IWLTS it's 2024 - and ...

[Hazey_Jane]

IWLTS: One month ago, I supported you with that bellend nonstop for 4 days from 8 till 6 without any feedback or a thank you at the end of it. I saved your arse last week with my excel knowledge and worked crazy hours to figure out what the hell was going on, and if you'd have informed me at the beginning, the data would have been better from the start. I then spent hours yesterday correcting data and I will have to check it for errors tomorrow because again, you don't know have the right excel knowledge and then once I've found any errors made by you or me, I then have to make the corrections. So excuse me if I get upset at your text at 8.25 in the morning (before you've even left your apartment for the office) reminding me that I'm not supposed to sit at "my" desk and you expect me to follow the schedule and sit in the other building today. Where no-one else was sitting AND when our office was also fairly empty.

There's building works going on at work which means if everyone is in the office at the same time, our organization doesn't have enough desks for everyone in the office (we have hotdesking) so we have a schedule to go and use empty desks at another building, about 8 minutes walk away. Which is fine and in principle I have no problem doing that but so many people work from home on Wednesdays (when- per the schedule- I am supposed to go next door) that the office isn't even 25% full. But no, I had to go next door.

[sally maclennane]

IWLTS: I barely recognise this man that you're all posting about. I thought he was a boor and a bully, and being taught by him was one of the least enjoyable aspects of my time at school.

I'm on a FB page for my old school, and occasionally people post about ex teachers who have died. My old physics teacher has just died and there are loads of posts raving about what a great teacher he was. I hated him and I dreaded his classes because he was a shit teacher. I'm also sure he was a functioning alcoholic as he regularly stank of booze.

[overthehill]

IWLTS: For the love of God, stop finishing my sentences when you haven't a clue what I'm about to say!

To our new member of staff who is quietly driving me mad. I wouldn't be too disappointed if she decided the job wasn't for her.

[Lily]

IWLTS: One month ago, I supported you with that bellend nonstop for 4 days from 8 till 6 without any feedback or a thank you at the end of it. I saved your arse last week with my excel knowledge and worked crazy hours to figure out what the hell was going on, and if you'd have informed me at the beginning, the data would have been better from the start. I then spent hours yesterday correcting data and I will have to check it for errors tomorrow because again, you don't know have the right excel knowledge and then once I've found any errors made by you or me, I then have to make the corrections. So excuse me if I get upset at your text at 8.25 in the morning (before you've even left your apartment for the office) reminding me that I'm not supposed to sit at "my" desk and you expect me to follow the schedule and sit in the other building today. Where no-one else was sitting AND when our office was also fairly empty.

There's building works going on at work which means if everyone is in the office at the same time, our organization doesn't have enough desks for everyone in the office (we have hotdesking) so we have a schedule to go and use empty desks at another building, about 8 minutes walk away. Which is fine and in principle I have no problem doing that but so many people work from home on Wednesdays (when- per the schedule- I am supposed to go next door) that the office isn't even 25% full. But no, I had to go next door.

Who's this? Can you say say of it?

[Morganna]

IWLTS 'I am not fucking invisible, and I suspect you only speak to me like that because you think I no longer matter'.

I'd like to say that to numerous people, really, but to one or two in particular for now. The poetry group that some might remember cost blood and tears to set up has taken off lately, and we've been asked to put on an open mic night in June. It's not a massive deal, but could become a fixture and the venue is quite prestigious by Hometown standards. Bearing in mind that I am the founder member and nominal leader of the group, that I have an MA in Writing Poetry and that my whole career involved public speaking, why would I not be the obvious person to MC the evening? Possibly because a man thinks he should do it, and I am just a (mostly) retired woman, whereas he wants to make a name for himself in poetry? TBH, the last point would genuinely have been enough for me to willingly step back if he'd had the humility to say so - I'm absolutely not career building - but the way he blithely assumed that he would do it and I wouldn't want to has massively annoyed me, and has set back my confidence a lot. I've said before on here that since leaving work it doesn't take a lot to knock me back, and the constant 'Boomer bashing' is incredibly difficult, and this has made me want to find a cave to hide in. My mad neighbour who runs the other poetry group has gone off on one about it all, too, and the man I'm on about is a member of her group too, so wants to 'tread carefully' and basically undo all the groundwork I've put in to separate the two by trampling all over it.

Sorry if this is garbled. I know it must sound bonkers, but to summarise - I may have been a pain in the arse when I was younger, but I was me. Now I don't know who I am, as everyone seems to want to put me in a box with their label on it instead of mine. Does that make sense?

[sally maclennane]

Tell him to fuck right off, Morgs! Typical male thinking he can just stride in and take over.

[Lola]

These men! I’d be fuming too, Morgs.

[Topcat]

Punch him in the face, Morgs.

Personally, I fear the world of poetry. It sounds absolutely fraught every time I hear something about it.

[Morganna]

You're not wrong, Mog

I'm pleased it's not just me though, or at least that you lovely people are on my side anyway.

[Morganna]

Screenshot 2024-06-02 at 18.33.57.png

I've just looked on FB (I'm in the Lakes) and the self-appointed MC is not going to be at the next meeting - the only one we'll have before the night - as he's going to be in Spain! We'd arranged to meet at the venue, so that we could finalise things. He was there when we agreed the date. I am coming back from the Lakes specially for the meeting, so missing what could have been another week over here. I am so sick of unreliable people. I don't know whether he'll be back in time for the event, whether we should go ahead with deciding the running order etc, or what to do. I just don't understand the mindset of people like this. I sometimes feel like walking away, but it doesn't matter what you do, people are like this, aren't they?

[sally maclennane]

Just go ahead without him Morgs, I'd say that's the perfect opportunity to cut him out.
"It's all decided Nigel, unfortunately you missed that meeting. Anyway, we've allocated all the tasks and you're in charge of coats"

[Pippedydeadeye]

Yeah, organise him right out of contention.

[Disco]

Agreed, Set the agenda.

[Morganna]

He’s sent out press releases with his name as contact person and naming himself as MC . At the end of the last meeting it was agreed that he would do it this time and we would take it in turns after that. It’s so much easier to deal with this sort of thing at work when everyone knows who has the last word and where the buck stops. I want to keep everything going, and the last thing I want is factions forming, so I went along with it.

I can’t help wondering if the woman from the other group has nobbled him. She is not happy that we are leading this, and is perfectly capable of trying to sabotage things, but that’s probably paranoia and he’s just gone on his holidays. But we only met three weeks ago and he agreed on the date - I think it was his suggestion that we meet at the venue.
It just doesn’t make sense to me.

[Topcat]

You should drop the insanity that is the poetry and just have a Royal Rumble in the village hall once a year to sort everything out.

[Morganna]

Chasing cheese down a hill does sound less fraught .

Nine times out of ten, the meetings are great though. It’s just getting people to do what they say they are going to do that’s tricky (and Mad B, obviously) but that’s true of so many things.

[sally maclennane]

IWLTS: for the love of God, please stop fussing. My mum is constantly anxious about whether people are enjoying themselves. She checks constantly that I'm OK with stuff, everything I order in a restaurant, every drink we have, she asks several times if it's OK. We stopped today for a drink in a cafe, I asked for Sprite. She went in and ordered the drinks, she came out with 7Up which i said was fine as its the same thing. She said they had no ice, I said that was fine, the can was cold. Ten minutes later, she said "is that OK? Is it cold enough? I can go in and get some ice"

Arghh! I am fine! If I'm not, I'll sort it. I'm 51 and a responsible adult, if I need something, I'll get it for myself.

[Lola]

Mr L is like that, Sal. He’s lucky he’s still alive.

[sally maclennane]

Oh my god, Lola, that would drive me insane.

She's also telling me the same stories she's told me a thousand times. I actually said "you've told me this already" (several times in fact) and she just carried on regardless. I once heard this described as "euphoric recall" and its a perfect description, she just enjoys telling the story regardless of whether people have heard it or not.

[isambard]

I know it would eventually drive me mad as it does you both, but I'd quite like somebody endlessly checking if everything's OK for me sometimes.