story_but_not_story epitome of incomprehensibility I lost my temper and said something rude to one of my bosses, and I'm not sure I'm quite sorry because it felt like exactly the line I'd write for a fictional character in the same situation. It felt apt. But this was real life, he was stressed out too, and it wasn't really fair to snap at him. Stresses: the other person in charge is sick with a flu and so there were only two of us in the office, flailing about trying to answer all the emails. Last week there were four in the office, but my equal - the other intern - quit, since it turns out she isn't getting the government funding she expected with the internship (and needs, because she has a young child) and I miss her. We became friends, as much as you can become friends in two weeks, and I'm afraid I won't get along nearly as well with the next person, if they find one. Anyway, I interrupted my dear superior's work by asking about a confusing email, and when he launched into an explanation I tried to shortcut his barrage of words by suggesting a particular response to that email; he didn't like me trying to stop his explanation and told me I wasn't concentrating on the immediate problem but looking too far ahead. This was true. But the man has an annoying habit of giving a lecture when all you need is the topic sentence. So then he launched into a lecture on why prioritizing emails was so important, and when I tried to interrupt he said something like, "I just need you to do your job." Me: "I'm trying to, but you keep talking." He stopped, taken aback - annoyed but retreating. His mouth closed abruptly. I had harnessed some strange shutting-up power I didn't know I had. I was slightly amused, contrite, and a bit frightened of us both. Then I said I was sorry and to go ahead, and after he had explained what he wanted to explain he apologized for being strident himself. We both got annoyed, which was bad, but I think I got the better dialogue writer. 150930 ... e_o_i And now I feel like a failure. I sent an email that the other supervisor thought was too long and, without knowing I'd sent it already, she edited it and sent it again. So now a potential tutoring student gets two different emails, the tl;dr-ish one and the more official and precise one. And I was priding myself on being tired but not grumpy this time! 151001 ... e_o_i Grumpy, inefficient: does it really matter? Both make people's lives worse. Does intent matter?? I don't know by now. What I need to do is sleep. 151001 ... e_o_i Heh. No regrets for THAT. I mean for the shut-uppy comment to B. He's a person too and I'm sure I caused him no small amount of irritation back then, but I can't really see myself being in the wrong there. 220213 ... epitome of incomprehensibility But I used this as an example of impulsivity yesterday. It was the first session of this ADHD coaching thing that I got into for free. Five sessions only, but still. Things are going well for me now, if busy. I need to find a way of giving back. 220917 what's it to you? who go blather from