Halfway through the day today at Cateringman's (trumpet flourish, hands on hips, looking to the horizon with assured satisfaction that the day is saved) they realized they didn't need me to go be on the job tonight after all. They had plenty of waitstaff and three people in the kitchen.

Color me pissed.

I could be in the car on the way to New York right this second. Catering man asked me if I'd come back later this afternoon to the shop to work with him on prep for the two big jobs for tomorrow. Seeing as I could use the money, Planned on being Cateringgirl anyway... I told him to call me on his way back from the delivery of the big big function stuff and let me know what time to come in. Probably at 5:30pm.

So mom and Linda -- sorry. I could be hanging with your face, but it looks like Thanksgiving at the earliest.

Cateringman was short of fuse today. I got lectured for mistakes other people made, just because I was standing in the vicinity. One guy, who is a total misogynist, told me a prep job was done so I crossed it off the list. Cateringman lectured me for 10 minutes on not crossing off jobs until they are 100% done, and not crossing off OTHER people's jobs (I crossed it off because the He Man Woman Hater was grilling and his hands were occupied -- I thought I was doing him a favor).

And the entire time I was having my corn chute raked, Mr. Jerkbag didn't step to my defense at all saying "Well, I told her to circle it... so it's my bad." He walked around continuing to do his job, without saying a word.

Jerk.

He also does things that baffle me -- he's divorced, and hates his ex-wife. He just went through a nasty legal battle and tried to hide money from her, got a really sweet job as an area sales rep for a company in Pittsburgh, and set it up that he got perks instead of money so she couldn't have a percentage of it... ie company car and leased hotel suites for vacations, which he hid from her.

He stands around in front of all us girls, some as young as 18 and complains about women to Cateringman and his partner. Both Cateringman and his partner are divorced, so he thinks he has some sort of alliance with them.

The other day his new girlfriend listened to his advice on something so he came in and said "Well, hell froze over. I never thought I'd see the day but a woman took advice from me. Heh. She got off her high horse and listened to someone other than the voice coming out of her ass."

How nice is that, to say something like that about your current girlfriend. And the things he says about the ex-wife make my skin crawl.

He ended up getting laid off from the sweet deal in Pennsylvania and is currently suing the company for his severance package. He said he and his boss both are being screwed out of close to a million dollars each, so they both retained the same lawyer.

I do hope the ex wife gets wind of the severance package. I actually told Mr. He Man Woman Hater that he was a misogynist and he laughed. He said he liked women quite alright as long as they didn't talk back and give him shit.

So I suppose he hates me too. Cause I talk back at him all the time.

Anyhow, Amy praises me for my Passionate Life stance. Thank you. I truly am living it. I'm just wrinkling my nose and shrugging my shoulders for the past couple of days.

---

Oh -- forgot to mention yesterday's MF class. I stayed here at the house instead of going to the college. I was at a disadvantage because none of the video feeds would work for the other people, but all the audio was working fine for me. My microphone still doesn't work right, but I could hear everyone else talking.

It went almost smoothly. I would say 70% smoothly. The kids are starting to get the concept of using the Start Menu bar to switch between Blackboard and CuSeeMe, and three kids who are in the lab area will be home starting next week because they have DSL or Cable upgraded at their houses. So that will eliminate the need for so many bodies to be in the lab.

We're going to run the class again online next week. The only problem I am really having with the class is the lack of a private room for the kids to go into. The general public keeps coming in, and I have to "Zap" them out. One guy came in and then gave me all kinds of backtalk about leaving. Using the typed chat area, he wrote "This is a public room you know," and I answered, "Yes it is, because the technology doesn't give us a private room. I am the keeper of the room. We are teaching a class. You aren't registered. Please leave."

Then he typed in all caps that I was a bitch. I said yes. I am. The bitch with the crown deciding who is in this room and if he didn't leave I'd be emailing technical support and letting them know this guy was harassing us.

He finally left, but some of the kids following the typed chat area instead of MF's lecture were typing their own comments like "Yeah! kick his ass!" and other wonderfully encouraging comments. I felt like tough shit.

Well anyway -- that's pretty much it. Spongebob is on right now. I think I'm going to go watch it. Sounds like a good thing to do while waiting for the phone to ring, thus summoning me back to work.

her town too

We interrupt this (a)musing for an update on yesterday evening's events: Happy hour was fun. I stayed exactly 1 hour. Two giant beers and my ass kicked in pool later. And my washing machine kicks. Totally kicks. I love it. Hurray! Clean laundry without driving into town!

---

Recently, in the past 2 or 3 weeks, I have reconnected with a friend of mine who divorced her husband kind of out of the blue. It was a shock to the collective extended friend system. A lot of people took it really badly, including myself to some extent.

I couldn't for the life of me understand what she was thinking, even after hours and hours of good strong coffee and conversation. I suggested therapy, she said they tried; I told her that she had what we all perceived as a good thing, that they needed to ride through the bad times and she disagreed.

While on the outside I perceived they had a nice relationship, got along well, seemed to be successful. But in talking to her I realized she was just plain miserable. No amount of encouragement would get her to get beyond that misery.

So in the end, they split up. She's with someone else now, living together in a house two towns away from me; he has a new girlfriend and she has moved in...

I think that a lot of people were really REALLY upset because these two people were considered by a lot of folks to be the paragon of a good marriage. It then occurred to me that perhaps people were upset because they loved the COUPLE more than the individuals. And the break up was just intolerable to them.

He then became the victim; she the horrid bitch for busting up the marriage. Accusations of infidelity flew, and whether or not they were true or she just happened to find her next relationship right hot upon the heels of this one, I'm not too sure. Regardless it's over. Done. That couple is done now for nigh unto two years.

And there are still people who can't get over/past/beyond that fact and continue to harbor grudges against her.

I felt horrible initially, because I really did think they were a good couple. But you know, I knew both of them individually before. I will continue to know both of them individually in the future, plus whatever people they have now chosen to spend time with going onward. I can just hear James Taylor singing it to me, loud and clear and I shake my head...

"Some of them his friends,
Some of them her friends,
Some of them understand..."

We have another friend who got married 2 weekends ago in kind of a semi-elopement thing. Tomorrow is the "reception." He's not calling it that. It's more outdoor games, food brought by friends, barbecue and casual. Kids more than welcome. Come and go come and go as you please for 6 hours in the afternoon on the beach.

So I talked to my female friend, who has been very good friends with the groom all this time, and this particular guy has been very kind and supportive to her through her messy breakup. She is panicking because people she hasn't spoken to in 2 years will be there. People who "hate" her. She's not bringing her new boyfriend, she's going with another male friend.

She begged me to go with her, and I would, honest, if there was a way to get around the Sunil factor. The reception is open, anyone can come. It's outdoors, fun, happy happy, but I doubt Sunil will want to go to some stranger's wedding reception. If I were in his shoes, I'd go without knowing them and I'd buy them a gift! But that's just me. I'm crazy that way. But he's not that way. So the groom has actually kind of unofficially 'scheduled' people's attendance at this thing. She is going early; her ex-husband and his new girlfriend will be coming later. Long after she has cleared out.

I feel horrid.

I wish people who called themselves her friends could just get over and beyond things and just kind of grow up. Yeah I was pissed at her too, but hell. This whole incident in her life caused her a lot of pain. She deliberately stopped talking to everyone, not knowing who would be kind or who would just outright attack her. I lost her for two years and only recently tracked her down through another friend. I had no idea where she was living, working, whatever. She let herself be forgotten to protect herself from anything that could possibly hurt her any more deeply. And I admit I was more sympathetic towards him and possibly more caustic or judgmental to some extent towards her, but really. My anger or feelings weren't going to change a damn thing. It's over. Time to grow up.

Well. She was always good to me, and so was he. I'm glad they are both still in my life. I'm sorry they aren't together. But hey. It used to be her college, town, life too. I'm glad to have reconnected, and wish both of them years of happy sailing in the future.