neurotic Iraqi wife

The Power of the Chair...I dont get this passionate love relationship between someone and a chair. Power??? Money??? What changes a person 180 degrees in one day, when given the authority to sit on that chair???

A few days ago, we had an all hands meeting. At the meeting, we were told that our Sector's Prog Manager had undergone 2 bypass surgeries in the States and needs to stay there for atleast 3 months for recovery. When these words were uttered, I was shocked. R and I were very close. I like him because he is very straightforward. He is the same person I ended up shouting at when things became pretty bad the last time I was here, yet, when I emailed him (after finding out HUBBY was adamnt in coming back to Iraq) asking whether they needed me, he was more than happy to say yes. Although before I arrived he emailed me and told me that something came up and he had to go to the States.

It was later on, at that meeting that I found out why he had to go so suddenly. I didnt get to see him. After that bombshell, they named my colleague S as the Prog Manager. S and I joined almost together, I arrived end of May last year, he was here, 3rd week of May. S is the type of person that tries to please everyone, especially the govt leads. I didnt even know how things worked here, until one day, back in Sep of 05, I was ready to blast a LTC that I havent even met. As you know already, or from what I have told you, my tongue is pretty long, and when I get pissed off, I dont care who it is Im talking to, never even had any clue about ranks etc... doesnt make a difference to me...I just say whats on my mind. (Something my parents always complained about ;-)

I remember very well, as I was on my way to give a piece of my mind to the new LTC, S rushed to me and stopped me. Told me "You cant do that, he is a LTC" and me being me, I just shrugged and said "and so???". S was ready to shit in his pants, I swear. He said "Please, you have to understand, they are our client, you cant go and talk rudely to just anyone, things dont work like that here". I looked at S, smiled and said, oh well, I guess thats the way I do things, and no one can stop me. And Off I went to see the LTC. Who btw, later on became LTC Perfect...One of the best people I have ever met in my journey of life...It was because of his professionalism that I started paying more attention to my work, and ended up loving what I was doing. It was because of LTC's perfect ways that made me admire the Air Force. He too had his moods, and he too couldnt keep his blunt tongue inside for long, maybe thats why, I liked him, he was as straightforward as I was...

So in anycase S always tried to calm me down, not because he likes me, no, because he cared for the damn award fee and what the govt thought about the whole team. In anycase, a few days ago, he took over, became the sole owner of "The Chair" and boy oh boy, did S become one selfish person. For the past two days, I have been working so hard on some numbers. I mean even my eyes probably became crosseyed. Although I use excel, I always do everything manually incase of a glitch. I double check my work like 5 times before I hand it in. And when I say numbers, I mean alot of numbers...AFter I was done, and graphed these numbers, S comes along, takes my graph, shows it to Col H, and the Col, jumped off of his seat, patted S on the shoulder and told him "Oh S, I havent been happier in the 2 months that I have been here, like today. Well done S, you have made my stay here worthwhile!!!" I just sat there, staring, with my mouth agape, not believing that Mr S here, took all the freakin credit!!! O M G!!!

I sat numb, waiting for atleast a whisper of thanx from S, but nooooooooooo. S just continued being patted on the shoulder and congratulated for the wonderful work he has done...not forgetting ofcourse that smirky smile on his face!!! I mean that just pissed me off. It really did. I dont care whether the Col was happy or not, all I wanted was just some kind of appreciation for the time my crosseyed eyes spent!!! I immediately took my cigarettes and went out for a smoke. I was just FUMING!!! S tried to be nice and everything, still no thanx for the damn hard work Ive put in...I didnt even bother to answer him. I became very cold, and my respect for him just evaporated.

When I told HUBBY that S became Prog Manager, he couldnt believe it. A guy with no management experience being responsible for one of the biggest reconstruction programs in all of Iraq was a joke to HUBBY. I defended S, and said that he is very smart and althou doesnt have leadership qualities atleast he knows the program off by heart, and what a good decision it was to make him the lead, BLAH BLAH BLAH...umm that was yesterday's conversation. After what happened today, I went on Skype and told HUBBY everything. HUBBY did nothing but give me the "Looooooooooooool" and asked me to remember lastnight's conversation. Which really didnt make light of the current situation.

Ontop of all that, the chair has given S some weird powers. His walk became different...(I couldnt change my walk even if I wanted to in a million years)... his attitude became that of a "dont talk to me now, I dont have time"... Wowwww, how a person can change just like that, it really amazes me... S was never authoritative with me or with anyone else for that matter. I think he feared me, I dunno, maybe cause he knows when I lose my temper I really make a scene and I dont think he wants any of the Govt people to see that or else wave goodbye to the award fee. Thank God, even with my attitude problem, when I do have one, never was I disliked by anyone.

But now, with S and his newly acquired personality, I feel that my temper is gonna go haywire. Patience, something I do not have will have to visit me soon, or else, ms neurotica here is gonna lose her mind!!! So what is it with "The Chair" ??? The Damn Blue Rotating Chair???