SGT Joseph Perry, 4 Sep 1983-2 Oct 2006

Rest In Peace

I apologize to all those Swedes who might run across this... but I have to rant.

Quite frankly I'm tired of working with a bunch of Swedes. Meetings often feel like a complete waste of time. Decisions are never made quickly or easily. The peer pressure to have the same opinions and ideas is always present. You know what? I really have no problem with socialism. I have no problem being treated as a complete equal to everyone else. What I do have a problem with, is that when I come around and disagree with something, it makes me look and feel like an ass. Even when my co-workers disagree, they're incredibly quiet about it, or they dance around the subject lightly like little ballerinas, never actually making a statement, which never actually accomplishes anything productive.

I'm used to getting straight to the point. If someone says, "Do you like this picture?", I will respond with, "Hmm.. I don't like it very much actually. I prefer landscapes and such". My coworkers would likely respond with, "That picture?.....(long pause)......This one right here?.....(long pause)......I didn't notice it before.....(long pause)......Who took it? It's interesting............" Imagine sitting through team meetings when every single point or question is drawn out like this... by everyone except for you!! No. You're the asshole sitting there saying, "Well, I don't see anything wrong with the menu as it is. I can understand where to click and how it works". Everyone else remains completely silent as if they're hoping the person who brought up this conflict of opinions would just go away and forget they mentioned it...

They really do try to avoid all conflict. It's just.. ugh... it makes me want to just strangle something sometimes. I just want to shout, "SAY WHAT IS ON YOUR MIND!". Earlier today our manager made a suggestion, which I didn't think would be a good idea. So I said, "I don't think this is a good idea". My coworkers immediately found their keyboards to be of great interest... they fell silent and amused themselves watching their cursors hover over random shit. Then after our manager leaves, they agree with me vocally saying, "Yeah, that really wasn't a good idea he suggested". WHAT THE HELL?

Apparently I'm doing something right anyways... they just offered to extend my contract until December :/

You know what I've never really understood? How so many people are in a hurry to get to work. Since I started commuting on the train for my 9-5, I've seen people racing past me on the escalator as if they badly need to pee or something. I look at my phone to check the time... It's a quarter to 9... Does your manager cut your wages if you're late by 5 minutes? Standing and waiting for the escalator takes how long?

I'm not a morning person, I don't have a boss who cares if I walk in the door a few minutes past 9 (he came in 2 hours late once), and running up escalators isn't the nicest way to wake up in the morning is it?

Anyways, it really doesn't bother me too much if other people are in a hurry to go sit at their desk for 8 hours... I'll be that one person standing on the escalator, half asleep and wishing it would move more slowly!