonish CP here, in public, she is less likely to get angry, argumentative and will be nice and humble. Then I can say whatever the hell I want to her. What a wonderful plan! Let me try it!*


BUZZZZ!!! WRONG-O!!!

That shit backfired like a 1967 Coupe De Ville without gas in its ass. POW.

Short of duct tape, there really isn't much that you can do to me to get me to shut up, especially when I think I am being attacked on a personal level. You can write me up. You can fire me. You can refuse my request for a raise, a day off or put me on permanent kitchen duty. What you will never do is be able to take away the part of me that knows family comes first. Always. Even Esther. Sometimes.

What, in the year 2006, defines a damn family?? May I ask? With all the divorces, extended families are the norm now. Every holiday, every birthday, every special occasion, I am with my ex-husband and my former mother in law. My marriage to her son didn't work out, but our friendship has endured. Maria is a wonderful grandmother. She is a sweet person, when she isn't off on one of her compulsive/nutty tangents. But most of all, she has always been there for me. Even when our divorce was at its most bitter and she had me arrested, (Yes, I have a history in the joint. I'm a thug. Get over it.) we still managed to mend fences and find our way...for the kids. It's the right way to be with your ex, if you can manage to swing it. After all, you made those kids together. You should be able to co-parent them together. And, part of that co-parenting extends to grandparents.

So, who the hell is anyone to tell someone who and how to love their family? Who defines what your family is? My office manager has a granddaughter that she adores. It is her sons child. Her son is not married to the mother of this child. However, I know she cares a great deal for her. Now, if this girl was in the hospital, gravely ill, are you going to tell me that my OM would decline to be there for her, simply because she doesn't fit the "guidelines"? Of course not. She would want to be there, because this is her sons girlfriend and the mother of her granddaughter.

What I need to do is sharpen a shank and start stabbing people who cause me to fall into a state of emotional decline. Just shank 'em, over and over again, til the blood spews everywhere! Walls! Windows! Doors! 'Til they are covered in their own grey matter from the blows to their brain, while shrieking...AHHHHHHHHHH!! CP!!! STOP!!! STOP!!! OKAY!!! YOU RULE THE WORLD!!! IM SORRY!!! I WONT EVER QUESTION YOU EVER AGAIN!!! YOU'RE THE PRINCESS! YOU'RE THE PRINCESS!!! OH

Oh my. Now that is a masturbation fantasy if I have ever heard one.

Nearly had a big "O" just typing it out.

Whew. I need a cigarette. I think. I don't know really.

I don't smoke.

Anyway, onto more important business. The deadline is drawing near to sponsor someone (read: ME! Heh) in the 2006 Blogathon. Very near. Dangerously near. Feel that heat near the back of your head? That's me, breathing down your neck. I mean, what the hell are you thinking? Look at that sidebar----> Do you not see that everyone and their mother is sponsoring someone, anyone (read: ME!) for the Pediatric AIDS Foundation? I mean, y'all have the EASY job. All you have to do is click on the freakin' princess below and sponsor my fat Jew ass! It's ME who is doing all the work! I will be blogging in the name of charity for 24 hours straight along with 300+ other insane bloggers. We will be sleep deprived. We will be all jonxed up on Mountain Dew and Starbucks Espresso and Red Bull. I might even start snorting some No-Doze. We are required to make a post every half hour for 24 hours STRAIGHT! That's 48 posts for those of you who are mathematically compromised. 24 hours! A full day! And night! And, at the top of every hour, I have the hotband taking a picture of me, my desk and everything I consume. Even if I am napping, I will have pictures of me drooling on the keyboard.

Surely you can't miss that kind of girl on keyboard oral action. *wink wink*

Cue the porn music. Bow chicka bow bow.

Donate a dollar as a lump sum. Donate a dollar an hour. I don't care what the hell you donate, but shit, you better damn well do something for these kids! Don't take that tone with me! Don't look at me like that! I write and write and write and give and give and give. Well, we can't go on like this! I need some affection in the form of monetary erection, babies!

On a serious note, it will be a great 24 hours starting at 8am on July 29th. Now, listen up. I never, ever get out of bed before NOON on Saturday. However, I am getting up to blog in the name of the littlest victims of AIDS. There will be pop quizzes. There will be 80's trivia. There will be "Ask the Hotband". And, if I get delirious enough, there might be nude pics. If you are a chubby chaser into jewish girls, then this will delight you. If you aren't and the thought of that repulses you, feel free to utilize my nude pics as a dietary aid. Hang it on the fridge and resist the urge to be my size! It's a win/win situation!

So, come on. Click it. Fifty cents an hour. Ten cents an hour. I don't care what it is. Just do it. Do it. Hit that. Go on. Click the Princess. Slap her in the face with your dirty little mouse. You know you want to.

CPPrincesslg


Click the Princess to Sponsor Me!



Don't break a bitches heart, man. If I can forego my sleep, you can skip a few lattes this week. And, you don't even have to pay it NOW! Just sign up! If I don't finish the Blogathon successfully, you owe NOTHING! Zero. Zip. Nada.

Do it for the children.

Or, be a total attention whore, and do it to get a shout out on my sidebar.

Do it because you are afraid I will talk behind your back.

Whatever your reason is...just do it.

38 comments:

~Macarena~ said...

You are awesome.

When I automatically lower my voice in public, I will think of you and fight the urge!

"[F]at Jew ass" is quite the turn of phrase!

Jodi said...

Okay, I totally understand where you are coming from with the "who is family" question. Last year my niece lived with me, she ran away, got raped, blah blah blah, I had to go and rescue her from a hospital about 6 hours from here. I missed class because of this. (gasp) I think I even missed a FEW classes because of this. (shock, dismay, and unrest). A few of my prof. where actually going to count it as an unexcused absence because she's "not my daughter or my responsiblity". I explained the situation and one of them made it an unexcused absence but the other jerkwand never did. HELOOOOLLLOOO. The child lived with me, obviously I was her responsible "parent". GOOD LORD. People are stupid, stupid, stupid sometimes.

So, I agree with you. Your OM has no right to dicate who is or is not your family. And you should not have been written up for it. HMPH. I am offended now. That's it. I officially hate your OM. You can tell her that if you want to.

Alright, I can NOT wait until the 29th, it is going to be a riotous good time. :) i will donate if I can, we are BROKE. I am taking care of my own sick kids. But I vow to send you emails and whatnot to keep you awake, kay?

CP said...

mac - What a sweet thing to say. Just don't let your need to be more "vocal" land you on the unemployment line! *L* It's happened to me more times than I can count. I just tend not to put the brain into park before putting the mouth into drive. I would hate to be responsible for supporting you...*L* just because you were thinking "Hm, what would CP do?" Thank you for your sweet comment!

Jodigirl - LIsten, I know I am flippin' people a LOT of shit about donating. Please only take it lightly. I do not want ANYONE to put themselves out in the name of the Blogathon. Yes, it's a wonderful cause and yes, I would love the support...BUT, not at your OWN expense. Charity is only charitable when it is done with a light heart and heavy wallet. Not the other way around. I would never ask anyone to donate who is struggling financially. Your offer to help me to stay awake is invaluable if I am to be successful at this endeavor. If I don't stay awake, that money ceases to exist for the PAF. So, your time is appreciated just as much as the money. *hugs*

CP.

Big Pissy said...

The kind of shit your office manager pulled is yet another reason I'm happy to be amongst the unemployed.

The office manager I dealt with was always chicken shit about dealing with me. She'd go straight to the DA or the chief investigator~they'd have "the talk" with me.

Not her.

Like I said: chicken shit.

Ms. M said...

You're right CP, you had every right to be at her bedside as your children's grandmother. She is family and if she needs you, so fuckin be it. WTF is wrong with ppl? It's a new millenium and all families are a mix of steps and ex's and what the fuck ever! Looks like some handbook guideline revisions are in order...wouldn't you say? I would have said exactly what you said and flipped it on her using her granddaughter or her granddaughter's mother. What's the world fucking coming to?

bitterbitch said...

sorry love - in the midst of some catastrophic financial bullshit right now. but i can pass your plea on to a few of my more monied folks.

good luck - and i'll probably be up and checking in to see what you have to say round 'bout hour 23. i'm sure it'll be worth it.

CP said...

Pissylove - I can understand that. You are a little piece of spitfire! Plus, you have that whole sexy latina thing going on. You probably intimidated the CRAP out of the OM. I can't wait for the moment I don't work anymore. The only reason I am working now is for the health benefits, not the money. But the day I don't have to worry about THAT anymore? Oy. I will be absolute hell to deal with. I think most office managers go to special schools to learn how to be obnoxious. *L*

M - You know, I wasn't even asking for sick time. I wasn't asking to be paid. I took THREE hours off. THREE. I was working on literally 3 hours sleep. That's not exactly very safe for a nurse who does surgery, ya know? But more than that, at least I came INTO work at all, instead of calling out the whole day. There are some girls at my office who get a sniffle and call out. Then there are the super beauty super heroes who come in sick because they need the money...and then, take the rest of us out of commission for the next two weeks. Now those people piss me off.

bitter - like I told Jodi, it isn't a charitable gesture if it taxes you and makes it burdensome for you. You don't save one family by taking from another and compromising their situation. So, even if your assistance comes in the form of "Rah rah, CP, you can do it!" then that is good enough for me!

CP.

bitterbitch said...

brain-fart moment. years ago i had my first office year from hell. i've had several since. anyway... in 9mnths: my father(step) died at 57 of lung cancer. my mother had a break down and blew thru 100k in life insurance. my 1yr old daughter got impetigo & chicken pox. and i caught pnuemonia.

at my review, i got the highest marks possible for job performance. even in the midst of the craziness, there was never a time my shit didn't get done. that wasn't good enough. the senior partner for our department - a man with a wife, maid, nanny, and executive assistant - asked if i could assure him i'd be in the office more because that's how they measured their employees dedication to the job. really? well, i guess if i had 3 - 4 other people handeling the little trivial day to day minutia that pop up in a family, i'd be at work every f'ing day too. you don't see my juggling the shit i've been through this year with being able to get here and get your attorneys what they need when they need it as my "dedication" to my job - inspite of the fact you pompous assed people won't help a sista get into paralegal school?

CP, i feel you. i left a job at one of the top ten law firms in ga to work for circl k. when i turned in my resignation the day after my review, i told my shocked rich assed boss that at what they were paying me, i'd do better working as a clerk for circle k, at least they wouldn't give me shit for being a responcible mom and a dutiful daughter. it felt real good to pack my desk and walk out of that office.

family is family no matter whether it's blood or not. hell, it's my family of choice that i can depend on - not the folks i lived with as a child.
you rock CP. you rock hard and real.

Violet said...

everything always comes down to the almighty dollar and it is said that american businesses would rather have their employees at work making them money instead of taking care of their own well-being. why is it that they don't understand that if an employee isn't able to take care of his or her personal life, they are not going to be beneficial in the workplace?

kim said...

Im majorly sick of the corporate work place and attitudes.
I think the only way to go anymore is to be self employed so you can go broke paying for your own healthcare :)

I lovvvved your blog ....and you are funny as hell !
I'll have to drop by on the 29th and see how youre holding up

Kentucky Girl said...

Oh fuck them. Tell them you are the princess and what you say goes, mmkay? Buncha batshit people. Gahd.

Kentucky Girl said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Kav said...

It sucks that you guys have to pay for healthcare.

Good luck with the Blogathon CP. I prob won't be around to support you during it (time difference, weekend stuff with family, etc.), but I will make sure I send a few pounds from over here for you. ;-)

DutchBitch said...

Thank God for my boss... He might suck at times but in these issues he is my hero: he is never on my case about stuff like that and is giving me all his cooperation juggling my full time working single mother with shit for brains non cooperative ex husband life!

Sue said...

CP -- I feel ya on the "what constitutes a family" bit. Try being gay, unmarried and the ones who take care of your partners family whenever they need ANYTHING....Taking time off for illnesses, accidents and/or funerals has become more and more difficult. Although my boss KNOWS about my relationship, he prefers to not REMEMBER and always asks me to explain how so and so is tied to me....ugh....

Mr. Fabulous said...

You don't tug on Superman's cape, you don't spit into the wind, and you don't fuck with CP when it involves her family.

Anonymous said...

Hi CP. Firstly, all support for the long haul. With our time difference, I'll be your cyber crutch!
Second, I've been confusing people around me for years- we have what we call 'chosen' family in our lives; my boys have been told they are fortunate to have extras! I too get on with my ex, his fiancee, my ex 'mom'-in'law, their extended peoples, etc, etc. It's the only way to be, for me. I'm the one who will specifically go into business with a good friend- hell, I KNOW the value system there! Keep on trucking, babe, you're fine! Jen the Delurker

Summer said...

You go girl! I bet the OM wanted to look good to the bosses by getting you in public, makes her look like she's on the ball and taking care of business for them. I'm so lucky, I work as a teaching assistant in special ed my pricipal is so understanding. It helps that she has schoolage kids of her own. I don't make much money but the reward is huge!

Dark Damian said...

I did it for the children.

...

Let me stop lying. That the children will benefit from this is a most wonderful by-product.

I did it for the shout-out.

Plus for the possibility of delirium-induced nude pic posting. I'm all about that, yo.

As for family, that's determined by love, not by blood. Period.

CrankyProf said...

I loathe pople who think that intimidating people publically works as a disciplinary tool.

She's lucky you were reasonable. I might have told her to fold it into razor corners and jam it up her sqeakhole.

Pud said...

I consider family the people you care about. I have friends that I feel are like family.

Hope you didn't get in any trouble over all this.

afromabq said...

wow, that was some post cp! i don't know how private industry does it when it comes to leave, etc., since i've been totally spoiled by having a gov't job and being spoiled by the many bennies associated w/the job. i hope i never have to experience what you just went through. to me, it seems you could put in some kind of grievance against that horse of a woman who calls herself office manager. anyone who belittles in public should be flogged. i think your response was totally appropriate, expecially since who the hell does she think she is telling you who is and who isn't your family! screw the books. it's just not like that anymore in this society. anyway, i've written enough...just wanted you to know i really enjoyed reading your post. i'll be back.

p.s. love marie barrone-she made that show!

J R Estelle said...

I agree with DD, a family is made of the ones you love, not blood, because I have "blood" family that I absolutely loathe and wouldn't give them my breath if it were to save their lives. On the other hand, I have a handful of close friends that I would give my last breath too.

I think OM's are on power trips. They don't quite get the money they want, so that chaps their ass. They deal with that by bossing people around and hide it under the guise of "just trying to keep things organized."

Katie said...

Family's Family - OM be damned. I'm glad you have Maria to counteract Esther.

You DEFINITELY Rock!

messiah said...

wow baby, you're a repeat offender. and here i thought it was only a one time thing.

it sounds like their 'manual' is sadly out of date for the definition of family (say, oh... 50 years or so.) you may want to mention to your hr dept. that it should be reviewed. just a thought.

two quotes for you from my favourite book: illusions, by richard bach.

Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof.

There is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in its hands. You seek problems because you need their gifts.


(i think the second one is telling you that you're sadly out of practice shankin' people. let the mayhem commence)

adena said...

I worked for a local branch of a large, charitable organization that deals w/ blood donations. (hmm...who could THAT be??)

Anyhow, I worked for them for a little over a year, and the boss was this "sweet to your face, bitch behind your back" uber christian lady. I had her figured out from the second I met her. People were always "oh she's sooo nice!! Best boss ever", and I was thinking "right. But, never get on her bad side."

SO, during the course of that year, my brother in law was dying of cancer. At 24. DYING. Stem cell transplants, chemo, home hospice, throwing up blood...dying.

I never missed any work because of it, tho' believe me, I wanted to. I called in the day after he died, and a couple of days around the funeral, because I was an emotional basket case, and I really wasn't up to cold calling people (which wasn't my JOB, in the first place) to have them donate blood. I could barely talk to anyone. This was a kid who I became the legal guardian of for a year, because his mom didn't want to deal with him in his difficult teenage years, before he turned 18. So she kicked him out, and signed him over to me (who was dating her other son). So, basically, he was like my kid, altho' only about 5 years younger than me. So, I basically watched my kid/brother waste away and die, and then dealt w/ the aftermath of that on me and the family.

You'd think she'd show some compassion.

Nope.

I got chastized for "missing too much work", and not being "cheerful" enough, and wound up getting let go (because she was a pompous, rich Christian bitch).

She didn't even tell me I was getting let go until the day of. Then told me to come in the next day and train my replacement. Um. What?

Then they gave me a "going away party". HA! And she didn't even offer to let me take the cake home.

Bitch.

Anna said...

Just back and catching up;I am so happy that Nick is okay... I hope you and yours are taking good and gentle care. I think you deserve a bit of a rest. Hope you get a lurvely lull for a while.

Love ya!

Dirty Bunny said...

You are absolutely right for standing your ground (I know, tell you something you don't all ready freakin' know).

One can only hope someday the tables are turned, so that she will know how you feel. Until then, fuck her.

Gregor said...

CP,

That was one of the best all-around entires I've read. Funny, ranting, serious, thought-provoking. Nicely done.

I must admit that I can see why your employer might have concerns about what counts as family. Without a rigid definition, it tends to leads to certain abuses. "I can't come to work because my kid's barber's neice's dog got run over, any I'm very close with the neice."

That said, to limit the definition of family to what's defined in your handbook is also abusive because family is more than blood. This is why I hate bureaucratic forms. Heaven forbid people be treated subjectively on a case-by-case basis.

<3
Greg

Big Mama said...

Bravo!!! That's my girl! I feel the same way about our OM, we call her La Cucaracha... She and I got in to it one day right after we merged our firm. She was talking smack about me 'ME' at the local bar saying how she was going to get me fired... yeah go ahead and try you 4'5" piece of nothing! I told her not to walk by my desk or I was going to climb over it and beat the living s*it out of her (I talk such a good game don't I?) I heard my boss holler from his office,"can I watch?" LOL!! That broke the tension. Bus she also knew that I was capable of squashing her like the cockroach that she is. My boss has 6 children and knows that the woman generally runs things where the kids are concerned. I have never once had a problem with him and family issues. My kids come to work with me sometimes and it's not a big deal. He knows that I will stay late and/or come in on weekends if need be. My work gets done, the firm stays productive and I can come and go as I please.

As far as you and OM, girl you are da bomb!!! My hero!

Rhys said...

Hell yeah, you tell that crackskank where to go! CP=My Hero!

And you were smart to treat that migraine. One of the many lovely side-effects of epilepsy. Unless people have migraines they have NO IDEA what they're like. They leave you so weak and befuddled, mixing them with a job as important as yours could have definitely lead down a scary road. Good for you, and god bless you for being there when people needed you. Family is way more important than crackskanks.

karaoke queen said...

I was practically raised by my grandparents as my dad worked as a long haul trucker and was only home late at night when he was sleeping. And my mom was studying to be a nurse and working at the same time. My grama and grampa are definitely my family and I would have given her the big f-you too. Family is WAAAY more important than some unrealistic policy. You GO girl.

And I get migraines too. I know exactly what its like. You can't do anything. Sleeping is work. And forget trying to concentrate on anything. I can barely even see when I have them cause I get the sparkles. Its much smarter of you to stay home and get better rather than sticking something where it doesn't belong, or forgetting about something important. Someone COULD die.

It's Me, Maven... said...

Who is to define marriage? Family? Love? And who are we to stand in the way of ensuring that everyone is entitled to those basic ideals? The entire argument is proof positive of the line being blurred between the religiosity of others , and the lives of those whose lives live somewhat "outside" of the perspective of others.

~Macarena~ said...

CP, relax. Even if I did something stupid and blamed you, that wouldn't make it your fault. After all, your example is not allowing some assface to bully you in public, and you are willing to lose your job over it. Paying rent is my priority, but I don't think my behavior or my cool boss would render me unemployed. If I were fired, it would be for some stupid reason that had very little to do with me. I am outspoken at work, because that is my turf. Outside of the office and away from my family, I tend to worry about how I look and whether I might cause a scene. I won't even raise my voice to greet someone, I've got a specified "greeting distance" within which I operate.

I love that NYers have a reputation for mouthiness, because it seems to be positive, not as in you talk "too much," but, like Shaft, you don't take shit from anyone. I also admire regional loyalty, so I like when NYers love NY.

Sherri said...

"Dirty little mouse"? That's one I haven't heard before. I wonder what other fun phrases I've missed out on. Damn.

3rdtimesacharm( 3T ) said...

Corporate America DEFINITELY needs to re-think the concept of what constitutes a family CP! If my x-MIL was sick, I would be there for her as well. She, like in your case is a wonderful grandmother to my children, she will always be family! You as others have stated, are MY HERO.

Old standards of family no longer apply, in this day and age. My x-husband was up in Washington state this past week, with my kids, staying with my parents part of the time, and with my brother's family part of the time. He's family, period. Just because we didn't stay married, we have kids together, and our families will always be tied as family.

This is one area that bosses everywhere need to back off and understand, that they can no longer clearly in policies define "family." And they shouldn't. Family is everything. And where ever all of us find family, it is family.

Great post Girlfriend!

3T

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