Little Miss New Boobs

This is going to sound incredibly petty and bitchy, and I should technically be ashamed, turn the other cheek, etc., because I am going to be twenty-nine years old in a few short days and it's time to act like an adult.

But that's not why you come here!

So I've been temping this summer, waiting for the perfect a job to come along. And with all of the horrors of temping, I'm actually quite happy with my position at the moment. The office is small and everyone is hilarious. We swear a lot there is lots of laughing and I really look forward to coming to work. Even when leaving my house at 7:30 in the morning to catch the ringworm bus.

And then she returned. Let's call her, oh... Sunset. Sunset had been on extended medical leave for nine months after a car accident. She tried to come back to work after two months but disappeared after a week. The director would check in on her to see if/when she was coming back to work, and Sunset's answers were always wishy-washy and non-committal.

After eight months or so, the office was struggling without another employee and hired someone else. The director called Sunset to explain this to her, and she became predictably irate.

Now, they don't tell us much, because we are temps, but we've pretty much guessed that there was threat of a lawsuit, and so she was welcomed back... to a demotion and lesser pay.

And she took it.

Which means that I am now training someone to do my job. I know that it's just a temporary position and that's fine - it's just that Sunset is probably one of the prickliest, rudest, passive aggressive bitches with whom I've ever had the pleasure of working. And that includes this Teresa bitch I had to work with at the Smithsonian. If you didn't respond to one of her emails within fifteen seconds, she would show up at your desk with a copy of the email that she PRINTED OUT. It was amazing. No wonder I cried in the bathroom almost every day.

Ah, memories.

Anyway, it's clear that Sunset thinks that this job is beneath her, and it's crystal clear that she's not super happy to be here. And, as we all overheard as she made the fifty-sixth personal call of the morning, she is just here for "something to do."

So we're sharing responsibilities at the moment. She's only here for a half day each morning until she has "eased in," which is nice for everyone. When she leaves at noon, there is this feeling that everyone can exhale for the first time in hours. She has completely altered the dynamic of the office and it's so incredibly tense that it's almost painful.

My appointment ends here at the end of August, which I wasn't looking forward to until now. It's a shame really, because I love it here, and the director has even said that she's really sorry that I was put in the middle of this awkwardness, but it's probably a good move. I have GOT to get a real job one of these days.