Nataly

What happened??? (With the job - not the date!!) "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

I'm not that good at dealing with stress... But I can tell you some of the stuff that makes it *worse*... 1. drinking more coffee 2. eating comfort foods (makes me feel lethargic and therefore everything takes more energy) 3. doing nothing / ignoring the issues (when I get overwhelmed it's because I don't have a precise understanding of what is bugging me... When I *do* know exactly what the problem is, I usually realise the "worst-case-scenario" isn't really that bad...) 4. not sleeping enough (ie: staying up late, spending hours on the computer, keeping my brain in overdrive) 5. not delegating (especially when I am doing a bunch of stuff that others *should* be doing - either because they are more competent or because it's their job/responsibility) 6. not saying no / not admitting I'm drowning (goes with the above, but sometimes just letting other people know you are overwhelmed means they will help / offer solutions) 7. over-thinking (I work myself into knots for no good reason - it's totally self-inflicted!) 8. not taking any breaks (just 5 minutes away from all the stress can do wonders, but I tend to keep working - through lunch, through the nights, et cetera. In fact I am much more effective when I occasionally pause and just breathe a little.) Don't know if any of that helps... It's more of a list of "things to avoid." "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Same here. I think I was born a pessimist!! I look at reports I've produced and it *bothers* me that I didn't center the graph properly on the page... It annoys me that some cells have decimal points and others do not... I come across "glitches" when I run macros I wrote and think "I can't believe I didn't spot that." I constantly feel like an amateur. I usually feel like it's a false economy when I do things myself... And not just when I'm building things... When I get an idea and someone comes up with a good counter-argument, I instantly feel like a moron... I'm happy to share my ideas no matter how undeveloped, though, because I think people can build on it and it could lead to something good. I don't tend to think of my ideas as "finished products." I keep revisiting, re-evaluating and re-thinking problems/solutions... Sometimes it's a good thing; sometimes it just slows things down. My boss is decisive - he is sharp as a whip, has great instincts, and makes decisions. It's great to work for someone like that, because although he is *sometimes* wrong, at least we are almost always moving forward toward progress. Working for someone like me is less reassuring - I keep doubting my decisions and changing my mind... Even though I usually change in favour of better options, often it's better just to pick something and go with it. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

The very subject of gay marriage is religious and political. Probably, not so much guns. Not so many shotgun weddings in the gay community. No it's not. The question wasn't about religious beliefs or political convictions, but why you would care if it does not impact you at all (whereas it *clearly* has a negative impact on the people concerned). ETA - you know what, fuck it. Now it's here I'm not gonna bother looking for a decent answer. For the record, this was dragged into the SC when it had NOTHING to do with PGR. Quite frankly, I'm annoyed and just a little bit disgusted. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

??? Why is this suddenly in SC??? It's not about religion, guns or politics. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

There is a lot of debate at the moment in France over allowing same-sex marriage. Assuming you ignore the religious argument and the "it's unnatural" argument ("homosexual" behaviour is not exclusive to humans)... Just what exactly is the impact of allowing gay people to get married??? I would argue that if you are not gay (and therefore already enjoy all the rights/privileges that marriage affords), there is NO IMPACT on your life at all. Things married people take for granted include: inheritance, and medical decisions, and tax benefits, et cetera, et cetera. So why would you care at all that gay people want the same rights as you??? More importantly, why would you deny them the same rights as you??? "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

N/A

I had thought about it many times. Then I met someone who jumped regularly - he talked incessantly about it, spent all his time at the DZ, and together we watched ALLLLL his (mindnumbingly boring) skydiving videos... At one point I got sick of hearing about it and thought I'd try it for myself. Told my mom I would be doing it, and she said "OH MY GOD... I *soooo* want to go with you!!!!" So she did!! We both took the jump course (IAD out of a C-182) and she even went first... She had a perfect arch and landed like a pro - I was so proud

Wow... Can't believe how time flies. The last time I went to ZHills was not long after Johnny passed away... Felt so strange there without him. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

There are loads of those already, and they are useless. The reality is that until you build a network of friends who work in such places (and therefore can help you clear just about any red tape), you are screwed. And as you would expect, building relationships takes time... So until you have these relationships, you pretty much have to suffer through everything and accept that it will be a long and painful process - even if you do *everything* correctly. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Because you wouldn't use it that way!! Fobbing off usually means "getting rid of" someone. "They fobbed me off." It's a lazy way of not dealing with you - either by telling you whatever you need to hear to get rid of you, or flat out not helping you at all. Sometimes people do it so "nicely" you don't even realise it has happened... Getting fobbed off is far more insidious than actually being told to fuck off... "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

You *seriously* underestimate all the layers of crap we are talking about here. No. Rather than fight the system, *much* more realistic (and maybe even fun!) to cause havoc somewhere else!!! "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Last year I set up my own small company in France. From the start, it has been an administrative nightmare... I get sent from one organisation to another to get anything done, and in the end I am going around in circles until I invariably end-up being directed right back to the very first person I spoke to months before!! So I was thinking... There is money to be made here... After experiencing the skillfulness with which French companies *avoid* doing their job, I could give advice to non-French companies on how to fobb-off requests and send customers down the black hole of administrative backlog. I think insurance companies are not worth canvassing, since they already excel at fobbing-off their clients... Who *is* doing a good job and could use my services?? Any suggestions?? "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

I find a lot of things hard to understand until I go and try them (or at least get some insight from someone who has)... Personally, I think the perception of skydiving as being "extreme" is perpetuated by films, one-time (or new) jumpers, and people who like to talk bullshit. It's not exactly a pansy sport, but I wouldn't call it extreme given today's equipment and technological advances... I think BASE still falls under the category of "extreme"... But then I don't base, and anyway everything is relative, I guess... As for living vicariously and going nuts over any sports team's accomplishments (or losses)... Well... Gotta agree with Lisa... Just don't get it... "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

If everyone is flashing you, chances are you are the problem. Not only are big cars frowned upon in Europe, they are expensive, impractical and in most cases they are completely unnecessary. Get it fixed (the angle/brightness), get a smaller car, or use public transportation...

Yeah, me too but I am forcing people to choose between the above two options because that's what I was curious about. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Seems kind of outrageous that they could get 4 years of prison when google tells me the average prison sentence for rape is 8 years and sexual assault is 6 years (with about half that time actually served)... What's a couple hundred dollars of dents on the roof of a car compared to the kind of damage rape/assault causes to a human being??? "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

And by that time your credit rating will be destroyed by medical bills that you can't afford to pay out of pocket. OR if you dont want to go bankrupt you just don't have the needed operation or operations. Yep... This practice should be banned and considered criminal. I don't want to hyperbolise, but I'm sure people litterally die because of it. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

A highly scientific poll to resolve this issue once-and-for-all!!! Your partner cheats on you. Are you more upset by the physical act they committed with another person (ie: the sex itself), or the emotional connection they formed with another person (ie: emotional betrayal)? Feel free to elaborate/explain... "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Like I said: jealous!!! "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

I'm not sure if this is of any help, but one of my accounting tutors used to work for AXA... He told me their policy was to deny coverage until the 3rd or 4th contact and then only gradually release funds until the person complained enough times that they knew they wouldn't give up... So you may be entitled to reimbursement for the treatment even despite what you are being told. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Doctors and lawyers tend to make shitty managers, too. I think the reason for all 3 is pretty much the same: all of their education was spent learning their craft, but they took few if any management courses. I don't think courses are what make you a good manager... The types of people who invest all their time on their personal skills (ie: experts) are usually not the same people who like to invest in others people's development. So although courses can give you more tools to work with, these tools won't be much use in the hands of someone who can't (or won't) use them. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

By "dumping on" I meant "blaming everything (bad) on" their subbordinates. This kind of behaviour usually comes with taking the credit for all their subboridinates' (good) work... Very unpleasant people to work for... But like I said... Some people see through this, thankfully. Edited: spelling "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

I have noticed that in highly technical fields, people tend to advance based on their personal performance... Unfortunately, the skills you need to excel at your job aren't necessarily the same skills you need to be a good manager... Maybe it's also true of non-technical fields, but I've had less exposure to those... I know that in the military, leadership and people-skills ranked very high (in theory) in terms of what mattered for getting promoted into a "managerial" role. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

No, but recently (last century or so) you Brits have been getting entangled in alliances with them. I think it was much easier when you were sworn enemies. . . Trust me the vast majority of us Brits are still sworn enemies or our garlic eating neighbours! Speak for yourself, I've got nothing against the cheese eating surrender monkeys. Typical shit-eaters... You're just jealous because your food sucks!!! "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss