Casual... Thursday?

First, read this quick old blog from about five months ago: http://superlegalfun.blogspot.com/2010/11/casual-fridays.html

Now, here's what happened yesterday:

Receptionist refuses to take names

The receptionist, for some unknown reason, refuses to ask callers' names. She just passes the callers along without introduction and expects us to drop what we're doing to find out what case they are calling about, and what attorney or paralegal or secretary should handle the call.

Today, Secretary X was complaining that it caused major issues because an attorney called for a conference call at the wrong time, which snowballed into issue after issue.

No, that was not a typo. SECRETARY X was complaining about someone not fulfilling their job description. 

Thoughts that came to mind:
1.  Takes one to know one.
2.  Pot calling the kettle lazy.
3.  Go drink a tall glass of grow the ________ up and ask the caller yourself. You're not that far off from being a receptionist.
4.  When I wish upon a star, my wishes come true.
5.  Payback's a _________.
6.  Cocktail, anyone?
7.  Is she STILL talking?
8.  Do you think she would notice/ stop yammering on if I ran back to my desk and got some popcorn for this show?
9.  Karma's a ________.
10.  What's her name again, and why is she talking to me?  And why am I still listening?
11. She's wasting my air.

Giggle.

UPDATE: I think Mean Partner might be diagnosably Bipolar II

A couple days ago, he almost ran me over with his car.

Today, he waved "hi" to me from his car.

You'd think he was a teenage girl or something!

I think Mean Partner might be diagnosably Bipolar II

Having recently "studied up" on some mental health disorders for a case, I'm reasonably certain I have the credentialing ability to diagnosis Mean Partner with Bipolar II, which differs from Bipolar I because it includes more than one episode.

The dude was mean to me (nearly running me over in the hallway without acknowledging my existance, making totally inappropriate comments about how I was dressed - stop it, it wasn't sexual harrassment-type comments, et cetera). Then, I started coming in earlier (a kid cooordination decision for TDH and me), and he starts saying hello to me in the hall on his morning intimidation rounds around the office.

I didn't mind that change, of course, but now he's back to his mean ways, reinforcing my decision to nickname him "Mean Partner." Yesterday, in an attempt to be nice, I said "Good morning!" He averted his eyes from looking DIRECTLY at me, and walked away without a peep.

If there is something universally known, it's that you should, as a matter of common decency, say, ACKNOWLEDGE someone when they make an effort to wish you a good morning.

Please help me decide how to torture this dude silently until he breaks down and begs me to forgive him (which is when my timely raise will take effect - I'm psychic, you know).

New plan #1:
Ignore him. (So, that one isn't dramatic, but it is easily executable.)

New plan #2:
When I see him walking around, I'll secretly go to his office, sit in his chair, prop my feet up on his desk and read a magazine. When he asks me what I'm doing, I won't acknowledge HIS existance.

New plan #3 (my personal favorite):
Make socket puppets of him and me, then, in preschool style, go to his office, act out how to be polite in the adult world, and teach him what his mommy never did.

Which do you think would be the most effective? I'm certainly open to other effective solutions...

Casual Fridays

Listen up, you rule makers!

Casual Friday is one way you can pep up your employees after dealing with your crap all week. Believe me, we don't enjoy standing out in the cold, freezing our you-know-whats off just so we can look nice for you. We do it because it's a requirement of the job, and we don't want to hear more complaining from you than we already ignore.

I shared an elevator trip with Mean Partner one time on a Friday (probably about my fourth Friday with the firm). The awkward  silence was unbearable. So I made small talk - wrong move! I was obviously out of my mind that afternoon because I asked him where his jeans were. I am surprised the smoke detectors didn't shut down the elevator right then because his head turned bright red, and smoke started pouring out of his ears. He said the firm doesn't have a Casual Friday policy and that you would never see attorneys in jeans. (Which is total BS because everyone in that office wears jeans except him!).

I just said to him, "Aren't I embarrassed in my jeans." He told me that if I was comfortable enough wearing them to the office, more power to me. Seriously?! How about if you're comfortable enough wearing that mismatched all-sorts-of-ugly outfit, more power to YOU!

I wore a dress last Friday and we shared an elevator ride at the end of the day.  He asked why I wasn't wearing jeans. I told him I dressed up just for him. Silence. A win!