Drama, Drama, Drama

[Charisma69]

I am so very glad Dave gave me this swell place to vent. I so need to vent about work but I can't use my MySpace page.

See, there's all this drama going on at work and MySpace is all in the middle of it. Well, MySpace, Heather, and a bunch of teenagers.

See, this is why I don't really talk to people much outside of work. I really don't like to get involved in the drama. If you try to plan things then you can't invite one person if this other person is going because they hate each other. It stinks when you have to screen invite lists with people before you can do anything.

We've often made the joke about writing a tell all book called, As The Golden Arches Turn. It's been a running joke since the 80's really.

Well, the skite has hit the fan this past weekend. As some of you know, if you read my last blog, Heather and I went out this Friday and Saturday night. We had a pretty nice time - mostly Saturday - and did not expect a bunch of drama to come from our weekend out.

Well, Heather was a bit hungover on Saturday and spent a bit of time throwing up in a trash can in the back but I was fine. We both made it to work on time, did our jobs, didn't whine, and we weren't crabby at all.

Problem is, Heather has a big mouth. She kept talking about our night out with lots of people. Even showed them pics - of me - that she took on her camera phone.

Then there's Joey. Now, he didn't go out with us or anything. He's only 16. He went out partying Friday night with Kyle, Kelcey, and even the Store Managers daughter, Cassie. So Joey called out sick on Saturday instead of coming in.

Where he made the mistake is going out to eat that day - with the Store Managers daughter. Her Mom called her and asked where she was. She said she was eating with the gang. When her Mom asked who all was there the skite hit the fan.

Joey lost his job. This wasn't his first problem with not showing up because of drinking the night before.

So, what does this have to do with Heather and I? I'm coming to that ... eventually.

So, Joey is very angry that he's fired and he talks Kyle, Kelcey, and Brock into putting in their two weeks and going to work at Ponderosa. Guess who got them their shiny new jobs there? The store managers daughter, Cassie.

Now we're getting to Heather and I. See, Joey sent out a bulletin about the other kids quitting on MySpace. I'm one of Joey's MySpace friends so I got the bulletin on Sunday - my day off.

Well, I was shocked to see we were loosing a bunch of good employees so I called Heather.

Big Mistake. Very big mistake.

For one, Heather freaked out the second she heard they were saying anything on the Internet. Nevermind that it was a private bulletin that not everyone can read. I tried explaining that to her but she kept going on and on about how they were talking about Tammy on-line.

She told me I needed to tell Tammy about it. Well, since it was private I didn't feel comfortable telling her - especially since it was already stated that Tammy knew they put their notice in.

So, Heather calls Tammy and tells her for me.

Then she calls me back and tells me that Tammy wants me to print out the message.

Now, I really don't feel comfortable at all doing that. It was Joey's private message - his private thoughts - and I don't feel they are any of her business. He's not even employed there anymore.

Then Tammy called me and I explained my concerns, told her that they weren't trash talking her all over the Internet, that it was a private message and not everyone could see it.

Tammy acted like she understood.

I felt bad because I felt like I'd betrayed Joey's trust so I sent him a message explaining what happened and told him I was sorry. I also wrote a bog about it without mentioning names.

So now Joey, Kyle, and Kelcey are all mad at Heather for telling Tammy.

Well, on Monday when I was on my break Tammy came in and had to have a 'talk' with me about MySpace. MySpace. Keyword MY.

She told me that her conversation with me was supposed to be private - nevermind that she was asking for private information about the kids. Her conversation was supposed to be private.

I told Tammy that I felt the need to tell Joey what happened and to apologize for breaking his trust. I thought he should hear it from me and not from someone else.

The Tammy told me I shouldn't have said anything to Heather in the first place - and I told her I very much knew this. I didn't think Heather would rat on them like that. I really should have known better though.

So, then I find out that Heather had to go to the office on Monday and have a talk about all this stuff with the owner.

See, when Heather and I went out on Friday and Saturday night Jack went with us. He basically sat around and pissed and moaned the whole time. He never drank, just whined a whole lot.

Well, he missed work on Sunday because he was sick. He called out but Connie forgot to leave a message about it so Megan thought he was a no-call/no-show.

Then she found out that he had talked to Connie but they had no replacement for him. I think Kyle or maybe Kelcey found out about it. They knew he went out with Heather and I so they assumed he'd been drinking and that's why he called out.

So, they got all pissed off since he wasn't fired and they felt it was the same situation that Joey got fired for.

So I guess that's why the owner heard. I'm not sure. I just know Heather got her ass chewed out for going out with us.

She was told that she can't hang out with any of us anymore. She's the First Assistant manager - right under Tammy. He told her that she represents McDonald's and she can't go out with any of us.

She's not even allowed to go out to eat with us.

Which is stupid because we're both in our 30's. Neither one of us had a single problem at work - well, she did throw up but I was fine.

Jack wasn't drinking, but even if he had been he's over 21. It's not her job to babysit him.

Then Jason got in trouble for going to Kyle's party on Friday night. Jason is 21. He may be a Salary manager but he's close in age to them. As long as he's not showing favoritism it should be okay. Especially since they all put their two weeks notice in.

Then Tammy said something to Jason about having a MySpace page. I have no idea who told her he had one. He just made it last week.

So now he's being told he can't say stuff on there. It's none of her business what's said on MySpace unless they're using names and making crap up.

So now I'm all wrapped up in the middle of a stupid soap opera.

Oh, and it may get more fun. Heather lost her house - thanks to her ex-boyfriend who screwed her over royally. Long story. Very long story.

So, she wanted to move back in with her Mom until tax refund time so she could be all caught up on her bills. Her Mom told her that her kids could come stay with her, but not Heather.

Heather's Mom actually told her she could live in her car.

Plus, she wants Heather to sign over custody of her kids to her.

Okay, now Heather is many things but she's not a bad Mom. She's just a gossip who can't keep a secret to save her life.

So, I told Heather she can come stay with me if she can't find a place by Saturday night. I don't want her to stay in her car. I can't even imagine her Mom letting her do that.

I may be irritated with Heather for betraying my trust with the whole Joey thing but she's still my friend.

But if she does stay here - oh my God am I going to be in the middle of a bunch of drama.

[GreatMuppetyNick]

I've been steadily watching The West West over the last month or so .... and their political drama are no where are twisty and dramatic like this was.

Hang in there.

[quantumcat]

Oh no,Cordy!!!

That is beyond awful.

Get Heather to a pro bono lawyer, a crisis hotline and the housing authorities-for a start.

Make sure she stays away from sleazy guys and her mother.

It sounds as if Mommy Dearest wants her kids and doesn't care how she gets them.

If the kids 'visit Grandma',Heather may get charged with abandonment or unfitness for
being homeless even if this was all her Mom's idea and Heather agreed to help her kids.

That's even without a change of custody.

Heather needs to utilize all the helps for homeless families.

She's ahead of a lot of the people they see so her family would actually be a relief to
deal with.

You do NOT need to get embedded in this.

(Take it from one who's been there. Give her moral support and help but don't 'adopt' her.
She needs to get back on her own as soon as possible for everyone's sake.)


There are probably some legal issues about MySpace and freedom of association,too.

A workplace can make its druthers known but issuing orders like that is tapdancing on
shaky ground.

What would be next?

You can't lobby about the marriage amendment on your own time?

You can't belong to a certain religious group or have an interracial marriage?

There are varying expectations of privacy.

Blogs especially are iffy because they are public ,cumulative and archival.

They can be recorded,altered or taken out of context forever.

Even cell phones can have private data commandered through malware.

This erodes our assurance that our private words remain private.

On the other hand,the Department of Defense was told by the courts that soldiers under
investigation had a reasonable expectation of privacy over personal information and
communications made on government time with government supplied equipment.

The warning that all such use was subject to scrutiny and that adverse results could come from
inappropriate or unauthorized use of the equipment and services was held to be irrelevant.

So,it might be safer to think of blogs as postcards and party lines rather than encrypted
messages.

Even Invisi-blog or Live Journal can't stay ahead of evolving technology and the law.

Employers (and prospective employers) may breach a person's rights in regard to their
journals but there's little recourse if one is fired or not hired as a result.

Check and see if McDonald's is one of the many companies that have a blogging policy.

Most can be summed up like this:

1. Don't disclose private information such as products,trade secrets,etc.
2. Don't trash the company,the bosses or other workers.

The legality of firing over off duty behaviour is still up in the air so a little caution is a good thing-for both sides.

I HATE that you've been caught in this,Cordy.

I'll be praying that everyone concerned gets out of these messes alive and well.

Keep us posted.

[Charisma69]

Thanks for the support guys. Heather is going to try and stay in her house for the next 30 days. Her landlady has to give her that much time.

Then she's coming to stay with me if she can't work things out with her Mom. I'll let her know what you said though.

Heather tried to get me to go out with her tonight but I think I'm starting to get sick. All the higher ups have been coming to work with Strep throat and/or tonsilitis. I've been draggy the last two days.

I was off yesterday but I mostly slept all day. Then I watched part of the Ghost Hunters Live thing with Enzo before going to bed.

I was so tired this morning I slept for 40 minutes after my television timer came on. When the television kicks on it's my signal that I absolutely must get up.

Luckily I actually made it to work on time but I was really cutting it close.

I decided that going out tonight was so not a good idea since I'm already tired and draggy and I have a 7 day stretch to work with no days off. If I ended up getting sick enough to call out of work this weekend I wouldn't be able to if I went out since they'd think that was why I was calling out.

As for the blog, I didn't put anything personally identifiable in the blog. I didn't even say what company I work for - so unless someone knows me they would have no clue. Also, only my friends can read it.

I'm very careful to not really talk about my personal life there because I don't need everyone to know my business. It's just annoying being told what you can and cannot say and who you can and cannot hang out with.

[quantumcat]

Cordy,I hope everything's going to settle down o.k.

Folks usually try to get people sorted out by the holidays.

That might help all these hassles.

You're 100% right to take care of yourself-especially with strep going around.

It can wreck your heart (or that of the folks you pass it on to) even if you're asynptomatic.

Symptomatic tends to feel as if the entire Wolfram and Hart complex fell on you while
you were swallowing a flaming sword and gargling with Drano.

Get a culture taken if you even suspect strep.

(Or the doctor may just prescribe the right drugs anyway.)

You ,Enzo and your co-workers and customers can't take any chances.

Get your flu and pneumonia shots if you haven't yet.

In the mean time,go wild with juices,soups,teas,etc. and all the healthy stuff.

Sleep all you can.

Take extra vitamin C ,etc.

Viscous xylocaine and keeping your membranes moist go a loooong way toward
feeling better with strep.

The usual sprays,lozenges,etc. don't even touch it.

You might even get prescribed a pain pill.

If so,take it and conk out.

You shouldn't even dream about work until the strep is gone.

This could be a regular old virus or stress and fatigue or allergies but it's better to be
prudent and ward off something worse.

(Remember,playing martyr just makes stronger germs.)

As hard as you work,you need a little coddling.

[tjaman]

That and your hat has a cow.

I'd assume most McD's employees are on mySpace because most teens are on mySpace. If they're going to start regulating that they're going to have to get used to reading "My job sucks" because that's what most of them are going to be posting anyway.

* shrug * It's what I would've been posting if I'd been on mySpace when I was working at Stamart.

[Charisma69]

tjaman said:

That and your hat has a cow.

I'd assume most McD's employees are on mySpace because most teens are on mySpace. If they're going to start regulating that they're going to have to get used to reading "My job sucks" because that's what most of them are going to be posting anyway.

* shrug * It's what I would've been posting if I'd been on mySpace when I was working at Stamart.

Actually most McDonald's employees are not teenagers. That's only the majority of the night crew.

It's a bit irritating that people - and by people I mean not you but people in my town - tend to view it as an easy job inhabited by teenagers.

I have secretaries and the like looking down on me all the time when they come in.

The thing is, I make more money than they do. I may work at a job that's considered a minimum wage job but I don't make minimum wage.

I'm actually having a problem finding another job now because I can't afford to take a pay cut. That's right, a pay cut. Starting wages at a huge number of jobs in my field are less than what I currently make - if I have to commute. When I take out gas and maintenance on my car I'll be making far less money.

So, I may have to take the salary position that Tammy said something about offering me. She didn't give me a timetable or details though. She just asked if I was interested and said she was impressed with my work.

I'm hoping all this drama doesn't screw that up since I so need the money. I'll be making more money that a teacher makes - which I know they don't make much but it's way more money than I've ever seen in a year.

Of course I'll have to put up with way more drama so I'll have to weigh the pros and cons before I decide.

It would be ever so much better if I could find a job in my field of study. However, I'm not at all qualified for the jobs that actually make more money.

As for the MySpace comments. They actually don't say a whole lot about their jobs on their blogs. They bitch about other things. The stuff I was talking about was in a private bulletin - which is like a group PM to all your friends. The general public can't read it.

The drama is continuing though. I overheard Erica telling Tammy all sorts of stuff about Kyle today. See Tammy is trying to convince him to stay.

Kyle told us today that he's thinking about it. So Erica told Tammy that Kyle was saying that he'd only stay if we met his demands.

That's not what he said. She's just mad at him for other - non-work related reasons so she's stirring up crap and Tammy was buying into every single word of it.

She should know that you can't just take things that people say at face value. Some people will lie their asses off if they're mad at someone. Especially teenagers.

[TheMasterGeek]

That deserves a ginorous gar with the drama.

[tjaman]

Didn't mean to seem offensive. The incredibly young are the ones who I'm always seeing behind the counters up here.

[Charisma69]

tjaman said:

Didn't mean to seem offensive. The incredibly young are the ones who I'm always seeing behind the counters up here.

Like I said, I wasn't actually referring to you. It's just your comment reminded me of crap I have to deal with on a daily basis and I needed to vent.

I'm tired of having people look down on me for working at McDonald's. They have no right.

Just a much needed rant.

[quantumcat]

I hope things are going to get sane and amicable,Cordy.

It's good that you're getting paid something close to decent for your hard work,patience,
common sense and people skills.

You set a good example for all you work with plus you squelch a lot of hassles before they happen.

Too bad we can't give people the recognition and money they deserve all the time.

Good luck,whatever your choices turn out to be.

(If McDonald's ever gets a Cordy-in-waiting you might get asked to do the same job at
an upscale restaurant.

I've seen people go from fast food to white napkin type places,catering,school food service
or hotels to jobs that didn't even relate to food but touched upon their real vocations.

They just had to be noticed by someone who knew character and intelligence when they saw it.

Whether you stay where you are or not,insist on cultivating more rational people and fewer
mush-brains and drama queens.

Make sure they give you the leeway to use the brains they're hiring you for.

That way,you have fewer headaches and everyone makes more money-without it all going for Excedrin and Pepto-Bismol and Tagamet.)