I'm 18 and aching and I don't know why.

[raybear]

All this week I've been the legal secretary for these 2 real estate partners in the firm who do all contract and negotiating stuff (versus the litigation guys I worked with the week before). One of them gives me enough work to keep me busy for almost half a day. Usually closer to one-third but I can stretch it out. The other attorney usually gives me one task in the morning, that is often scanning a file to PDF and e-mailing it. But on Wednesday he gave me a new task to do – here's $10, will you go down to Corner Bakery and get me a chopped salad because I need to be on this conference call? Ok, sure, whatever. I don't mind getting paid to take a walk outside. I can laugh about my place on the ladder as errand boy and temp. But then I came back and delivered the food and change (and wondered if he would tell me to keep it, though doubting it severely), and he gave me another dollar bill and said, do you know where the breakroom is? Can you get me a diet coke with lime? And a glass? And ice?

I had to walk down the hall and fetch his beverage. Now, I feel demeaned. You could at least just say "get me a soda, bitch" and I'd maybe respect you more.

Then of course today, he comes out of the office with some other guy from a meeting and is all "just the person I'm looking for!" and then asks me to fetch the guy a mug of black coffee.

On Wednesday I made a new office friend, this woman who lives in Logan Square and also works in a piano bar in Wicker Park and I came out about doing drag which is sort of like also coming out as queer. On the way back from the breakroom, I leaned into her cubicle and said, "I'm so glad I got my master's degree so I know the proper was to fetch coffee."

But hey, I'm only ranting, cause fetching coffee sends me to writer's conferences and into the woods, so there are advantages. I just wonder at one point will I once again say, at what cost?

Comments

coffee

[louche.livejournal.com]

have i told you about when i first started here? when i worked for a superduper cocky jackass? well, the first or second day, he shouted out from his office, "hey can you get me some coffee?? black." i was like, did he just ask me to get him coffee? seriously? i was sort of in shock so i just went and got it.

then he did it again the next day. again, i just went and got it. the next week, i felt a little more confident, understood his personality a little better. he shouted out again. "can you get me some coffee." i was pissed. he'd also been barking out orders from his office about everything else that week. so i went and got him coffee.

when i handed it to him, i paused. before letting him have the coffee, i stared into his eyes and said with a snarky grin, "hey, don't you worry about whether i SPIT in this?"

he never asked me for coffee again.

Re: coffee

[flitterkitten.livejournal.com]

This is the best asshole boss retribution that I have ever heard of- I'll have to remember it forever and pass it along as an errand running coping mechanism:-)

Errand running: cool or demeaning?

[flitterkitten.livejournal.com]

I have totally had this experience while temping. I worked as the receptionst/admin/data entry/client relations/event planner/personal assistant to the director (for $10/hour) at a non-profit health organization and the director was so difficult and a stressball. The first time he asked me to get him lunch I was like, that's cool, I'll go for a walk. But each time he asked me something it got more and more elaborate. During the last few months he had me take his visiting neice to MLK library to do some research for school- on company time! What he really needed was a full time personal assistant to take care of all of his oddball requests- but someone who signed up for the position and so didn't feel put upon or less than when he demanded that YOU put up his new mail slots:-)

[twostepsfwd.livejournal.com]

I thought they only made girls go get coffee. I'm that person, too.... the errand boy. I am really not cut out to be a secretary, it makes me too resentful.

I once had it out with a coworker because she got the boss (who wasn't our direct supervisor) coffee. I reamed her out because it was not in our job description and I didn't want him expecting that we were going to be doing this on a regular basis. She was clueless as to how sexist and demeaning it was. She was an airhead lesbian bimbo, the type of which I've met very few of in my life.

I came out about doing drag which is sort of like also coming out as queer

Um... sort of? In the straight world, that is *definitely* like also coming out as queer.

[masscooper.livejournal.com]

I had a boss who used to ask me where I was going when i took my lunch break, and then ask me to get her things. I just started telling her I didn't have a plan, or that I was going for a walk before I decided. I had no problem running documents across campus or picking up stuff -- so long as it's work related. I'm the bottom of the totem pole, and that's fine. But I really resented being asked to pick up lunch every day. I probably shouldn't have cared so much, everyone did it, it wasn't just me, but it still bugged me.

[lizinator.livejournal.com]

Um yeah. My life is about *making* coffee. And hot water. And putting out ricolas & altoids. And then cleaning up after "casts of thousands". Who knew that was what my glorious life in the theater was going to be about? (Shrug) It could be worse. I could actually have to work for a living.

[foxycoxy.livejournal.com]

"I had to walk down the hall and fetch his beverage. Now, I feel demeaned. You could at least just say "get me a soda, bitch" and I'd maybe respect you more."

This Made me LAUGH my ass off.. cause i totally 'heard' you say it. Hysterical... not your position, of course.

[iamthesphinx.livejournal.com]

Oh darlin'... I must have told you the croissant story, right? If not, I will have to sometime. I have yet to hear a temp-fetching-food story more demeaning than this one, which occurred back when I worked for that stock exchange last year. Bad news.

What I want to know, though, is this: if I work for someone I like, and I actually enjoy making coffee for everyone in the office, and knowing how they take it, etc., does that make me a spineless, brainless (generally lacking in central nervous system, I suppose) airhead bimbo with plenty of false consciousness and nary a clue? Or just a nice person? I mean, I drink the coffee too, it may as well be made the way I like it, right? Survey says.....???