My dog and I were quasi-attacked by a German Shepherd today. My sister and I probably have an encounter with a stray or escaped dog about 3 times a month- each. It's so ridiculous. Our neighborhood is just teeming with them. One time I had to hop on top of an SUV with my pooch to escape a mean looking pitbull who wouldn't leave us alone. But usually I can't tell where the dog lives, so I can't do much about it. I call animal control, but they can't help unless I have a specific address or person to point them in the right direction.
But today was different. A German Shephered barreled out of his yard like a bat out of hell, through the open gate and made a beeline for my dog. Luckily our dog wears a harness and so I was able to just yank it up and grab her in just the nick of time, put her on the roof of a car and started yelling at the dog to get back. Then the dog started trotting right up to me, looking like "I could take this bitch out". I wasn't really afraid for myself because I could tell she really only wanted to get to my dog. But I hopped on the car, too, and started screaming. A man came and helped me, and the dog went back to his yard. I called animal control and drove back like an hour later. Sure enough, a woman in a brown uniform was giving the woman a copy of some sort of paperwork and gesturing to the fence. I don't know if it was just a citation or an actual ticket, but the woman looked worried and scared. Good for her. I could care less what that lazy, negligent woman was feeling. I was SO happy to finally be able to do something proactive about this situation. The house was right across the street from an elementary school, so it's good they got on it fast.
This neighborhood better watch out. My sister has Animal Control's number memorized. And I have it on my cell phone. We're ALWAYS calling them. They probably have our numbers memorized by now. I've never ever experienced this level of negligence in my life. This is horrible of me, but I'm guessing it's because I live in a sort of poor area. Not that all poor people are lazy. Some of them are the hardest workers in the world. But a lot of them are lazy. It's either that or the people who live here, who are largely immigrants, come from countries where roaming animals is kind of the norm. Well, they better learn fast and acclimate because I am all up in their shit and I will drop a dime on their negligent asses in a heartbeat. I'm really not trying to see my little chihuahua eaten up by their Pitbulls and German Shepherds and Boxers and what not.
THEN I went to drop off some paperwork to the nurse's office at the school I'm attending this Spring. I gave my stuff to the head of the department/ one of the instructors. She read my paperwork, and said my full name. Let's say it's Susan.
Woman: Susan Smith? You go by Susie?
Me: No, I hate Susie.
Woman: But Susie is the short version of Susan. Why not go by Susie?
Me: Some people call me Sue, but I actually prefer Susan. And I hate Susie.
Woman: Really?
Me: Yeah. There's like five people who call me Susie, and I let them get away with it because they always have. But anyone else, no. I don't like being called Susie. Everyone calls me Susan.
Woman: You don't like Susie, huh? Susie's nice.
Me: No. Susan's fine.
Woman: Guess it's just one of those things you need to learn to love to hate.
Excuse me? Maybe I read her wrong (HOPING SO, but my stomach twisted when she said it and looked at me, so I don't think so), but basically, it sounded like she was going to go on ahead and call me Susie, regardless of my wishes. I wanted to put my boot so far up this bitch's ass. All I could say was, "Oh my God. I don't think so. Thank you. Take care." Then I left.
Today was another reminder that I do NOT do well in the real world. It's full of passive-aggressive bitches and assholes. I'll take slimey, sleazy L.A. to this any day. At least Hollywood types know they're assholes and you can treat them accordingly. I can restrain myself and be polite, but I'll be damned if I'm going to kowtow to their silly demands. If today's interaction is any indication of the rest of this semester, or hospital life in general, shoot me now. I don't think I'll last long.
I think I need to go back to one of my first jobs I had cocktail waitressing in LA. I miss my co-workers. One of them would pour drinks on any guy who gave her shit. And the other one got in a fight with management, told him to fuck off and left without notice with her cash till for the night. She figured he wasn't going to send her a paycheck, and that was about the equivalent of it. That was so cowboy of her. Cowgirl.
Basically I just don't like taking shit from some middle management fuck who doesn't even have the decency to call me by my proper and requested name.
I can so relate! Oh my gosh. Sorry about the name thing. You'll always be Susan (or Suse?) to me. :)
ReplyDeleteWe also had issues with bitchiness today, specifically with our office maintenance person. She emptied the women's restroom of paper towels. I asked her if she could please add some more. She said something about "cutting down on the amount of waste" (as if! more like, ISS corporation wants to cut costs and doesn't want to pay for paper towels!)
I stood there perplexed (having paid attention to all the GUYS being out of the office at that moment), and said, Listen, we need hand towels. People need something to blow their noses on, and not just that, we have women who menstruate here, and in order for you to dry your lady parts after you've used the bidet, you need something other than thin toilet paper or the hand dryer to do your thing. The woman was quiet for a while. I think she may have blushed a little (I didn't, that's what studying A&P and working in the hospital does to you!)
She then placed some paper in the bathroom, reluctantly. But next thing you know, she was there standing by my door asking if we got the TPS report about recycling (no) and walked out of my particular office stating she wouldn't empty my garbage, because I hadn't separated the waste appropriately. (Oh dear, sorry about that banana peel in there!) I was so livid by that point that I got up, grabbed my trash bin, walked up to her cart, and shoved my bare hand into my own bin to empty it of all the non-organic waste. While throwing it into her giant trash bag, I stated that I was busy with several important projects and had no time to waste on silliness, and I just wanted to get rid off my garbage.
I couldn't help thinking that I have emptied people's trash bins too, and I have felt neither inferior nor superior doing it. Never been a problem either way.
Sadly, it's powerless women who often turn into bitches. And sadly there are a lot of powerless women in this world.
Well said, sister! I think you nailed it on the head about powerless women. When people- men and women feel powerless, they tend to make total dick moves to assert their power. I was telling my boyfriend this story last night, and he was like, "Oh, I hate it when people like you won't let people just call you whatever they want." He does it all the time to his co-workers! And it's just so sad to me that he feels he needs to do that. And that he doesn't realize that people see right through his act, and that by trying to gain the upper hand in such a facile way makes him look pathetic, not powerful.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, sorry about your office drama! That woman sounds like a real piece of work! I can't hear the word "TPS Report" without thinking of the movie, "Office Space". If you haven't seen it, you'd totally relate to it.
Oh, I meant to say puerile instead of facile... facile doesn't work that well there!
ReplyDeletescary stories. i don't like drama. hope you have less of it for awhile. dept meeting this afternoon. sigh.
ReplyDeleteI'm totally calling you Susie from now on.
ReplyDeleteYou should carry a tranq gun with you!
Z: Yeah, me neither. The drama has subsided. She now just calls me by my last name! Good luck at your meeting : )
ReplyDeleteAvitable: ha ha... I'm on the same page as you... I've been thinking about ordering a taser online... don't tase me, bro!