My Finale

It's finally over for good. Today marked my last day working in the dreaded department and Tuesday everything starts anew in my new department in my old, old, old, old, old job.

But before I actually left, there was of course a few final fuck ups (sorry, I can't call them any less) by my final Co-Worker From Hell, Drama Queen.

First one:
DQ drops the bomb on another project and I'm left to pick up the slack. I coordinate and manage to get everything done just over the project deadline. It was about 10% done 2 days prior. But because it wasn't done on time, my boss is down my throat about it (hello? Not my project in the first place!) and then DQ sends out an email to the higher-ups waiting for the project that I'm behind on it. Wha?

Second one:
My goodbye lunch. Here's how difficult it is to organize a goodbye lunch:

1. Pick a restaurant.
   
2. Call restaurant and make a reservation based on everyone you plan on inviting.
   
3. Email or call everyone you plan on inviting.
4. Tell them the place.
5. Tell them the time.
6. Get them to RSVP a day or two beforehand to give you an idea how many people are actually coming.
7. Call the restaurant again to confirm once you have the RSVPs.
8. (this is my trick) Add two seats. Just in case.
9. Call and remind everyone the morning of the lunch.

Easy. Except for DQ. No, no. She calls and tells people two freakin' different restaurants! So, some people went to one and some people went to the other. Way to go. Fucking loser.

The other way you organize a goodbye is how my (now) good friend 'The Boy' did it. But that's a tale for another post.

Let's get back to my pissed off rant, here.

So, I get to the restaurant --fashionably late by 5 minutes-- only to find that only 3 others have arrived. 3 of 'My Kids' are there, but not my boss, the man "treating" for lunch. DQ is not there. 'The Boy' is not there. The other 'Kids'? Nowhere to be seen. It's a crowded restaurant and My Kids are all standing in the entry way. I check with a waitress and discover that there isn't a reservation. So, within 5 minutes I'm on my cell phone calling people to see where they are. My boss is on the highway (why, I don't know) , 'The Boy' is making his way over from the office and arrives within 2 minutes. DQ had left 30 minutes before him and finally made it to the restaurant twenty minutes after 'The Boy.' Still no sign of my boss and we've now been standing in the entry way for half an hour.

We finally get a table a little after 1pm. Why? Most people are headed back to the office, that's why. Still no sign of 'My Boss' and it's looking more and more like I'm going to be paying for everyone's lunch because DQ (the uber-organizer) has disappeared once again to try and figure out where the boss has gotten himself to. I finally insist that everyone order as it's getting late. We order, we talk for a bit. The food arrives and 5 minutes later, so does my boss. He apologizes. He was at the other restaurant. He orders a snack (he's already eaten, get it?), turns to me and asks:
"Well, you're coming up on your last day. Are you excited to be going?"

Now, the intelligent thing here would be to say something along the lines of: "Oh well, you know... I'm excited for the new opportunities ahead of me." Or maybe "I'm leaving with mixed emotions to be honest." Nope. I actually answer before he'd even finished asking the question.

"Yes," I answer, "I'm really excited."

The rest of lunch is finished in silence. The only other comment from my boss is somethng about how hard it is to believe I've only been there for 18 months when it's like I've been there forever.

Forever. It truly has felt that way.

I don't get a card. Not even a little gift (I once did a quick "fill in" in one department when one person was suddenly hospitalized and they spent over $100 on a gift for me). Even some token of gratitude would be nice.

But all I got was a grilled ham and cheese sandwich.

The Boy.... and My Kids. Now they know how to throw a goodbye party. But, as I said earlier, that's a post for another day.