September 20, 1999
Work / Soul / Critters
Not sure what I wanted to say today, I just felt like writing. This weekend was a very quiet, very stay-at-home weekend. I'm fighting the urge to go into seclusion. It's not that I'm upset or anything, I'm just tired a lot. I think it has to do with the changing of the seasons. Fall's my favorite time of year, but it's usually the hardest for me as well. I've never quite figured out why.
erisian.net was down all weekend, which means that most of the games I play on were down as well. So I didn't get to play all my nifty new (well sort of new) characters over on Something Wicked This Way Comes. I didn't really write about it at the time, but things seriously blew up over on Emerald Dreams, and I am no longer working as volunteer staff there anymore. I'm really not playing there much anymore either. Sad, but it happens. I still have a place to play most of the characters I really enjoy, so it's all good. Or rather, I have a place to play them when the machine they run on is up and operational.
Bit of an outrage today at work. I'm still seriously bothered by it, but unsure what (if anything) to do about it. Two of my co-workers are good friends. One is married, one is not. They are of opposite genders. They also have personal beliefs that are distinctly different from the extremely Christian viewpoint of most of this company's upper management. Their manager (and mine) is very openly Christian -- which I have no problem with. He and my single friend have somewhat of a personal relationship as well. However, apparently at some point the manager approached said friend on the subject of the friendship with the married friend saying, "Well, so-and-so is married, and with the relationship the two of you have, I'm concerned about your soul."
Now... these are my friends. I don't ask what sort of relationship they have. It's none of my business. Who the hell is my manager to make the assumption that because a male and a female are friends and spend time together that something is automatically 'wrong'? Furthermore, what right does a supervisor have to approach one of the people working under him about their personal life? I know this really has nothing to do with me. My beliefs weren't questioned, my lifestyle wasn't called on the carpet. This time. That's what bothers me. If this sort of thing is seen as 'okay', where does it stop?
Where's the line between personal and business relationships? Is it okay to say something like that to someone who works under you, if you're acquaintances outside of work? I honestly don't know what to think, except that my gut reaction is that my manager's actions were just utterly and totally out of bounds.
I'm a little nervous this week. One of my short stories is coming up for critiquing at Critters, a sci-fi / fantasy / horror writer's critique group. This is the first time I've ever asked anyone who didn't know me to read something I wrote -- well okay, other than the three editors I've sent stories to. That's a little different though. The story will go out to people on Wednesday, I should start hearing back any time within that week. I hope. Or do I? I know I think I wrote something wonderful, but what if they don't?
I suppose it wouldn't ultimately change the fact that I'm proud of this story, but at the same time, the point is to have these total strangers (EEP!) objectively evaluate my work and try and show me where they think I can improve. The question is, can I objectively listen to what they have to say without losing the essential pride I have in what I accomplished?
Stay tuned, friends and neighbors.. the answer to come on Wednesday...
