I finally told the singer at work to knock it the F*** off today.

[fudge stripe cookays]

Here is the original thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=6449373

I asked nicely. I prefaced with the fact that I am really stressed right now. I am leaving on vacation for a week tomorrow, and was trying to get TONS done today.

Mariah started up like clockwork, and I attempted to have some sanity back. The fucking bitch actually told me that if I wanted it quiet, I should move all my stuff AWAY from my desk, take it into a conference room and transfer my phone!

Does this make sense to anyone? I have a perfectly good desk to sit at, but I shouldn't sit there so she can be allowed to sing.

Fortunately, the boss caved, is now letting me work a couple days a week from home, and by the time I get back from vacation, I'm going to have a desk across the room from Whitney. I think the boss is afraid I'm going to snap and throttle her.

[greatauntoftriplets]

1. Having a private office is wonderful.....

even though the ditz in the one next to mine giggles on the phone constantly.

Have a great vacation! I am off the week following Memorial Day to have some painting done. After one year of an egg-yolk yellow bedroom :puke: it will now be green. And the hall will be peach.

:)

On edit: Enjoy your vacation. It sounds like you NEED a week off.

[fudge stripe cookays]

3. Thanks!

Indeed I do!!

More research for the book in upstate NY. Might even make a quick trip to Niagara Falls one afternoon while I'm there.

ANd GAWD I miss my office! I had no idea how much I would hate this until my workload increased so much the last few months. Now it's unbearable.

:D

[La Lioness Priyanka]

2. ...

sorry about your mariah/whitney/celine situation. shes being ridiculous.

your narration however is hilarious.

[fudge stripe cookays]

5. Thanks.

Mariah/Celine/Whitney is also the one who argues in over-the-top fashion with her domineering, control-freak husband over the husband.

I used to feel bad for her. Now, if she just stopped showing up for work, at least the arias would be over.

[swag]

4. I salute you.

And you telegraph a good message to the expulsively exuberant workers among us (guilty as charged, here):

Quiet is nice.

[fudge stripe cookays]

8. Yes, but I'm sure you're not a coloratura.

Or fancy yourself one, right? You're probably just humming some Elvis Costello song or something.

You are far different, swag my dear.

[LiberalFighter]

6. What would irritate her? How about Newton's Cradle?

Laser pen as long as it isn't used on her... on the wall in front of her while she sings.

If you have a cell phone you could call her line so it interrupts her. Make sure it can't be traced back with caller id. If you have an accomplice and she does her singing at a set time have them call her phone.

[fudge stripe cookays]

9. Christ. That's another sore point.

She must have 2 or 3 cell phones. The one is one of those freaking Nextel phones, and she has this thing set at 11! I literally CRINGE when this thing goes off it's so freaking loud. Even more so when she pulls it out of her purse/desk drawer.

I'm convinced this woman was born in a barn, as she seems to have no conception of accepted workplace behavior.

[Lars39]

11. Her phone needs to be on silent/vibrate mode at least.

Or have a peculiar accident with an extra-large coke or something. :D

[fudge stripe cookays]

13. Hmmmm...

You're planting evil ideas. But with my luck I'd get caught going through her desk. It's right in front so EVERYONE would see me.

But the evil vision was enjoyable! :D

[LiberalFighter]

32. Don't need to go thru her desk... spilling something on a desk will...

result in liquid running into the drawers.

[LiberalFighter]

31. Your boss MUST establish appropriate behavior in the workplace

If this was happening in a union workplace the boss wouldn't have to contend with just the worker having the problem. The boss would have to consider that if they didn't correct the behavior it would go to the union rep.

Do you have a handbook for your workplace? If it's not covered or you don't have a employee handbook then they need to step up and make the changes.

I don't know what the set at 11 is all about. But IMO if the cell phone is personal... at the most she needs to be considerate of others. I question the need to have people calling her while she is at work and answering the phone on company time. If she has the phone set at 11 due to a hearing problem then she needs to get a god damn efing hearing-aid.

[idgiehkt]

7. that is crazy

Is the boss afraid of her? I worked with a woman like that, but she had to have silence on the days that she had a headache. So if she had a headache, none of the other three women at her station was allowed to talk. That wasn't when she was working in my area though. She was a 'whitney' type singer, too. That didn't bother me (as she was far away when she sang; I worked in a warehouse) but she really had quite the sense of entitlement. She was a minister, and once asked me if I would work all the saturdays because she had to preach. Of course I said hell no. This was in a very religious town, but I didn't care. I said it would be every other saturday, which was fair to both of us.

[fudge stripe cookays]

Nope, boss isn't afraid of her,

he just doesn't like confrontation much. He's a nice guy, but he's only in charge here in Dallas. Our main office is out in California, and that's where the big boss is.

Your ex co-worker sounds like her in another way. She decided to go back to school, but every class she's in has a group project. And she just never seems to be able to make the meetings because of THIS with her kids or THAT with her kids.

Kids are on OBSTACLE to education. They are not an EXCUSE. I am so sick of hearing her stupid whining about her classes. Either dedicate yourself to it or quit. Stop making excuses for why you didn't get a chance to do your project or couldn't make the meeting. Once or twice I can understand. But three freaking classes worth? What's the point exactly?

[SPKrazy]

10. What a dysfunctional bunch of bullshit

i mean

she sings, and it is disturbing to the workplace

she should shut the fuck up

what if you came in and started doing a comedy routine?

or started singing yourself?

would anyone be startled, or complain?

i know that someone would

well, i dunno if you can sing or not

but that's beside the point

she should shut the fuck up or go and get herself and damned recording contract somewhere and quit her day job

put up or shut up Whitney

:silly:

:hi:

[fudge stripe cookays]

12. That's what I said.

I said, "I can't believe I'm even having to ask you to stop singing. This is a WORKPLACE, it's not an AUDITION!"

She complained that I always wanted everyone to be so courteous and why couldn't I be courteous too? NAW, letting you fucking sing without saying anything for several months doesn't count for SQUAT! I should have said something when she first started doing it, but I had just asked her to stop wearing her Bijan perfume because it literally made it impossible to sit at my desk and work. I could not BREATHE.

Then I asked her to stop SLAMMING her desk drawers because she can't just shut them. I mean EVERY SINGLE FREAKING TIME! then the cell phone goes off again. Husband wants to argue.

My Jenny impression:
SLAM SLAM SLAM SLAM SLAM warblewarblewarble warble RRRRRRRRRIIIINGGGGGGGG "No Chris. We've talked about this before Chris. If you want to throw the D word out there, then you had better be prepared to back it up Chris. No, We'll talk about this later. No. Stop it Chris. I'm hanging up now." SLAM SLAM SLAM SLAM warble warble warble warble warble warble warble SLAM SLAM SLAM

[SPKrazy]

21. Geebus on a cracker!

what a flake

:shrug:


better off working from home,

what a flake

:grr:

[fudge stripe cookays]

22. And don't think I'm not enjoying it!

Kick back on the couch, pour myself a white russian (at noon), and watch some HGTV and some City Confidential. Don't get no better!

[SPKrazy]

23. LOL

life in the fast lane

:rofl:

[Louis C. Phurye]

28. Sorry, what is warble?

Don't mean to interupt. Is that the sound her perfume makes? ;-)

[fudge stripe cookays]

29. Nah, silly....

her perfume just induces severe gut reactions.

Listen to Mariah or Whitney sometime (I know, it's like Chinese water torture...but this is purely scientific)....

That stupid up and down the freaking scales that they do....they can't just sing ONE note. They have to go up and down up and down over and over again. I consider that warbling. But I haven't had voice lessons. Perhaps a music student can edumacate me...

:hi:

[Louis C. Phurye]

36. I see, looked it up.

You are indeed correct. i thought it was something you made up descriptive of her shuffling around her desk or something, which i think also works. Ya learn something new everyday. What ever it is, i think you captured Whitney Carey's essence beautifully, whoever she is, I was hanging on your every word, will have to go back and read part 1 which you linked to.

:hi:

[LiberalFighter]

34. Since she gives you clues about what is happening in her life

you could ask her what her husband did now. As if you really care. But she may not like being asked that question everytime she slams the door after talking to her husband.

Or offer her the name of an divorce attorney.

Sing along with her OFF-KEY.

[Louis C. Phurye]

37. Good idea, offer her unsolicited advise.

Or you could anonymously leave coupons for voice lessons on her desk.

[fudge stripe cookays]

42. OMG. I LOVE that idea.

Only now that I've complained, she'd know who did it. That's freaking brilliant.

:hi:

[mainegreen]

14. People don't do that at work here in Maine.

In fact, I'm really surprised that people do that anywhere.
Weird. Sing at work?

[fudge stripe cookays]

15. Yup.

People in Maine obviously have some class. Even though they say "Pepperidge Faaaam." :P

[mainegreen]

16. Is there another way to say that?

:P

[fudge stripe cookays]

17. Down hyar,

folks pronounce ALL their R's, darlin.

farrrrrrrm. Come on, say it with me!
:D

[mainegreen]

18. Faaaaahhhhhm.

Got it.

[Gormy Cuss]

19. 'Xactly.

Need those h's or it just don't sound right.


and on edit for FSC: Happy digging!

[fudge stripe cookays]

24. Thanks gorm!

I'm about to wet myself I'm so excited. The Mother Ship!

Did I tell you guys I have an appointment with the town historian and EVERYTHING?? He knows all there is to know about this town.

I'm SO PSYCHED!!
:hi:

[Gormy Cuss]

30. Yee Haw!

I have a feeling this is going to be a very good trip for you.
:hi:

[Rob H.]

20. It sounds like she's indulging in some petty bullshit dominance games

"You don't like my singing? Fine. Then you should move where you can't hear it. Think I'm slamming my drawers too loud? Too bad. I'll close them as hard and as loudly as I want to. Don't want me to argue on my cell phone with my husband while other people are around? Sucks to be you, 'cause I'll do whatever the hell I want."

Would registering a complaint in writing with HR help? It might be possible to argue that she's creating a hostile work environment--where I work what she's doing in spite of the fact that she's repeatedly been asked to stop would be considered harassment. (My workplace also has a no cell phones at work policy, too, thank goodness.)

Sorry about the wailer, fudge stripe cookays. :( Hope it gets better eventually.

[fudge stripe cookays]

26. Thanks Rob.

'Preciate it!

Unfortunately, this company is tiny tiny tiny-- like maybe 100 people in the entire company in about 3 or 4 locations. Dallas is the biggest.

Our HR department consists of one woman in Dallas that plays go-between with a bunch of contractors in California. And she and I have had our problems as well, since she's the most two faced bitch I've ever met.

I've almost quit a couple times, but I DO like the fact that I get to travel to California once or twice a year, and that helps amass air miles for my personal passion, the family history I'm writing. I travel the country visiting cousins and collecting photos, family stories, etc. I can visit cousins there too.

It drives me crazy, but right now I'm milking it for all it's worth. I still have some cousins to visit in some other areas of Cali! :P

[u4ic]

25. When will you be

Alberta bound...
Alberta bound...
It's good to be
Alberta bound...

:D




What's that you say?



Ooops. Sorry.



:hide:

[fudge stripe cookays]

27. Hee hee...

Well, I was hoping it was going to be this year, but it's not. Grrrr....

We got a lot of the fixing up stuff done on the INSIDE of the house, but we still have more to do outside, and it's too hot for me to work out there already. So that will be occurring in the fall and spring.

Hopefully next year!
:-)

[u4ic]

33. Hopefully it'll be easier for you

to find accomodation then.

It's crazy now. There simply isn't enough housing available.


Good luck with those reno's! :hug:

[DS1]

35. I'll spare everyone the bad 'sniper' copycat and just say

:hi:

[fudge stripe cookays]

43. Awww man...if I'd KNOWN you had that up your sleeve!

I don't think I"ve ever inspired a copycat before!

:hi:

[mykpart]

38. Oh God! I used to do that!

I'm retired now, but I used to hum to myself all the time at work. I still do it when I'm shopping or at the computer. I thought it was under my breath, but occasionally someone would ask me what I was humming. And sometimes people in the grocery store glance askew at me! I feel terrible!

[Common Sense Party]

40. There is NOTHING wrong with average humming or singing

to oneself at work. Anyone who has a problem with normal humming is way too tightly wound.

I think this OP is talking about an exceptional case, one that goes above and far beyond humming a quiet ditty or two.

[fudge stripe cookays]

41. Oh, no. This is far and above that.

I'm a hummer myself, usually. And when I get in the car, I belt it out. Because I'M BY MYSELF.

This person (and one other person at work) do not seem to understand that we are not at a recording studio. They do this at REGULAR VOLUME so everyone can hear tem. In fact, they are doing it to make SURE that we hear them and appreciate their vocal range.

Not mere humming, my friend.

[Common Sense Party]

39. I love working from home.

I went back into an office environment earlier this year, for the first time in about 7 years.

Nuh-uh.

It lasted 3 months.

Now I work from home or I'm on the road. And I can sing as loud as I want in the company car.