Tuesday, February 21, 2006

make 'em throw stone at virgins

Okay. So let's see here.

Drunk in the Woods was awesome. We did indeed, get drunk in the woods. We also got Drunk in the Hot Tub in 17-Degree Weather (Coors Lite, playing Fuck Chuck or Marry? while our hair froze), Drunk in the Central Southern Virginia Vineyards (Cabernet Franc, asking directions to what Dan the Wine Guy termed an Italian restaurant and which actually was a Pizza Hut) and Drunk in the Extremely Accusatory and Recrimination-Filled Five-Hour Game of Risk (pretty much every beverage in the house, no further explanation of activity necessary).

Since getting back from Drunk in the Woods, I have been offered a new job, accepted said new job and am giving notice at current job as soon as I work up the nerve to tell my boss that not only am I leaving but that TODAY is my last day. Things are that toxic around here, friends. I already have my bags packed. Literally. My ActorFest New York 2003 canvas tote is stuffed full of collected business cards, hand lotion and a steak knife I once brought in when I brought lox and a quarter-baguette for lunch. My boss is very, very lucky that in the following months I forgot that I'd left that knife in a drawer.

I'm so nervous I'm practically scratching at my face just to have a distraction. I couldn't be happier about leaving, but things are so nasty right now that I dread any further comments from my boss, even though I rationally know that I'm moving on to bigger and better things and that he can't hurt me or my career anymore. That all said, I'm not the hugest fan of confrontation and I'm really not the hugest fan of dealing with people who behave irrationally.

After Lord knows how many bottles of wine and sleeping for fifteen straight hours on Sunday night, I think I need another vacation. Deep breaths, EJ, deep breaths.

There, that's slightly better. It's like my Daddy used to tell me: "Make 'em throw stones at virgins." To this day, it's the best professional advice I've ever gotten. You can't control how other people are determined to treat you, but you can control your response to it. If you're in a lousy situation, the best way to get the upper hand is by keeping your cool and letting the other person be the bad guy. Make 'em throw stones at virgins. I'm telling ya, east Tennesseans really have a way with the euphamism.

10 comments:

Law-Rah said...

WOW! Best of luck, my dear.

Red Photography said...

awesome. can't wait to hear where your new gig is.

Anonymous said...

As the winner of the aforementioned Risk game I feel an obligation to point out for the record that EJ was not playing belligerent drunken Risk she was busy catching up on her Vanity Fair reading on the couch while Sense and Sensibility (or some other Jane Austen movie) was playing in the background.

She may have been intoxicated however. :P

VP of Dior said...

awesome news!

Sharkbait said...

Congrats on the new job. I hope it's better.

And definately goodluck with telling your boss. Be strong, you need to do it for you!

Nicole said...

Well you've already got a new job, so it's not like you needed the reference right now...so what's the worst that can happen? Worst case scenario you book it out of there like a bat out of hell...

Heather B. said...

"My boss is very, very lucky that in the following months I forgot that I'd left that knife in a drawer."

You're funny and boy does that ring true. Good luck with the new job!

EJ Takes Life said...

Thanks everyone! I look forward to seeing you all tonight at happy hour. And Adam, I may not have played beligerent drunken Risk, but your girlfriend and I did play a very civilized game of Clue that EVERYONE managed to lose. I still don't know quite how that happened.

Anonymous said...

It was really very PC of us to all lose...

Anonymous said...

oh yeah... and congrats on the job!