Sunday, July 27, 2008

Petty Is as Petty Does (Notes to Self)

Mood: Sleepy
Hair: It's clean but the braid is ... in disarray
Eyes: Itchy
Listening to: NASCAR
Annoyance: People who assume that working in a library means the employees have to behave like Glinda the Good Witch all the time, or who want my job so they can "read all day."

Annoyance management: Seethe. Smile and roll eyes internally. Discreetly point out the lunatic across the room talking to him/herself. Ask if they'd rather clean the cart full of {filth of questionable origin}-encrusted picture books, or plunge the nearly-overflowing toilet in the children's room. Bite tongue. Remember not to say stupid things about other people's jobs in the future.



Annoyance: Allergy meds that cause unpleasant secondary symptoms.

Annoyance management: Stay away from allergens as much as possible. Take alternating cycles of acetaminophen and ibuprofen. Switch meds entirely. Move to a polar region.



Annoyance: Finding out that someone you admire can be unbearably holier-than-thou not to mention a bit passive-aggressive and thin-skinned about her own misbehavior.

Annoyance management: Point out unfairness of their behavior. Remove them from pedestal on which you placed them. Forgive them. Bite tongue. Remember not to behave that way in future.



Annoyance: Being the only person to show up at a celebratory event to which everyone at work was invited.

Annoyance management: Appreciate and fully enjoy the event. Be extra glad I showed up. Keep mouth shut at work unless someone else there mentions it.



Annoyance: Teenaged offspring and his behavior.

Annoyance management: Remember that the cooler we play it now, the better the relationship will be in the future. Enforce the rules, but be willing to renegotiate some of them. Bite tongue often.



Annoyance: Sudden lack of internet access at home.

Annoyance management: Do all the tricks we already know that usually fix the problem. Call provider. Do the new tricks they suggest. Try one more possibility after getting off the phone with them. Congratulate the brilliant person who thought of the last possibility that fixes the problem. Call provider and crow.




Summing up:
Note how many of these involve saying nothing and biting tongue. Do that more.




Urban Word:
Q.E.D.: A mathematician's way of saying "I win"

In social interaction, creating a Q.E.D. situation tends to mean it has not been a successful interaction.

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