All hemmed up….

Acronyms and names have been changed to protect the innocent…but there are no innocent

So yesterday 12:45PM EST came and went. I allowed for the meeting to be rescheduled to today and well it was a doozie, it went off, and well I went 'off'.

Noun

• S: (n) employee (a worker who is hired to perform a job)
  

Noun

• S: (n) contractor (someone (a person or firm) who contracts to perform a job)
  

Concept

• S: (n) GS Pay Scale ((General Schedule)pay scale for government employees)
  
  • Government employees are commonly referred to GS-xx (xx being their scale)
    

Picking up where we left off…

Employee: "i would like to apologize for yesterday"

Me: "for what?"

Employee: "yesterday, and not making sure the deliverable was in order"

Me: "oh you mean that 'mock-up'"

Employee: "yes, sir"

Me: "don't call me sir you are older than me. besides yesterday was yesterday and today, well today is today. So moving on, is <contractor> ready to meet."

Employee: "yes. i will go get him."

--- enter <employee>, <contractor>, and <contractor's boss (cb)>---

CB: "let me begin by apologizing for the confusion yesterday…." (interrupted by me)

Me: "what confusion?"

CB: "well there was a mixup on what the delivery schedule was"

Me: "oh? who was mixed up?" "me?"

CB: "i think all parties were a bit mixed up"

Note: I don't work with CB often so he does not understand how I work, so when he said this, it was almost like the street cleared before a gunfight in the Old West, I mean both <employee> and <contractor> looked at each other as though to say "OH SHIT, he don't know…"

Me: looking over my glasses at a man at least 20 years my senior… "i'm sorry?"

CB: "well it's okay…" (me Interrupting)

Me: "no, no I was not apologizing, I was clarifying, well, at least for myself, whether you were talking to me or not"

CB: "oh.." (me interrupting, again)

Me: "CB, it is CB, right?" "Let me tell you some real good stuff…there was no confusion, I was not confused, <employee> was not confused, <contractor> was not confused, and well according to this (I pull out a stack of meeting minutes and emails) you were not confused either; I mean this is you right? (I point to an email verifying the delivery schedule in which he signed off, and I point to his name(which I had already highlighted)) That is your name and your email, CB, right? Okay so you were saying…"

CB: "well what I was saying is what we have for you today is the deliverable and I think it is in perfect order for next week"

Me: "thanks, I will review with <employee> and <contractor>:

CB: "let me know if you have any questions" (hands me his card)

Me: "no need to confuse the situation I will talk to <contractor> with my questions, and oh I have your contact information, see here (I point again to his email and name), thanks"

----I wore jeans to work today, quite the stir apparently..they are well form fitting and these random people keep buzzing about my office trying not to be obvious in their staring---

Contractor: "so is all ok with the work?"

Me: "yes, it looks good, I think the (really important political official) will like what he sees"

Contractor: "shall I deliver it to print?"

Me: "yes."

Contractor: "i will drop off a copy at the (really important political official)'s office"

Me: "no you won't"

Contractor: "it will be no bother"

Me: "i don't care if it is, i will deliver it"

Contractor: "but you are in jeans and …" (interrupted by me)

Me: "and you, a tired suit, so let's err on the side of looks, I will take it, besides GS-14 doesn't like you"

Contractor: "she doesn't?"

Me: "oh you hadn't heard?"

---- <contractor> runs document off to print and comes back----

Me: "have a seat"

---- <contractor> and <employee> sit down ----

Me: "don't ever get me hemmed up in some mess like that"

Contractor: "well it was unintentional."

Me: "unintentional?"

Contractor: "well you know I did not mean to"

Me: "wait, you did not mean to not do your work, do i look that crazy to you?" "i am not sure what you are used to, but it is not this (I hold up my index finger and sorta point in a circle around my office), i don't work like that, ask around."

Contractor: ---- MORE than a bit angry and upset ---- "well ok i apologize"

Me: "ok"

Contractor: "well, i said I apologize"

Me: "listen, i said ok, and that is just about the best your are going to get; I am not accepting an apology because in my eyes apologies are for actions that result in an unintended outcome, you, well you did not do your work, and you think i will accept that? you are used to a different crowd"

Contractor: "well I understood and it was communicated to me" (interrupted by me)

Me: "communicated by who?, <employee> ? Why are you listening to him, he can barely get to work on time, you are going to get enough of that GS schedule bullshit, i am telling you now; i come to work to work, if you come to me for any other reason, it better be real compelling"

Contractor: "well let's just agree, there was some confusion on the deliverable"

Me: "look, <contractor> i am not sure who "let's" is but in this scenario it does not include me, and you know it does not include you, so do not try to get me hemmed up in that mess." "Have a good holiday" (I turn to my computer and therein lies the signal to retreat)

Contractor: "i guess I should leave"

Me: "there is no confusion there."

And that has been my day… I hope all is well…

- Him with the Asthma