8:08 p.m. - 2005-02-01
Now it's Baby????

Endearing Terms

Today, I moved beyond "Young Lady". My boss called me "Baby". I don't think he meant to, but I know that he was very thankful that I am working so hard and that we are getting along so well and we had just had this horrendous meeting with the CPA where a bunch of nasty accounting like mistakes going back 4 or 5 years was uncovered for us to investigate and fix and I think his brain overloaded.

I was embroiled in trying to correct one error and he was looking over my shoulder. I was sort of exasperated because I am letting piles of other important things pile up while I straighten out new messes that present themselves.

I started in on investigating a $ 23.89 problem (and we had thousand and ten thousand dollar problems to fix) and he said in a sweet fatherly tone, "Don't worry about that baby."

I just about burst out laughing, but I didn't. This guy has 5 or 6 children, all girls. I detected this sort of tone he would use to comfort one of his kids.

I'll bet the minute he said it, he thought "That was a stupid thing to say to a woman who is older than me."

That's ok, I thought it was kind of sweet and at least I know he likes me. In 30 days we have gotten pretty chummy. This is a guy that I was worried I wouldn't like. I didn't sense any real chemistry between us but I do now. I kid around with him all the time.

Today, I overheard him telling one of the guys that he wouldn't be in Thursday and Friday. I popped off, "Good, he won't be here to bug us and we can get some work done."

All the guys started laughing because no one can get anyting done with Joe in the office. His ideas spout out like a fountain and land in everyone's lap, as work to deal with.

Joe promptly (and jokingly) reminded me that he had 2 more days before he had to pay the agency for me and that I had better watch my mouth. The head of Engineering told me that once those two days were up I could say anything I wanted and he would vouch for me.

Joe left early today. By early, I mean 5:15. The door had barely hit him in the ass when Kevin yelled out "Ding Dong The Witch is Dead!" which gave me a good belly laugh. The rest of us left early too. It was just one of those days. I mean what good is working late when there is no boss there to see you do it...right?

Today was a hard day but a good one. In 28 short days, I have become a regular member of the team. We are joking with each other and I am comfortable with them. I also have some seniority now as we have hired 2 new people.

I left the office at 5:20 today instead of my usual 6:00 to 6:15. I had enough time to go out the Valli Produce, my favorite multicultural grocery store. They had Progresso soup for 99 cents per can or so I thought. When I got to the soup aisle, there was an old man sitting on an upside down plastic milk crate with his cart in front of him, protecting his area in front of the soup cans like a fortress. He looked up at me and said good naturedly, "It'll cost you go get in here YOUNG LADY."

OK...I'll forgive him. He was at least 75 and to him I am a young lady. He was going through the soup...digging around way in the back of the bottom shelf. I mentioned that I couldn't pass up such a good sale, when he pointed to a sign that said only the Progresso, Vegetable soup was on sale and that he had found the last 4 cans. That made me mad...not that he found the last four cans but that the ad made you believe that all the soup was on sale and that is the only reason I went out of my way to go to that store.

When I got home, I handed my husband a list and sent him to Jewel for the last day of the 10 items for $10.00 sale. He did good and was all excited that I gave him something to do. We have decided now that I will make up a list for all 4 grocery stores in our area, of all the extreme sale items. He will go to all the stores and buy all the sale items, sticking to the list and not buying any other stuff. We will save big money this way. Even when I had an easier job, I could never hit all the grocery stores for the sale items. I am slowly turning it over to him and I think he is happy about it.

Another nice thing is that by the time I got home, he had already made his soup and eaten. Didn't take too long to train him. Giving up the shopping is a major control issue for me. I will retain control of making the list and as long as he doesn't fill the cart with goodies and garbage, we will be ahead and I will have divested myself of another domestic chore.

Next week we will start another project. "The Honey Do List"...I'll make a house hubby out of him yet.

P. I. Yarnsmith

previous - next