Nothing Right

Man, I just can't seem to do anything right, can I?

After yesterday's conversation with the coworker I call Crank Pot, I brought a bag filled with all those Calorimetries I had knit over the last year in to work to give them away.  Of course, I gave Crank Pot the first choice. 

I went and found her in the ladies room and told her to get three or four headbands for herself.  The first thing out of her mouth was...no, not thank you or anything..."Why you ain't bring me no bag?"  As in a bag to put them into.   Then she complained that I didn't have the right colors -- especially the black one that I'd told her yesterday I didn't have.  Despite all her griping and grousing, she found a few that she liked and made her choices.  

As I was walking out of the bathroom, another coworker whom I'll call Greedy Bess, saw the bag in my hand and without even asking -- or obtaining -- permission reached in and started grabbing headbands out of it.  By the time I was able to move the bag out of her reach, she'd already gotten four, and was reaching for more.  Even after I walked over to another coworker and asked her if she wanted one, Greedy Bess was still trying to reach into the bag and get more headbands, but I put my body in between her and the bag and she finally got the message and went back to her work area. 

Ironically enough, after I'd given away all 30 of the headbands I'd knit, it was Greedy Bess who said, "You didn't give them (indicating the TXV workers) one."  I replied, "That's because some people got more than they should have, and I ran out," but Greedy Bess is so stupid and so selfish she didn't even realize I was talking about her.  

Speaking of how stupid she is, about 15 or so years ago, we were having an employee meeting up in the training room, and the HR director was talking about severe weather -- like ice storms.  He was saying that even though the plant tends to excuse those absences and not give employees points, it's still our responsibility to call in if we can't make it to work.  Greedy Bess kept asking the stupidest questions, like, "What if you don't have any more minutes on your phone?  What if you phone doesn't have any battery left, and your power is out and you can't charge it?"  Even the HR director looked like he wanted to slap her.

As if that weren't enough, Crank Pot came over and wanted me to take a headband over to someone who works in sheet metal, and I'm like no.  This was all supposed to be just for the brazers.  Not all of tubing, and certainly not the entire [insert unwholesome word of your choice] plant.  The only reason I knit all those headbands in the first place was to placate Crank Pot, who was whinging that she hadn't gotten a hat last year.  

Oh, and by the way, Greedy Bess also grabbed herself about 5 or 6 hats the day I took them in.  

Anyway, sometime later, one of the tap fitting brazers came over and said, "Dang it!  I missed out again!"  I told her, "Don't worry.  I got you."  I explained that I had knit enough that everyone who hadn't gotten a hat would be able to get two headbands, but some people got greedy and grabbed more than they should have.  I'm going to knit her a couple over the weekend, and when I was at Walmart, I picked up some sparkly yarn for hers.

 

 I know it's hard to see in this photo, but it's got a metallic thread running through the yarn.  That ought to get Greedy Bess's goat.  

After Tap Fitting Brazer walked away,  I went back to work, but the more I thought about Crank Pot and Greedy Bess, the angrier I got.  I told my friend, "I know I should be over it, but it just infuriated me the way she did.  It makes me feel like I never want to do anything for anyone ever again!"  

Even when I try to do something nice, I end up doing it all wrong.  But then at Walmart, I walked up behind this old lady -- she looked like she was in her mid to late 80s -- struggling to pick up one of those big things of toilet paper.  I started to just walk on past, but I couldn't do that, so as I came up to her, I said, "Ma'am, can I help you with that?"  

"Yes, please!" she said, sounding so relieved that someone had offered to help.  I put the TP into her buggy, and she thanked me profusely, so I guess for every Crank Pot and Greedy Bess in the world, there is going to be someone else who genuinely appreciates the things you do for her.  

In other news, we are here:

in the cold gray bucket of suck time of year.  It is raining, and is supposed to rain most of the night, which is good because we're still in drought conditions.  Then tomorrow is going to be dreary and cold all day, with the highs not expected to get out of the 40s.  It stayed so cold in the plant today that I seriously thought I was getting sick, because I couldn't get warm, and because the flu is going around.  It wasn't until I overheard a couple of coworkers talking about how cold they were, I said, "Whew!  I thought it was just me!"  But no, it really was that cold. 

 In other other news, I checked my data usage last night, and I'm telling you, for an internet provider, Sparklight has the absolute worst website I've ever run across, except maybe for AT&T's.  But that's beside the point.  The point is, even with all the streaming I did over Christmas break, I still have 50 G of data to last me two more days.  I think I can make it without going over.  

Especially if I start watching my new Doctor Who DVDs instead of streaming -- at least until the football games come on.  

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go find the notebook where I wrote out my adjusted calorimetry pattern and get to knitting.  Because once I'm done with these, I'm done.  Those people aren't getting anything more from me. 

And I mean it!