Getting HR involved to tell my manager that he's using the wrong field for my start date

It has been 1.5 months since my manager ruined a perfectly fine discussion on our team with my hitting a milestone. It was my ten-year work anniversary.

In our human resources application, there are two dates. One is my start date. The other is my contract signing date. To normal human beings, the former is the one that you go with to calculate how long you have been with the company. My manager went with the latter.

Naturally, I am an anomaly. Because I was involved in a company acquisition, my contract date is roughly two year after my start date. To me and HR, this discrepancy wasn't an issue. To my manager, it was. He insisted that I get it fixed.

He is a jerk.

So, after 1.5 months dealing with HR who said that it was fine and wouldn't make these fields the same, it took an HR generalist to contact my manager to let him know that there's nothing to change. The start date is correct. I actually had to reinforce it by saying that going forward, he should be using the start date.

It is ridiculous that I had to basically tell him that everyone on the team got an e-mail to sign my virtual work anniversary card. He simply ignored it and ultimately looked like an insensitive idiot.

My hitting such a service milestone happens once. I expect a manager to get on board and acknowledge it instead of telling me to get HR to fix an issue that really isn't one.

Tea steeper - work anniversary has arrived!

Roughly two weeks ago, I picked out a tea steeper as my ten-year work anniversary gift. I was given a delivery date of late October. Well, I got it on Monday.

Early is great. I'm not complaining one bit!

The tea steeper is fancy. I love it how it looks. I haven't tried it out yet, but I'm looking forward to. I love small appliances. I'm also a fan when it's free!

My manager can ruin a perfectly nice day

I have an interesting working relationship with my manager. Sometimes, I dig what he does. Other times, I shake my head.

Our team has these brief chats at the end of the workday. Last week, he suggested that each person lead a chat with a topic. I was the first person to say that I liked how casual and natural it flows. We think of topics to discuss as if we were in the office, chatting in the lunch room. It should not be a structured meeting. It's a chat.

Yesterday, a colleague congratulated me on my ten-year work anniversary. Naturally, my manager ruined it by saying that in our human resources system, my start date working for the company is September 24 and that I should contact HR to have it fixed.

Why? I told him that I know what my start date is. Obviously, my three colleagues in this chat knew what my start date was, because they signed my virtual card. He dropped the ball by failing to sign it. He got the e-mail. He chose to not act on it.

Anyway, I contacted HR and spoke to a nice guy. I know that my manager won't and wouldn't do it. As noted, in the system, my start date is correct. However, my signed contract date is September 24, 2012. It's practically two years after I started working for the company, which obviously makes no sense! Anyway, he has a separate department who will fix this issue.

It's always nice when my manager ruins such a lovely occasion. It's not every day that one hits a milestone like what I just did. He could have been more attentive. That's just my take on it.

Anyway, my colleagues left me nice messages in my virtual card. They made Monday far more cheerful.

I got to select a gift to commemorate this occasion. I got a fancy tea steeper. I drink lots of tea, so it will come in handy. It will take a month to ship, which is the downside. Luckily, I am patient.

Dating and chatting online

I have been chatting online with a man who took the first step to communicate with me. It has been good on the whole. He is one of a handful of folks who saw my profile picture change. Social media is interesting.

The downside? It would be a long-distance relationship with this man. He lives in the States. I'm here in Canada. I'm not sure if I am ready to go through that again. My ex-hubby and I had spent three years living apart before we got married. It does work, but it requires effort, hard work, and communication.

This man seems nice and grounded. We are in chatting mode these days. Our schedules don't sync that well, but we do manage to exchange messages throughout the day.

It's different. It's weird being back into the dating scene. I kind of miss verbally talking to people, though!

Craziness at work, but am hanging in there

Things at work are nuts. A software release got moved up by four days. Luckily, I have had my intern and another colleague work with me on it. We are seeing the finish line.

I normally work at home on Wednesdays. Yesterday, I went into work. It was good under the circumstances.

Tomorrow, I'm off to attend an office function. The next couple of weeks will be busy. I am looking forward to taking a break soon.

Vaccines and dating criteria

I had my doctor's appointment yesterday. My blood and urine reports were good.

I was asked whether I got my diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine recently. I said that I haven't had it since I was a kid.

Apparently, you are supposed to get it every ten years. Who knew? I got mine done. It's better safe than sorry.

I also got a leaflet from my doctor on the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. Apparently, it's open to any adult who is sexually active where I live.

My guy and I talked about our health and partners that we've had when we first started dating.

"I have only had sex with one other person in my life," he admitted.
"Same here," I replied.
"That's good. We won't get any weird viruses," he stated.
"So, that's how you choose who you want to date. Attractive? Yes. No sexually transmitted diseases? Good. I'm horny. Let's go!"

He's sweet. I'm glad that we have been together, and we have been healthy and happy every since.

Groping and being observant of my weight loss

In the parking lot of the Chinese restaurant, my guy saw a car parked in the lot that looked just like mine. He told me that he headed over there and noticed that it didn't have an M&M's cap on the gear shift. Moments later, he saw my car and headed over.

After we unlocked from our tender kiss, we headed over to the restaurant. We waited to be seated. He quietly groped my left buttock again.

"That's my butt," I said to him.
"Yes. I love it," he admitted.

We sat down and looked at the menu. He looked over at me, as it has been a long time since we last saw each other.

"Have you lost weight?" he asked me.
"Yes, I have. My pants are looser than they were a couple of months ago," I admitted.
"It shows," he said.
"Can you still see me?" I joked.
"Yes, I can. You're cuter than ever," he said.

He's sweet. He is the only person who notices such subtle weight changes that I go through.

Trying hard

I had a slightly slower day at work on Friday. I managed to get a hold of my guy online.

"Are you still flying out on Saturday?" I asked him.
"Yes. We can do lunch before I leave," he replied.
"Cool. What time did you want to meet?" I asked him.
"1:30 pm," he replied.
"Great! Hope you'll be on time," I hinted.
"I'll try hard," he said.
"I can vouch for the hard part," I teased.

He sent me a smiley emoticon. I returned the favour. It's fun when we text. I'm looking forward to tomorrow.

Crazy travel plans and a lovetap for being bad

Geez, it has been a while. I will post about all the craziness that happened last week in a bit. I'm exhausted.

I made it to my European destination today on a couple of hours of sleep. It was painful transferring from one method of transportation to the next. I'll explain what actually happened versus what was supposed to happen in a future post.

On a good note, I took my guy to the airport on Friday. I helped roll a couple of his luggage pieces from his side of his car (he had taken them all out of his trunk) over to my car at work.

"Don't touch anything!" he said to me, looking at my rolling his computer bag over.
"You don't let me touch anything," I protested, caressing his perfectly uniform head.
"You can touch my head. Just don't do any heavy lifting," he said, passing by me and smacking my left buttock.
"That hurt! You're mean!" I replied.

It was fun. He loves when I caress his cleanly shaved head. I like getting a lovetap for being his bad girl.

August travel and dinner date

My guy and I are both travelling on business at roughly the same time. He departs a day before I do.

"My flight leaves on a Friday at 7 pm. You'll be at work, so we can do dinner before I leave," he said, planning.
"That sounds good. I'd love to," I noted.

He is gone for a couple of weeks. I am gone just for a week. August is already shaping up to be a busy month for both of us.

Tired, but happy

I am exhausted. The combination of doing various activities in hot summer temperatures and humidity, on top of going to work and being social after work, has contributed to my being tired and sleepy.

After work on Friday, I grabbed a bit of dinner, drove to a parking lot close to home, and took a nap in my car. The windows were down. The humidity had died and a nice breeze was present. I napped for a good twenty minutes, which did me a ton of good.

I didn't think that I could make it home to nap. I'm glad that I chose my car.

It's also that time of the month for me. I feel bloated and even more tired. Fun!

Luckily, the weekend has begun. I get to sleep in a little bit before I meet with my guy for lunch. Yay!

Travelling and having a late lunch date beforehand

My guy is travelling to Turkey for business again. This time, it's only for a week.

"Did you want to meet for a late lunch before you fly off on Saturday?" I asked him.
"Sure. I can get there by 4 pm," he replied.
"Maybe we should meet at 3 pm. That way, you're there on time at 4 pm," I teased.
"I'm better at being punctual these days," he claimed.
"We'll see. I can take you to the airport," I noted.
"Thanks, sweetie," he said.

It's nice to have a late lunch date before dropping him off at the airport.

A call to set up a lunch date

During the intermission between bands the other night, I remembered that I needed to forward a work e-mail to my guy. He works from home and only comes to the office when he needs to.

He is travelling this weekend and will be away on business for two weeks. I had to let him know that the parking lot is going through a ton of construction at work, which is outlined in the forwarded e-mail.

I also told him that I was in his neck of the woods with my manager the following day to conduct student interviews for the upcoming work term.

On Tuesday, I participated in these interviews. At around 15:30, my cell phone rang. I didn't pick it up in time. My guy had called.

I immediately called him back. I was in a room with my manager, so I couldn't be too mushy.

"Hey," I said.
"Hey," he said. "Am I interrupting your interviews?" he asked me.
"Our last candidate is writing a test, so your timing is perfect. How are you doing?" I asked him.
"I'm good. How about you?" he asked me back.
"I'm hanging in there," I replied.
"Just letting you know that my trip is confirmed. I fly out on Saturday at 16:00," he said.
"Cool. Can we do lunch?" I asked him.
"Sure. How about 13:00?" he asked.
"Perfect," I replied.
"I'll let you go, so you continue to grill," he teased.
"I don't grill!" I said.

He's sweet and thoughtful. I like when he calls me. It made my day.

Polite, sweet guy

On Monday, my guy and I went out for lunch. The roads were in pretty good condition. However, the plaza had a ton of slush and ice.

My guy parked and noticed that there were puddles everywhere. He insisted on driving me to the front door of the restaurant. It was a sweet, kind gesture.

I waited for him to park and walk over to the Chinese restaurant. We he got there, I tugged on the right door. It was locked. I tried the left one. Same thing. I then looked at the sign that was taped to the glass. The restaurant was closed due to flooding from the ice storm. Oh, no!

Luckily, this plaza has a number of eateries. We tried an Afghani restaurant. I have been there a number of times, but he hadn't.

The pavement was slippery. My guy immediately reached for my hand as we walked over. I love that he always wants to make sure that I am okay.

We walked in and ordered. He got the beef kofta with salad and a pita. I went with the grilled chicken skewer with rice, salad, and a pita. I asked that the salad dressing be held.

We found a booth and sat down. We chatted until our number was called, which was 13. It finally was and we both got our food.

Sadly, I had salad dressing on my salad. The dressing has dairy and I am borderline lactose-intolerant.

My guy was not thrilled. He took my tray of food back and asked for a dressing-free salad. He is truly my knight in shining armour. He came back with a new plate of non-dairy food. I was a happy camper.

It was a good lunch. He liked the food, so we now have two places to have lunch at.

After we were done, my guy decided to fetch his car and had me wait outside. He was exceptionally sweet and I told him so.

"I would do anything for you. It's easy," he admitted.
"I love when you are so naturally sweet," I pointed out.
"You're an attractive woman. You deserve being treated well," he said, being mushy.

I love him. I reached for his hand and held it lovingly as he drove us back to the office.

Teasing my guy over postponed date and being happy caressing his head

On Friday afternoon, at around 4:20 pm, I pinged my guy on our work instant messaging app. Sadly, my manager also pinged me to indicate that he wanted to spend a minute to talk to me about not getting a bonus within our entire location.

Anyway, my guy was okay with waiting a bit. I was finally all packed up and ready to head over to the Chinese restaurant for an early dinner. 

It has started to rain. By the time I got to the restaurant, it was pouring. I sat in my car for about five minutes until my guy parked next to my car.

We both got out of our cars. We both took out black umbrellas.

"Wow, my umbrella looks nonexistent compared to yours. It's big," I replied.
"I got it out so that you could come under it," he replied.
"Where did you get yours?" I asked curiously.
"Costco," he replied.
"Ah, of course," I pointed out. "Mine, too."

We walked into the restaurant. It wasn't too busy. We got a booth and sat down.

My guy wasn't all that hungry. He had had a light snack at Burger King an hour beforehand. He didn't have lunch and couldn't wait this late. I was bloated, as it is that time of the month for me. However, I was okay to have dinner.

He ordered a bowl of hot and sour soup. I ordered spicy garlic chicken.

"I wasn't expecting to scramble and get lunch today. You left me all alone to find lunch. You ditched me," I teased.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I took some of my students out to Costco and one of them had to return three shirts."
"You ditched me for Costco?!" I joked. "That day has finally come."
"Oh, no. I am never going to hear the end of it," he said, smiling.

My guy is a good sport when I tease him. He genuinely was sorry and would have rather been with me. He is his usual sweet self by making sure that his student could do his shirt exchanges before flying back home.

I looked at my guy's head. It was nicely shaved. I caressed it from across the table. He smiled lovingly.

Cancelled lunch becomes a dinner date

On Friday at 11:30 am, my cell phone rang. It was my guy. I knew that it wouldn't be good.

"Hey," he said.
"Hey," I replied. "What's up?"

I heard a pause and a nervousness in his voice.

"We can't do lunch today. How about we have a late lunch or early dinner at 4 pm?" he said.
"Um, can we make it 4:30 pm?" I asked him.
"Sure," he replied.

It was an odd, last-minute cancellation.

My team of a student and a writer had asked me the day before whether I'd be interested in going out for lunch on Friday. I politely turned them down. After hearing my guy's breaking news, I asked whether I could join them. Luckily, they were great at welcoming me back.

Lunch with my team was great. We went to a restaurant that all of us haven't frequented before. It was good. I'm glad that everything worked out.

Speeding for lunch

On Monday, my guy and I were to have lunch. It was 12:21 pm. I decided to ping him on our internal texting application.

He called me nearly twenty minutes later. He was running late, which is relatively normal in his case. He was ready at long last.

I met him downstairs in the lobby. He was happy to see me.

I needed to get back to work by 2 pm for a meeting. He needed to be back by 1:30 pm.

He drove. He had to asked me where he had parked his car. I told him that I knew where he had parked, as I had passed by his car in the lot.

He drove us over to the restaurant. He was speeding.

"Are you in triple digits?" I asked.
"I am doing 120 km," he said.
"I can feel the g-force," I said, smiling at him.
"I know. In a 60 km zone," he admitted.
"You do know that you are going to use up your $600 fund for driving offences should you get caught, right?" I reminded him.
"It may be worse than that," he replied.

Needless to say, we got to the Chinese restaurant safely and fast. Here's hoping that he doesn't do that again!

Taxes, finances, and date lunches

It has been a half-productive, half-relaxing weekend. Sadly, the work week is about to being several hours from now.

Any time away from work is relaxing to me. From getting groceries to blogging, I will take it all!

I spent Sunday working on income tax returns. I had filed mine in early March. My parents tend to give me their receipts and such in early April. I got them on Saturday and completed them early Sunday evening.

I have also been on a mission to look at my finances and be minimalistic. Last year, I paid and got rid of two credit cards. I was so pleased with that accomplishment. I still have some work to do.

Within the past couple of months, I have reduced my spending. I don't need to shop as often as I used to. I am doing well in that department. I am inspired to continue.

On Monday, my guy is at the office for the entire week and all of next week. It'll be wonderful having lunch with him for most days, except for those days when I am working from home. I am looking forward to having lunch dates with my favourite date.

Date night at the office

My guy called me at around 19:30 on Wednesday night.

"Hey," I said.
"Hey," he replied. "How are you doing?"
"It's nice to hear your voice," I replied.
"I love hearing yours," he said, with dinging noises in the background.
"It sounds like you're getting into your car," I remarked.
"Yes, I am. I am headed to the office," he stated.
"How come?" I asked him.
"I can't connect to our corporate network. It looks like my password is locked and I need to be at the office to get it unlocked by the helpdesk. Did you want to swing by?" he asked me.
"I wasn't planning on driving to work at this hour," I noted.
"I know. We can go for dinner," he said.
"Sounds good. I need to do a couple of things before I go. I'll let you know when I'm by the office,"
"Great! Drive safely," he said happily.
"You, too. See you soon!"

It's always interesting when technology fails, but it is a blessing in disguise.

Phone calls for a lunch date and spanking

My guy gave me a call yesterday afternoon.

"Hey, do you want to do lunch?" he asked me.
"Sure," I replied. "Did you want to meet halfway?"
"Yes. How about our old Chinese restaurant? At 3 pm?" he asked me.
"Sounds good. See you then," I replied.

I got there at 3 pm. I got a phone call from him.

"I'm stuck in traffic," he replied. "I'm going to be a bit late."
"That's okay. I'm already here," I said.
"I know. You are always so punctual," he said. "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault. It looks like there's an accident," I reported, looking at my map app.
"I have your Christmas presents. I got one that is wood and good to use on your backside," he noted.
"I'm intrigued. It's because I'm a good girl, right?" I teased.
"No, you're a bad girl. You need to embrace that side of you. I am here to punish you."

He called me a third time to indicate that he was ten minutes away. It was wonderful news.

He got to the restaurant parking lot safely. I got out of my car and I held on to his arm as we walked over in snow

"You're not wearing boots. You're such a bad girl," he remarked.
"You're wearing shoes, too. You're a bad boy," I remarked.

It was nice having a lunch date with him. He noticed that I had cut my hair. He held my hands in his as we talked.

Our food came out. He had ginger chicken. I had spicy garlic chicken. We ate and chatted some more.

"I like when you wear a v-neck sweater. It makes me imagine what I want to do to you. Your boobs also make an infinity sign in my mind," he noted, smiling.
"I like that nerdy reference. If someone who wasn't mathematical had heard that remark, he would have looked at us oddly," I remarked.

I love that he is so thoughtful, attentive, and sweet.