work

What can I say about this? It's not the dream job, but it pays the bills and it's not TOO taxing. This was the kind of life I wanted after I realized my previous dream [to be a soldier] was not what I thought it was. I mean, what could be better than having my own cubicle with my own name on it? Really, that's why I went to college. To get something like this.

Today was pretty good work wise because I made some progress on a couple of my sites, but not coworker wise. I guess that's a normal state of affairs... I always wish my coworkers would behave the way I want and I'm sure they wish the same about me. Some of them probably have no idea why I don't do what they expect, but then, I don't see expectations the same way as some do. Today I was expected to attend a bridal "shower" [why is it called a shower when there is no water? Is it because we shower the guest of honor with gifts?], but I didn't go becuase I was told I had to give more money than I wanted to give. The amount of money would not have been any kind of hardship. It was just that I wanted to exercise my choice to either pay or not, and, because I did not pay, I did not go. Most of my coworkers paid the fee in the amount required by the collections person. I didn't want to, so I didn't.

I've gone to these things in the past. I paid a couple of dollars for my share of the food [usually some chips, dips, a few liters of cola, and whatever hot plates people want to bring], and that was it. The collection person always asks for more money to buy the guest of honor some gift or other, but I'd rather not contribute to that. It's silly, but I don't like to give more money for the gift is becuase I was tricked the first time I gave. That was when the money person [who is still one of the same people that collect] told me that I hadn't given any money for food. I had given, but she said it was for the gift instead. I sort of felt like I was talking to some sort of collection agent and being told that I had only paid the interest on my loan instead of the principle. How could I avoid that? Don't take out another loan....

I went to work today expecting a fight with the money person about it and determined to avoid it. She didn't even look at me. I wonder why? Maybe she waited to see if I tried to attend the party without paying? That wouldn't have been right, and so I would not have been able to defend my position. Can't win? Don't fight.

Giving up easily is a strategy that I often use when I notice that an opposition coworker is a little too fixated on something they want or something they want me to do [usually, so they don't have to do it]. I just pretend to surrender whatever it is they want, but of course, I have no intention of actually giving them anything. Maybe I should just say "jerk" instead of "opposition coworker" or possibly "lazy bastard" or similar? I'm not talking about supervisors here... I'm talking about a coworker that has discovered the ability to shift his or her work off on anyone else so they don't have to do it. People will often give in to that because it's easier to go along rather than confront that person.