The Stress Fiend Code

What she says: "Oh, yes, that's a trap for young players."

(One of her most often-used and annoying stock phrases, incidentally.)

What she means: "Oh, yes, that's something else I don't document and don't pass on to the people who actually need to know it in order to do their job."

Self-awareness: too much to hope for.

The Stress Fiend, in between arguing with the talk-back radio she's listening to on her headphones, erupts with a fresh round of invective.

"Why do we have such f***ing stupid people working here?" she demands, before getting down to the serious business of troubleshooting software she doesn't understand on a computer she doesn't really know how to use when at best she'll only duplicate the client's problem. Instead of, for instance, redirecting the issue to the vendor's technical support as she stridently demands everyone do rather than ask us to fix it for them.

Why do we have such f***ing stupid people working here?

Why indeed...

Filthy techs

One of the roaming techs has been cleaning up their workspace and comes trundling past us with a trolley full of "borrowed" goods that he's returning to their rightful owners. All he has for us is a CD, however:

"You guys got any tissues? I've had this in my mouth. How about some disinfectant, too? Oh, and maybe some hand sanitiser?"

I really don't want this disc back anymore.

2012: starting as they mean to continue

The Stress Fiend celebrates the start of a new year at work by sending a cheery email at the last minute to announce she's decided to have an extra day off and isn't coming back yet. It only came as half a surprise, though - I was expecting her to call in sick, seeing as it's a virtual Monday.

I've no idea if she cleared this with The Invertebrate or not, because he's in the middle of a month off. I have a job offer on the table at the moment, so their sense of timing is making the decision a little less complicated than it might otherwise be.