Keeping It "Real" With Your Boss At Work

A good friend of mine forgot she was talking to her boss and she got “real” with him at work. 

She was nearly in tears as she told me her story, and I immediately thought about the song, “Had A Bad Day,” the song that she played every time I came to visit, and which drove me up the wall, even though, it was a catchy tune some years back on American Idol. 

                So, her boss asked her to write a paragraph summarizing the status of each government contract for which he was responsible in order to prepare for a meeting this Monday. 
                “I went ahead and wrote a contract brief on one contract and gave it to him to review.  Of course, he wanted changes, so I modified the brief and gave it back to him.  He kept requesting more changes.  A couple hours later, he approved the page-long document.”
                “Well, good, that was smart,” I said.  “Now, you can use that document as a template.”
                “You would think,” she sarcastically replied.  “So, I finish all twenty-something contracts… takes me all day, and you know I’m stressing ‘cause I still have all kinds of pressing issues that I have to resolve by COB, and I have to leave on time to get my son.”
                At this point I’m wondering if she was driving on the beltway because I just walked in the door and didn’t feel like making a pilgrimage in rush-hour traffic, which prompted my question, “You left work?”
                “Yes, Jennifer, you’re off the hook,” she replied.  “So, I give him all the briefs.  He looks at them and starts red-lining, and then asks me why I put all this information in the brief and why I didn’t include X Y and Z. And why this and why that.  I was pissed because I knew I’d have to work all night long ‘cause he wants to meet in the morning. Girl, before I could even stop myself, I said, “Mother fucka, I did exactly what you told me to do. 

“Jennifer, his face turned from Casper white to beet red and he said, “Why don’t you tell me how you really feel?”  That’s when I realized what I’d said.  I was humiliated!  He was cool, though.  He knew I didn’t mean anything by it.  It was just a slip of the tongue.”

                My friend is one of the most professional people I know, so hearing her blunder had me in tears.  :0)
                Now, personally, I’ve had some slips of the tongue at work, but good googly moogly.  My girl kept it real... with her boss in this horrific economy.
                So, even though, I can’t stand the song, I sang it for her… 

Had A Bad Day – Daniel Powter

Because you had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
The camera don't lie
You hurry back down and you really don't mind
You had a bad day
You had a bad day

                I hope she has a better day tomorrow. :0)