The "How Not To" Guide to Weaseling

After yesterday's exchange with Ted E. I was expecting him to do his usual trick when he gets told something he doesn't want to hear - ignore what he's been told and go over my head.  I could hear him typing busily away yesterday afternoon, and considering this clearly had nothing to do with his actual job (one of the dubious perks of covering for the Stress Fiend's absence is that it lets me see firsthand a lot more of Ted E.'s malfeasance in action)  it seemed a pretty safe bet that only one thing could motivate him this much: seeing how much trouble he can make for someone else. 

So it didn't really come as much of a surprise today when he approached The Invertebrate to ask if we could have a team meeting, because there were some things he felt we should be discussing. What he meant he wanted to discuss was that he thought "someone" (i.e. not him) should be taking over the Stress Fiend's duties while she was away, and to take an opportunity to point out things he doesn't like about the way she does her job.

What he got instead was The Invertebrate cheerfully announcing (and I'm paraphrasing a little) "Oh, right - you'll want to talk about that email you sent me yesterday afternoon about the other stuff you don't like the way we're doing and were told to leave alone, and aren't happy about?"

Panic flashes across Ted E.'s face. Apparently I wasn't supposed to know about that.

He actually babbles as he tries to distance himself from his own email.  "Oh, uh, oh ... no.  I didn't mean that at all. I didn't actually want to talk about ... I ... uh ... no, I meant about who's going to do the Stress Fiend's job, not umm..."

And The Invertebrate continues on so obliviously that I'm almost tempted to suspect him of doing this on purpose. "Because that's something we'd probably need to look at as a group if you think there's a serious problem with it, just to make sure we get it resolved in a way that makes sure it does what we want it to do."

"Uh, no ... really ... I was just - I'm not. No, I'm happy with it. It's just, uh ...."

I mean, honestly, did he really think he was being stealthy and subtle? That I wouldn't know what he was up to, and that The Invertebrate would agree with everything he said and say nothing to me about it? It hasn't been a great week, and the panicky backpedaling as he tried to avoid painting himself as a weasel nearly made me laugh aloud.