What. A. Day.
Jul. 19th, 2004 02:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
trinityvixenNo, screw that, what a morning. Sheesh. I don't know if it's possible, but I managed to be mortified beyond belief today by events that took place around me and had nothing to do with me...
It started off with the new girl on the bench opposite us turning on the cold water tap at our sink and ended with her nearly in tears. What first drew Karima's and my attention was the groaning noise of the cold water tap as the new girl, Sarah, was washing her hands. Karima tried to talk to her, but she kept saying, "I can't hear you." The reason for that, of course, was the unholy noise of the tap. Melissa arrived with a change of pants for Sarah (at this point, I was thoroughly confused) and Sarah took off with them as Karima started to tell her she should call Andrew and get the sink fixed. Karima rounded on Melissa and explained that this would have to be done because the sink shouldn't be making that noise. Melissa was conciliatory, not blowing her off. I figured it was just another of Karima's "I want it done my way"-isms. I was prepared to be sympathetic, to throw Melissa and Sarah a few "hey, at least you don't work for her" good-natured eyebrow raisings, especially after a tetchy Karima put up a sign over the sink telling people not to use the tap. She also said that "politeness is a universal" to Melissa about how rude Sarah had been to walk away while she was talking. Pot calling the kettle black much?
Then Sarah came back and Melissa told her she would have to call about the sink. I shit you not, the girl turns around and says, "Well, why do I have to? I didn't break it. It was definitely like that before." The look on Karima's face was priceless. So, too, must have been the look on mine. I could not believe it. This isn't exactly a select space--the labs are separated as benches and by benches, meaning it's all open space baby. Karima immediately flew off to go do it herself. Jesu maria... It mostly just shocked the hell out of me. How lazy could you be? Was it my job then? Melissa's? Karima's? It's a lousy five minutes and having to talk to Andrew. Sheesh.
Cut to a few minutes later where I disappear to go grab some agarose powder for a gel and return to see Sarah standing where I usually do at the bench when working, talking to Karima trying to defend herself. Since I was doing an excellent job at ignoring, pretending I was a piece of non-cognizant lab furniture, I missed out on the particulars through sheer force of willing myself not to eavesdrop--or, conversely, I was eavesdropping too much and caught only the juicy bits. Anyway, as it turned out, Sarah had splashed herself really good with TBE buffer, and, being new, was completely freaked out about what awful things it might do to her. Hence, the hand-washing and changing into a spare set of hospital scrubs. Sarah started to whimper angrily to Karima, saying stuff like 'she was new, and she was learning so much, and she just didn't want to be chewed out for something that was a misunderstanding' etc. It got to me, and I did feel bad for her. It wasn't intentional, her walking away from Karima, but still the whole 'the lab's problems are not my problem' attitude bugged the hell out of me. I had to track down the warranty on our machines because Andrew's up my butt about it, and I still don't have an ID or paycheck to show for nearly 6 weeks of work, and a fucking sink is below this girl? Hell, I'd go retrieve the services guy to fix it myself if it meant I got paid.
Of course, Karima made it worse by cold-heartedly telling her 'not to take this so seriously' when Sarah fled rather than break down into tears in front of her. That was harsh (though a part of me is like that, too, the whole suck-it-up-and-deal attitude needs tempering and delivered so bluntly....well, we're back to the pot and the kettle on the whole rudeness thing).
Oh, and the internet works now. Yay. Downloads....are not, not yet, but we'll see.
It started off with the new girl on the bench opposite us turning on the cold water tap at our sink and ended with her nearly in tears. What first drew Karima's and my attention was the groaning noise of the cold water tap as the new girl, Sarah, was washing her hands. Karima tried to talk to her, but she kept saying, "I can't hear you." The reason for that, of course, was the unholy noise of the tap. Melissa arrived with a change of pants for Sarah (at this point, I was thoroughly confused) and Sarah took off with them as Karima started to tell her she should call Andrew and get the sink fixed. Karima rounded on Melissa and explained that this would have to be done because the sink shouldn't be making that noise. Melissa was conciliatory, not blowing her off. I figured it was just another of Karima's "I want it done my way"-isms. I was prepared to be sympathetic, to throw Melissa and Sarah a few "hey, at least you don't work for her" good-natured eyebrow raisings, especially after a tetchy Karima put up a sign over the sink telling people not to use the tap. She also said that "politeness is a universal" to Melissa about how rude Sarah had been to walk away while she was talking. Pot calling the kettle black much?
Then Sarah came back and Melissa told her she would have to call about the sink. I shit you not, the girl turns around and says, "Well, why do I have to? I didn't break it. It was definitely like that before." The look on Karima's face was priceless. So, too, must have been the look on mine. I could not believe it. This isn't exactly a select space--the labs are separated as benches and by benches, meaning it's all open space baby. Karima immediately flew off to go do it herself. Jesu maria... It mostly just shocked the hell out of me. How lazy could you be? Was it my job then? Melissa's? Karima's? It's a lousy five minutes and having to talk to Andrew. Sheesh.
Cut to a few minutes later where I disappear to go grab some agarose powder for a gel and return to see Sarah standing where I usually do at the bench when working, talking to Karima trying to defend herself. Since I was doing an excellent job at ignoring, pretending I was a piece of non-cognizant lab furniture, I missed out on the particulars through sheer force of willing myself not to eavesdrop--or, conversely, I was eavesdropping too much and caught only the juicy bits. Anyway, as it turned out, Sarah had splashed herself really good with TBE buffer, and, being new, was completely freaked out about what awful things it might do to her. Hence, the hand-washing and changing into a spare set of hospital scrubs. Sarah started to whimper angrily to Karima, saying stuff like 'she was new, and she was learning so much, and she just didn't want to be chewed out for something that was a misunderstanding' etc. It got to me, and I did feel bad for her. It wasn't intentional, her walking away from Karima, but still the whole 'the lab's problems are not my problem' attitude bugged the hell out of me. I had to track down the warranty on our machines because Andrew's up my butt about it, and I still don't have an ID or paycheck to show for nearly 6 weeks of work, and a fucking sink is below this girl? Hell, I'd go retrieve the services guy to fix it myself if it meant I got paid.
Of course, Karima made it worse by cold-heartedly telling her 'not to take this so seriously' when Sarah fled rather than break down into tears in front of her. That was harsh (though a part of me is like that, too, the whole suck-it-up-and-deal attitude needs tempering and delivered so bluntly....well, we're back to the pot and the kettle on the whole rudeness thing).
Oh, and the internet works now. Yay. Downloads....are not, not yet, but we'll see.
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no subject
Date: 2004-07-19 01:34 pm (UTC)Uh....
Date: 2004-07-19 02:49 pm (UTC)Also, another 'Karima is the most paranoid person on the planet' story: our protocol guide for something was missing. Karima immediately assumed Naira, the lady I replaced, took it. Huzzah.