Five to Nine

There was this hilarious musical comedy from the 1980s, that I just adore. The film is 9 to 5. It’s about three completely different women who befriend each other and have a crazy, comedic, adventure. Violet (Lily Tomlin) has been working at the company for years, and is better than the president, Mr. Hart, but keeps getting passed over for a promotion. Why? Because she’s a woman.

Doralee (Dolly Parton) is the secretary to the pig Mr. Hart. He likes her and has been trying to seduce her. Doralee is true to her man, but that doesn’t stop him from telling everyone that the two are doing it, and giving her the title of the company slut.

And then there is Judy (Jane Fonda). Her husband just left her for his younger secretary, causing her to be thrown out into the workforce, yet she knows zip.

Poor girl

After a girls night of fantasizing about actually killing their boss, the next day Violet thinks she accidentally poisoned him. The rest is hilarious. You should totally check it out.

Besides being an awesome movie, there is another reason why I’m writing about this. There is a character in the film, Roz, who is super annoying. She is a gossip, she is rude to the girls, she is a tattle-tale, etc. A horrible person. And guess what, I had one.

Yep, at my old job I had my own Roz and she drove me crazy too.

Ugh she was horrible to me around, as she was just so urgph. Infuriating! Her name was Wanda. You see Wanda had a superiority complex, where she had to always be in charge and when she was, she micromanaged you. It was horrible.

So the reason we got off on the wrong foot all started with this one night. I mentioned in an earlier post that I was an usher for a theater. It was part of my school and federally funded which meant that we had to rotate positions, and we were picked randomly to ensure no favoritism. So sometimes you were on the main floor, other times balcony, lead, underling-you pretty much did it all.

So one night I was lead and had four other people under me. One of them was Wanda. And Wanda didn’t like that. She didn’t like being “under” someone as she felt that she knew the area and deserved only the highest positions that the work offered.

It’s like get over yourself. A job’s a job and just do it. Stop trying to put on airs and be this hoity-toity person. She was just so aggravating.

So this particular time, I was checking out one of my other people, when I saw a commotion where Wanda was supposed to be at. When I got there I discovered that she had abandoned her post. You see once the show started no one was allowed in until there was a break in the scene. With Wanda gone, people were coming in and disrupting the patrons trying to focus on the show.

I had no idea where she had gone and now had to fill in for her along with apologizing to everyone who was upset at this. I immediately called to my supervisor and the other leads on the walkie-talkie to find out where she had gone. My supervisor was not happy about this and neither was I.

After another 15-20 mins, someone locates Wanda and she comes up and is pissed. I’m like seriously girl? You screwed up deal with it.

She starts yelling at me for causing all this drama when she had to do something important and help out someone in another area. I was upset with her, but calmly asked her “Why didn’t you tell me where you were going? I am your lead. I need to know where people are at all times because they have a job to do. You can’t just leave.”

I mean seriously.

She got all mad and started yelling at me again about how I made a big deal out of nothing and she had “something important to do” with helping out another person.

I was pissed and wanted to yell at her as she had seriously messed up and was YELLING AT ME!! ME??

But I knew it wasn’t the time. Besides:

So I stopped and told her to go and finish up the night. I then decided the best way to handle this, was to go to my supervisor. I told her what had happened, and since Wanda had already worked herself into a tizzy, the best way to handle it would be to tell everyone that they should let their leads know where they are at all times. My supervisor agreed with me and gave a lecture after the show. Wanda knew this lecture was aimed at her and was pissed. When I arrived in the locker room, she was in there talking to her friends. As soon as they saw me they stopped talking and started whispering.

I mean, I’m not stupid I knew they were talking smack about me. And for what? Doing MY JOB! Like you should have been doing. All I could think was, didn’t we leave all this behind? I mean seriously, we are supposed to be adults in college, not acting like silly high school girls getting worked up over nothing.

After that, the workforce was divided. Me or her. Yep, she had that many issues that she felt she had to justify her actions.

But that wasn’t the end of it. She then tried to make any time we worked together hell. She would watch me constantly and leave me dangling if I needed help. She would also watch to see if I made even the slightest mistake, so she could report it to the supervisor.

Now normally I would have taken this girl out.

I would have given it to her good verbal beatdown.

The only thing was I didn’t want to lose my job. You see I was a poor college student. I had grants, scholarships, loans, and worked two jobs to pay for school. I needed to work as much as I could.

In fact, more than not I just prayed we wouldn’t work on the same night:

And if we did work together, I just held my tongue.

But my last day of work (as I was graduating) she was really grating on my nerves. And I told my friends, you know what I don’t care. If she tries something, I’ll take her down as I don’t have to worry about keeping my job. Wanda must have sensed this, as she wisely stayed far, far from me. I might not have won the battle, but I won the war.

After all, I got the best thing. I was finally rid of Wanda and will never have to come into contact with her again.

At least I hope I won’t have to.

For more views into my every day life, go to The Final Chapter

For more music I love, go to Fandom Love

For more of my fav ’80s films, go to Fanning All Over the Place

Oh NO YOU DIDN’T!

So when someone says something bad about us, we as people tend to get angry.

We want to make that person pay. We want them to suffer.

Grab your torches and sharpen your pitchforks!

And that explains how Elizabeth felt after Darcy dissed her at the ball.

“You are dancing with the only handsome girl in the room,’ said Darcy, looking at the eldest Miss Bennet.

‘Oh! She is the most beautiful creature I have ever beheld! But there is one of her sisters sitting down just behind you, who is very pretty, and I dare say very agreeable. Do let me ask my partner to introduce you.’ [said Mr. Bingley]

‘Which do you mean?’ and turning round he looked for a moment at Elizabeth, till catching her eye, he withdrew his own and coldly said: ‘She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me…”

What a jerk!!!

How could he say that? Loser!

This part of the book always strikes a deep chord with me. Once when I was in middle school I was sitting a bit away from these two boys and accidentally overheard their conversation. Elijah and Kevin were discussing different girls at the school and rating their “hotness level”. Elijah had a girlfriend but Kevin was “on the prowl”. Elijah brought up my name and Kevin said “Nah, all the girls in this school are WAY hotter than her.”

I was crushed. Utterly upset at what he had said.

And it took a while to get over.

At the time I did nothing. I was a preteen and very vulnerable. Today I think I would have handled it differently. Either:

Or:

Just kidding about the second one. I wouldn’t get into a real fight, instead a verbal beatdown.

Anyways, I didn’t deal with the situation with the best aplomb. I was angry and upset and wanted to make Kevin suffer.

I got my payback at a school dance a year later. Kevin had changed his mind about me and was interested, but I didn’t have any of that. He asked me to a school dance and I turned him down, meanly.

Revenge completed.

I have to admit that Elizabeth handled the whole situation way better than me and you have to give her major props. It must be so hard to hear yourself compared to your sister constantly in your own home, but out in public? To hear other guys say you aren’t as hot?

I mean people want to hear that they are the good-looking ones.

But Elizabeth is one classy woman. Instead of striking against him, being rude or hurtful; she just let’s it roll of her back.

“Elizabeth remained with no very cordial feelings toward him. She told the story, however, with great spirit among her friends; for she had a lively, playful disposition, which delighted in anything ridiculous.”

And that is just one of the many reasons why Elizabeth is a totally awesome person.

For more on Pride & Prejudice, go to Opening With…

For more on Elizabeth, go to First Impressions

For more on revenge, go to All I Know About Trilogies is That in the Third One, All Bet are Off

For more of my favorite quotes, go to The Little Moreland

Don’t Stop Believin’

So here we are another step in the “Getting Over a Heartbreak” series:

24) Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey

So this is one of the best and most famous Journey songs. Everyone loves this song, and if they don’t they are stupid and crazy! When this songs plays, its practically impossible not to sing along.

It was released in 1981 and immediately took root on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the top-selling rock song in digital history until it was overtaken by Imagine Dragons‘ “Radioactive” in January 2014. It’s been in countless films and TV shows and covered by millions. My favorite cover has to be from Rock of Ages. Otherwise I’m all about the original.

So the reason I included the song on this list is that this is a song that works well anytime you are feeling down. All you have to do is sing those verses and it instantly makes you feel better. Don’t stop believin’ you’ll make it through. Don’t stop believin’ you’ll get over that person. Don’t stop believin’ you’ll find someone better.

Just a small town girl
Livin’ in a lonely world
She took the midnight train
Goin’ anywhere

Just a city boy
Born and raised in South Detroit
He took the midnight train
Goin’ anywhere

A singer in a smokey room
The smell of wine and cheap perfume
For a smile they can share the night
It goes on and on and on and on

Strangers waiting
Up and down the boulevard
Their shadows searching
In the night
Streetlight people
Livin’ just to find emotion
Hidin’ somewhere in the night

Workin’ hard to get my fill
Everybody wants a thrill
Payin’ anything to roll the dice
Just one more time
Some will win
Some will lose
Some were born to sing the blues
Oh, the movie never ends
It goes on and on and on and on

Strangers waiting
Up and down the boulevard
Their shadows searching
In the night
Streetlight people
Livin’ just to find emotion
Hidin’ somewhere in the night

[Instrumental interlude]

Don’t stop believin’
Hold on to that feelin’
Streetlight people
Don’t stop believin’
Hold on
Streetlight people
Don’t stop believin’
Hold on to that feelin’
Streetlight people

And there is the amazing Rock of Ages version.

Remember: Don’t stop believin’ in yourself

After all:

To start the “Getting Over a Heartbreak” series from the beginning, go to If It Means A Lot to You

To go to the previous post, go to Love Will Find a Way

For more on Journey, go to I’ll Be Alright Without You by Journey

For more on ’80s music, go to Here I Go Again

For more on Rock of Ages, go to Nothing But a Good Time

For more of my fav songs, go to I Don’t Wanna Be in Love (Dance Floor Anthem)

For more on F. Scott Fitzgerald, go to For a Pessimist, I’m Pretty Optimistic

For more on Jane Austen, go to It’s All Jane Austen’s Fault

For more on Northanger Abbey, go to Project Runway

For more of my fav quotes, go to Women in Black