Humility, or Can I Kiss Ass Well Enough?

Today was hard for me. I want to, but something inside me says 'don't blog about work.' During my first appointment, my contact more or less threw me under the bus several times for her own benefit as her new boss was in the meeting. I don't mind once or twice, it comes with the territory, but after a couple of times of picking myself up and dusting myself off, it gets old. My ego starts to peak out of my ear, eyeballing it's next victim. I kept it check today, and although not entirely rare, it's a 50/50 proposition. If I'm to blame, okay, I can take my lumps. If I'm not, and you're just trying to deflect your incompetence, well, you only get a couple of those.

I like to think of myself as being a patient, understanding person. Alas, the opposite is most likely closer to the truth. After a few tries, I grow weary and irritable. It's one thing to say "I don't understand," or "I don't agree," but to just keep repeating that you're not getting what you need while I keep repeating that it is right here, right beneath your nose, just waiting to be put into practice, well, that just gets me going sometimes.

And now to get completely juvenille and fixated on the unimportant: one of the requests of my customer was some data, with certain parameters for around 50 different sets. Not a problem, just tell me what you need, and that is what I will get you. Well today she coudn't stop hammering home how the data set included 4 sets that were not hers. In my meeting I was drooling to let her know that I had cut and pasted the set description from a file she had sent me, and later realized that 4 ofthe sets were incorrect b/c her data had transposed a "4" for a "Y." This was not an error on my part, or my company's. This was her error. Again, tell me what you need, and that is what I will get you. If you ask me to tell you where the phone number 555-1212 rings, and I tell you, please don't accuse me of not helping you b/c I have not told you where 555-2121 rings.

Lesson learned: don't trust that people won't make mistakes.
Lesson already learned:I must trust people to help me or I will spend my life reinventing everything.
Lesson to be learned tomorrow: I so badly want to show this woman up, but I know it's not going to help me or my company in the end.

Do I get paid enough to be this humble? Answer is a "no," which is proceeded by a variation of the 'f' word. But I'm trying b/c afterall, Jesus and Rush said it: The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth.