(Natasha was supposed to do field support work, for the project on which I’m working.  Now the company is short one field support person.  I suspect that Ranny, my Department Manager, will try to pressure me into taking what would be a career ending job, for me.  I’m not going to take a field support assignment.  I’ll have to investigate my getting temp work instead.)

I work, through the week, gradually getting signal processor input data into usable form.  The data is in scaled form and some of the signals are scaled differently from the rest.  By the end of the week, I can input and print signal processor data that looks reasonable.  However, some of the values are not correct.

Matt, my totally incompetent Project Manager, wanders by and says,”Well, it looks like you got data out of the signal processor.”

I lecture, “I’ll have to check the data, next week, to see if the data is correct.”

Matt sneers and tells me, “We’ll just have to see about next week.”  With that he’s off, to some where.

I make a call to my stock broker.  My sale of call options has executed and I’m even closer to financial independence.  I just need another dozen weeks of paycheck time.

The Department Secretary walks up and tells me, “Ranny wants to see you, in his office.”

I tell her, “On my way.”  (I have a sinking feeling that my way may be out of my job.)

I walk to Ranny’s office.  (Ranny is my Department Manager, but he thinks that he’s an old time absolute monarch.)  I peer into his office and ask him, “You wanted to see me?”

Ranny looks at me, like the King eyeing a dirt covered peasant.  (He has a goon sitting in his office.)  Ranny says, “Come in and close the door.”

I enter Ranny’s office and close the door behind me.

Ranny lectures, “I promoted Natasha to Project Manager.”

I just nod yes and look at Ranny.

Ranny tells me, “I’m now going to assign you to field support, on the project where you’re working.”

I tell Ranny, “I will not work that field assignment.”

Ranny says, “You will work the field assignment, or you won’t work here.”

I just nod yes and look at Ranny.

Ranny asks, “Will you work the field assignment?”

I tell Ranny, “I will not work that field assignment, there is nothing there that I do.”

Ranny says, “Then, you are fired, as of right now.”

I tell Ranny, “Then I need to sign out.”

Ranny says, “That can be handled by mail.”

I tell Ranny, “I need to sign out, while I’m on salary, not after I’m no longer on salary.”

Goon boy gets up and menaces me.

I turn and lecture goon boy, “You went to school and ran around in gym shorts, during your gym class.  I went to school and worked out in a gi, a judo suit, if you will.  Do you want me to show you why?”

Ranny tells goon boy, “Back off, we’ll see how big he talks when he gets no more pay check.”

A personnel lady is suddenly at the door.

Ranny says, “Escort this one to Personnel.”  (Ranny doesn’t need to use her name, for a lowly clerk level person.)

The lady leaves and I follow her.

I say, “If I recall correctly, you are Carol, right?”

The lady is surprised, “Yes, I’m Carol.”

I say, “I like to deal with a person by using their name, even if they are, God bless the mark, just a clerk.”

Carol giggles, “Don’t worry, there are several others here who will be sure to put me in my place.”

We get to Personnel.  I get handed off to the lady who runs Personnel.

The lady says, “This is embarrassing.  I don’t have a check for you.”

I say, “I have a week’s pay coming, two weeks of severance pay, something close to three weeks vacation pay coming and probably a few dollars in minor adjustments.