So...how's your day?....

I've been back at work for about a full week now. I just have to laugh that absolutely nothing has changed. It's all still the same old kerfluffled mess it was when I left for vacation. My boss, a man I both love and hate at the same time, told me that I just have to keep at this job for four and a half more years. I asked him why and he said "'Cause that's when I can retire and you can have my job!" See, love and hate him. Little does he know that I have no intention of being here for four more years!! Nor do I want his crappy job. I can barely stand my own.

My boss is kind of a strange guy. On the one hand, he can be the most exasperating individual ever. He often says things like "Oh, yes, I was just thinking of that!" or "I was just going to say that!" or "I was working at home this weekend and...". The truth is, is it evident that he was not just thinking of anything, had no intention of saying anything and the mere idea of him actually working on the weekend makes everyone laugh. Those are just his knee jerk responses to things that come up. The more he says them, the more exasperating they are.

But, on the other hand, I've seen him do many acts of great kindness. A couple of years ago I was in a really bad financial situation and had no way to pay my rent or bills. He knew this was happening and one morning he just walked into my office, set down a wad of hundred dollar bills and said, "Just pay me back when you can or better yet, don't pay me back but do the same thing for someone else someday." It was a pretty extraordinary thing for him to do and I know that I'm not the only one he's done that for. So, he's sort of a lovable asshole.

The best part about my boss is that he doesn't stand on pretense. If he gives me crap, I can give it back and he takes it all in stride. I can honestly say that I have told my boss to "Shut the hell up" and haven't been fired. I have flipped him the finger too...in a meeting...and still not fired. He just flips it back and we get on with it. He likes to try to intimidate people and you earn his respect by standing up to him. I tell him he's got "short people" syndrome. That's when he usually tells me to "shut the hell up."