Tick Tick Tick Tick Boom

Now let's talk about work again. My thoughts are a little scattered, so maybe I should just break it into three parts.

1. The Cookie and Sparky Show. As the shop descends into a panic, Sue's had Starr over trying to do the things I've been doing, and she's having a shit time of it. It isn't that Starr isn't a good screener, because she is, but that press is hard to run for eight hours a day, five days a week, every week of the month, every month of the year, for four years ... like I've done. There's a lot to cover over there, and even with Sue's 'help' it's a tough road. Starr already hates it.

Meanwhile, I've been doing the NY jobs, which Starr usually does, and they could not have been more smooth. There isn't anything there that I actually don't know how to screen. Nothing. I can do it all. The other kid, Ian, claims to have hurt his back, so he can't do too much, which just makes the departmental situation all the worse. After lunch Sue had Jen take over for him, which put her and I on adjacent presses, so we got extremely flirty and such. I eat that up, which should be no surprise to anyone.

The person catching for me was this girl named Stacy, who was imported from another department temporarily because they're slow. So Jen was acting a little jealous ... or pretend jealous ... I'm not sure. But either way--MAJOR turn-on. Oh yeah. That kind of thing used to make me uncomfortable, but ... whew. That really fueled the massive desire I was feeling for this girl as mentioned in the last post. Damn.

2. Please Don't Go. After a few days of being really icy towards me and making snippy remarks behind my back, Sue finally confronted me about my leaving. She waited until I was isolated (ie: away from Jen) so she could give me her spiel.

"I really wish you weren't leaving, and I think you KNOW that." And it continued from there. She hopes I'm doing it for the right reasons, and she means that as a *friend*. So I'd finally had enough.

"You know, I know you think I'm leaving just to follow her (Jen), but I'm not. I have my reasons, they're good reasons, and it has nothing to do with her." She tried to rebutt that, but I stood firm. "It isn't about her, so don't bother."

I could feel the hostility coming out, and she got a little flustered ... having never met the real me from Massachusetts before. She changed tactics. "You're leaving at the wrong time. We're just about to get our annual raise." That remark set me off into a whole diatribe of what I think is wrong with the level system and the payrate, which she had no answers for. But she's going to talk to Autumn and find out these things for me. Go ahead. My mind is made up.

But I told her she and I should have a conversation, and when we do the fur is really going to fly.

3. The Boss. Since the word has started to get around about my impending departure, several people have stopped by the press to ask me about it, including Bob, who is the floor supervisor. He stopped and asked how I was doing, I asked how he was doing, there was a very pregnant pause, and he said, "You know I'm going to ask eventually."

I confirmed that the rumors were true, and that there were a lot of factors that went into my decision. He's interested in getting together to talk about it. And I have a lot to say in response.

Tick tick tick ....