Rumor Has It...

Like sands through the hour glass...Oh wait, we're dealing with water, so I guess we're dripping.

Time for the annual parade of bullshit. Sorry, board meetings. Edith has, unfortunately left us. I wish she had taken Nancy and Nellie with her. One needs to be bitch slapped and the other needs a fuckin' muzzle. It reminds me of a skit from the old "Electric Company", whimper and whine, whine, whine. (Which we consumed when they left. We had been driven to drink.)There's a whole lot of whine going on for two people who don't drink. If I here the phrase "...Well I just think" one more time I will reach across the table and throttle them both. I fear it will do me no good, but I'll feel better.

I don't need Nancy to compare us to the local "country club" one more time. I don't need investment advice. I don't need to hear how she and her shady husband do it or how much money they make. I don't need to hear how we can't raise fees. It boiled down to me gently touching her arm, looking her straight in the eye and saying "Nancy, we're doing it. It'll be OK"

I was reduced to juvenile antics in the meeting. Is it bad that the other board members giggled right along with me? My response to everything? "Just do it. Who cares if they don't like it. Let them sell their memberships. If they're so upset they can talk to me, I'm mean." Mr. McGregor jokingly agreed and we were off on roll. His favorite come back? "Let Molly do it, she's mean." And we would be reduced to giggle fits that ultimately pissed off Ms. Narcissistic.

The Lovely Lady is doing her damnedest to play head honcho this year. She thinks she'll try it again next year too. I laughed and told her to get to the end of the summer.

It was when she began venting about Henny Penny that my mood actually turned sour. The information was nothing new. And, I fully concur with all observations. The problem? The inability of some people to keep their traps clapped. The rumor mill has been a swingin' and I don't like what's coming back to me. It's inaccurate, mean and it was conveyed in confidence. Or, so I thought.

Guards who should be coming back? Nope, their not. Guards who most certainly should not be coming back? They are. And the information about behavior, work ethic, and kids who were terminated last year? The Lovely Lady could only apologized and hand me Kleenex. I knew that terminations were suspicious, but the reality? The Lovely Lady just stood with mouth agape and shook her head.

There are two sides to every story and she had been on the other end of a phone call that I got last summer trying to ascertain the validity of the course of action being taken. "If these are your reasons, that's discrimination." The response, "Oh, no, no, no. I'm just tired of a poor work ethic." Real reasons were never admitted to in person, but, religious conservatives always have an excuse.

Well, here we go again. Those who are hired are there because they're favorites. Not because they are good at what they do. And the ones that are good? They're being bad mouthed before we even start, or they are vocally not being invited back. (Can you see me roll my eyes to the back of my head?) Not that I want those precious individuals to come back. No one should have to endure a hostile work environment. Especially my kids. I'm grateful that they are growing up and moving on. At least this place won't hurt them anymore. God in heaven I MISS our Daisy.