A recent study commissioned by pro-marriage groups suggested that single mothers were costing taxpayers $112 billion annually.

Does that include "single" mothers in nonmarried (by choice or othewise) relationships? What about single or "single" fathers?

In better news, I'm working from home today. So I get to avoid all the Pope-related traffic jams from the Mass that's being held too close to the office for comfort.

(Of course, "billion" is bigger than "million", but still funny.)

Nora, if that had happened to my brother, I think the very next thing that would have transpired would have involved police officers and then bail money.

Heh. I got a response from the owner theorizing that maybe they got a keg of La Chouffe instead. DUDE. NO. Not even a little bit like La Chouffe. I know La Chouffe. La Chouffe is a friend of mine and you sir, are not serving La Chouffe.

My bro is a big fan of McChouffe, and if someone tried to pass off something else as McChouffe, he would probably raise enough hell that he'd get kicked out (at the very least; possibly incarcerated). He's that most-dangerous of drinkers: a beer snob AND a thug.

ION, I have an incipient migraine that I'm trying to beat back with drugs, but I'm at work anyway even though I'd rather be in a dark room with ice on my head. This is because I received a thorough talking-to a couple of weeks ago that I'm "not working fast enough."

(Scola, please no links.)

The thing is, when it comes to editing pharmaceutical stuff, where a mistake could *literally* kill someone, I don't know how it's possible to quantify "working fast enough." And yet, I got my ass handed to me anyway. In the course of my reprimand, Incompetent!Boss said something along the lines of, "Well, I know you've missed some days because you said you were sick," and I interrupted with, "I *was* sick; I didn't just *say* I was sick." He hastily said, "If you say you were sick, we believe you...."

So now I'm all paranoid about being off work for anything less than a severed limb. And my head fucking HURTS.

And, oh -- there are NO NEW MANUSCRIPTS to be edited. None. When I finish the one I'm working on, there is NOTHING FOR ME TO DO.

But let's not forget that I'm working too slowly. Obviously. Because if I were working quickly, then maybe all the manuscripts...would be...finished....

Right. Jerkface.

Why don't employees get to do supervisor reviews?

Why don't employees get to do supervisor reviews?

Because turnover would be too great?

Why don't employees get to do supervisor reviews?

Because turnover would be too great?

True dat.

Why don't employees get to do supervisor reviews?

Wouldn't that be nice!

Warning: Rant ahead

On April 1, I sent a fairly scathing letter to the YMCA I'm a member of. I was approved as a sliding scale member last June, but have ALWAYS been charged the full amount. Every month I call, and every month they say they've fixed it. Well, I've had it. So, I wrote a letter to the Director of Member Services with all kinds of documentation and told him it better be fixed before my next automatic payment.

Well, not only have I not heard from him (which I find unacceptable, especially considering I gave him my e-mail address), but I just got charged the full amount again today. I'm about to call and give him a piece of my mind, and probably cancel my membership. I am SO angry.

I have another sort-of boss who has taken to telling us underling editors what mistakes we make when editing, which is fine, because we need to learn. But we're not allowed to do the same for the things *she* edits.

Plus, when she tells us what we did wrong, she frequently uses phrases such as "that makes us look stupid" or my personal favorite, stunning in its simplicity, "that's stupid."

True, she isn't *technically* saying, "Steph, *you're* stupid," but I really feel that, when one is in a supervisory capacity, using the word "stupid" to describe someone's work is a bad idea.

One might even say it's a STUPID idea.

He's that most-dangerous of drinkers: a beer snob AND a thug.

Heh. See, I'm pretty passive about stuff usually but this was SO EGREGIOUSLY WRONG that I couldn't help freaking out about it. I don't think that the cafe is trying to pull a fast one; I suspect that they are just THAT DUMB.

Also, ugh to your stupid incompetant boss. I'm sorry you have a migraine.

Ha! I just filled out my Boston census info. It asked for number of dogs in the household. Toto is getting counted!