work | Sips of Jen and Tonic

Tag Archives: work

In Total Control of Myself

I’m a very straightforward person. I don’t blow smoke, and if you ask me for my honest opinion I’ll give it to you. I always exercise tact, but I never exercise kissass-ery.

“You were being kind of bitchy.”

That’s what a manager told me after a brainstorming session years ago. Someone had suggested a marketing initiative that was not only outdated, but completely out of tune with our core audience. I said as much; apparently I had offended a few people’s delicate sensibilities in the process.

I was flabbergasted when he took me aside and accused me of bitchery in the first degree. This was the same manager who had completely lot his shit on several occasions, acting completely unprofessionally towards his subordinates. He prided himself on “getting results” and asserted that it sometimes meant “stepping on peoples toes…hard.”

The majority of my career has been spent in Sales which I don’t recommend unless you like being surrounded by people who suffer from delusions of grandeur. It’s a male-dominated field predicated on having a commanding presence, and a “do what you have to do” approach. Continue reading →

Tags: bette davis, Bitch, BlogHer, Broad in total control of herself, NaBloPoMo, Nano Poblano, women in the workplace, work, Yeah Write

Comments 57 Comments
Categories Misc., NaNoWriNo

Panty Droppin’ Coffee

8 Nov

If you’ve been following this blog ~~for years~~ ~~awhile~~ this week, you know that I work from home. I’ve been telecommuting for the past year, but prior to that, I was part of the daily grind just like everyone else. This was before I started barking at strangers, and considering brushing my teeth optional.

I am not a morning person in the least bit. I was meant to go to bed at 2AM, and wake up at 10AM. Anything deviating from this means you’re not getting me at my best, and by “best” I mean everyone else’s version of mediocre.

This is how my mornings used to look:

Alarm goes off
Curse myself for not being born a Kardashian
Get up and drop a couple F-bombs on my alarm
Look in the mirror and wonder if science will one day be able to help me
Wash face/brush teeth/pee while checking Facebook on my phone
Pick out an outfit that screams “you don’t pay me enough to dress well”
Head to work vowing to find a rich husband because I’m too awesome to work
Get coffee because my hypothalamus is bossy as hell

Continue reading →

Tags: BlogHer, coffee, humor, nanowrino, old lady underwear, panty dropper, starbucks, Team Poblano, work, Yeah Write

Comments 91 Comments
Categories NaNoWriNo, Work

Telemiscommunication

3 Nov

The fact that I’ve been steadily employed since my first job at a Hallmark store is as much of a surprise to me as it is to anyone else. I’m the kind of person who drinks cereal instead of eating it with a spoon, and laughs when narrators say ‘Homo Erectus’ in documentaries. Not exactly the kind of stuff that makes employers jump at the chance to pay me every two weeks.

I started working for a local publishing company in 2009, and in early 2012, they were acquired by a corporation in Boston. Roughly six months after the purchase, our office was closed, and the Portland team members began telecommuting. This day is also referred to as “The exact moment I started devolving as an employee and human being.”

Dedicated working spaces no longer have meaning to me.

One of the greatest joys of working from home is getting to decide where you want to work. Gone are the days of parking in the same space, sitting at the same desk, and shivering from the air blowing from the same vent directly above my desk. Now you’ll most likely finding me sending e-mails while on the crapper, regretting the Indian food I ate last night.