Turning it around.
Okay, I'm not posting this for sympathy, I just need to get it off my chest. So it's not necessary to "go there".
Probably close to 17 years ago, when I was in the Navy in school, I had night classes (11-7). You had to walk uphill (both ways in the snow, okay, not really) to get to the building where class was held. It was rainy and kind of chilly, sort of like tonight. One of the guys at the barracks saw me in the hall. (Nobody I really knew, just someone you say "Hi" to in the hall in passing.) He asked if I wanted a ride to the building, and I said sure. So I'm standing in his room waiting for him to finish getting ready, and he left for some reason or another. I was standing there glancing around the room and I noticed a pair of weight lifting gloves sitting on his desk. I remember thinking "God, these types of gloves are always so dirty and beat up".
So, just being a nosy prick I picked one up to get a better look at it. As I was setting it back on the desk he walked back in. Now, at this time in my life I was 6'2" and about 135lbs soaking wet. (I had to get a waiver to join the Navy because I weighed 128lbs and the minimum for my height was around 135lbs). He asked me if I could wait outside for a minute. So I said sure, and walked out the door. About 5 minutes later he walked out of his room and headed the opposite direction without even looking towards me. So I started to follow him. He turned around and told me I should find another ride to school. I was really confused so I asked him what was going on. He turned around and said "I don't trust you around me. I saw you trying to steal my gloves while I was out of the room".
I actually started laughing, explaining to him that I was just being nosy. But he was pissed and would hear none of it. So I started to get defensive. Telling him "Dude, seriously. I'm 6'2" 135lbs, does it really look like I have use for some old, dirty weightlifting gloves? Do I look like the guy you normally run into at the gym?" Now, of course I wasn't going to take a ride after this altercation, so we went our separate ways.
To this day I'm sure that guy probably thought he'd stumbled upon the scene of a crime. But even though I don't remember this guy other than this one encounter it bothers me that he thought I was gonna steal his stuff.
Now, I normally don't think about stuff like that, but today I had a reminder. When I first started in my new department some of my work required booting off of a USB Key. I didn't have one at the time so I borrowed one from a co-worker from time to time. I always made sure to ask before I used it, and I always returned it. After a few weeks someone else got a smaller one for free, but they already had one, so they gave it to me. A little while later the original co-worker couldn't find his USB key and asked if I had borrowed it. And I told him I hadn't seen it but was pretty sure I had returned it. For about a month now, every few days he "jokes" that he doesn't have it because "someone" borrowed it and didn't return it. Then today he asks me (in front of some co-workers and our boss) if I could "look around my house and see if I may have "accidentally" brought it home, or left it in my pocket or something".
I immediately thought of the earlier story, shocked that this guy may think I took his stuff. I've been working late this week so before I left I started looking around the different work areas. Translation: Being the last person at work, I started slowly rooting through everyone's shit being careful not to disturb it, trying to find this dude's USB key). After about 20 minutes I found it. In the lab, on HIS desk. I forgot that he is a little short, and couldn't see if behind his coffee cup on his shelf. For a month now, amidst all the clutter on his desk, it has been hidden. (If I move the milk and the ham isn't behind it, the milk wins).
I can't wait for tomorrow, when I get to dog him for:
A: Being too short to see stuff on his own desk. And...
B: Keeping his work area so filthy that he can lose something he has been actively looking for, for about a month, right in front of his face.
"Today is a good day"...
Probably close to 17 years ago, when I was in the Navy in school, I had night classes (11-7). You had to walk uphill (both ways in the snow, okay, not really) to get to the building where class was held. It was rainy and kind of chilly, sort of like tonight. One of the guys at the barracks saw me in the hall. (Nobody I really knew, just someone you say "Hi" to in the hall in passing.) He asked if I wanted a ride to the building, and I said sure. So I'm standing in his room waiting for him to finish getting ready, and he left for some reason or another. I was standing there glancing around the room and I noticed a pair of weight lifting gloves sitting on his desk. I remember thinking "God, these types of gloves are always so dirty and beat up".
So, just being a nosy prick I picked one up to get a better look at it. As I was setting it back on the desk he walked back in. Now, at this time in my life I was 6'2" and about 135lbs soaking wet. (I had to get a waiver to join the Navy because I weighed 128lbs and the minimum for my height was around 135lbs). He asked me if I could wait outside for a minute. So I said sure, and walked out the door. About 5 minutes later he walked out of his room and headed the opposite direction without even looking towards me. So I started to follow him. He turned around and told me I should find another ride to school. I was really confused so I asked him what was going on. He turned around and said "I don't trust you around me. I saw you trying to steal my gloves while I was out of the room".
I actually started laughing, explaining to him that I was just being nosy. But he was pissed and would hear none of it. So I started to get defensive. Telling him "Dude, seriously. I'm 6'2" 135lbs, does it really look like I have use for some old, dirty weightlifting gloves? Do I look like the guy you normally run into at the gym?" Now, of course I wasn't going to take a ride after this altercation, so we went our separate ways.
To this day I'm sure that guy probably thought he'd stumbled upon the scene of a crime. But even though I don't remember this guy other than this one encounter it bothers me that he thought I was gonna steal his stuff.
Now, I normally don't think about stuff like that, but today I had a reminder. When I first started in my new department some of my work required booting off of a USB Key. I didn't have one at the time so I borrowed one from a co-worker from time to time. I always made sure to ask before I used it, and I always returned it. After a few weeks someone else got a smaller one for free, but they already had one, so they gave it to me. A little while later the original co-worker couldn't find his USB key and asked if I had borrowed it. And I told him I hadn't seen it but was pretty sure I had returned it. For about a month now, every few days he "jokes" that he doesn't have it because "someone" borrowed it and didn't return it. Then today he asks me (in front of some co-workers and our boss) if I could "look around my house and see if I may have "accidentally" brought it home, or left it in my pocket or something".
I immediately thought of the earlier story, shocked that this guy may think I took his stuff. I've been working late this week so before I left I started looking around the different work areas. Translation: Being the last person at work, I started slowly rooting through everyone's shit being careful not to disturb it, trying to find this dude's USB key). After about 20 minutes I found it. In the lab, on HIS desk. I forgot that he is a little short, and couldn't see if behind his coffee cup on his shelf. For a month now, amidst all the clutter on his desk, it has been hidden. (If I move the milk and the ham isn't behind it, the milk wins).
I can't wait for tomorrow, when I get to dog him for:
A: Being too short to see stuff on his own desk. And...
B: Keeping his work area so filthy that he can lose something he has been actively looking for, for about a month, right in front of his face.
"Today is a good day"...
posted by H1 @ 8:56 PM
2 Comments:
SUH-NAP!!!
Lay that accusatory mutha out!!
Be prepared, however, for him to accuse you of having gone home and brought it back, and not admitting that HE screwed up and owes you a HUGE apology since he maligned your good name to the boss.
That is exactly what happened. Fortunately I showed the boss where it had been the whole time earlier in the day while said co-worker was out getting coffee.
And I still got to give him crap about being short and sloppy.
Indeed, today is a good day. (Well, except for the fact that my cell phone keeps turning itself off 2 minutes after I put it in my pocket.)
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