Bend down the branches

I fired Angela today. Karen asked me to do it at the end of the day, which I did, and all the way up to the point of impact I was knotted up over how I was going to make it as painless as possible for both Angela and myself. I concluded early on that, no matter what, it wouldn't be a pleasant experience. How could it? Maybe if I offered her a chunky severance package that she'd be able to live off of comfortably for the entire summer, but that certainly wasn't going to happen, especially since she'd only been with the company for a few weeks.

So I bit the bullet and spoke with her at the end of the day. Everyone else was on a delivery or had left for the day, so it was just Angela and me. I took the blunt route and told her without preface she wasn't a good fit and we were going to part company with her. I stressed that it wasn't personal and that she has a bright future ahead of her, but even though I meant it, I sounded insincere. It's like the "it's not you, it's me" line you hear in break-ups. "Yeah, right", you think. "It's totally me, but you're too gutless to say it". Oh, well, there wasn't much else I could have said short of "I"m just teasing---actually we'd like to give you a raise", that would have prevented that stray tear from trekking down her cheek.

She told me she had just put money down on a new apartment and, as a result, the timing of this couldn't have been worse. The timing is never good when you get fired, I thought, but I kept it to myself.

Angela needed to be let go, no question about it. On several occasions she was caught lying and she was rude to customers. She also spent about half her day in the bathroom. But, she's one of the good ones, as far as her character goes, and I meant it when I told her she has a bright future ahead of her. So, adieu, Angela. I wish you well.
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When I came home from work I made some quinoa with black beans and baked some turkey tips that had been marinated in a sun-dried tomato concoction. Oh, and some roasted asparagus, the king of vegetables, on the side. Just figured I'd let you know that, because I know you were wondering.

After supper, I took a walk to Davis Sq. I listened to mp3 player on random and enjoyed the weather. I saw more beautiful women than I have in the last week on that walk. My only moment of scorn regarding these ladies had to do with the fact that most of them were wearing ballet flats. I know they're the 'in" thing in footwear, but in my opinion they look awful. Not that I expect women to parade around in heels, but c'mon, those ballet shoes are gross.

Ok, I've gone down a road I should probably get off of. Time to end this drivel, before I devolve any further. Ballet flats? What the fuck is the matter with me?