Update for those who follow this thing --

I'm alive? I survived Hell Week and managed to piss off my manager because I was called for Jury Selection (but didn't get picked for actual duty) and had to take the week off.

Okay, I suppose that I didn't have to, but you know what? My temper was flaring by the time Hell Week rolled around, and she was egging me on by being whiny and lazy. I was done. So I talked to the AA and she put in for my vacation time. The manager pretty much said that I shouldn't be taking my vacation, despite how I have injured myself recently only to barely take a day to rest.

But enough about that.

Just wanted to say that just when I was getting to the point of losing faith in people (or rather one person in particular), I was given a reason to not give it up. And I got to play with a farting hippo puppet. For those who watch NCIS, you should know what I'm talking about. And what was the most awesome... It had a little spiked collar on! Yay!

But yeah, I'm alive, and this has been a good week. Just not sure if I'm going to be up to dealing with work next week, but hey, at least I get my raise on this coming paycheck (paid for doing 34 hours of NOTHING!)

Trouble?

Normally, I'm fairly light hearted when it comes to people deciding calling me random things. That's because I think that we've at least gotten to a point where we know each other well enough to have that sort of banter. When I don't know a person, I don't expect them to call me anything but my name or Ms.

However, there is one person at my work who I know doesn't know me because he hasn't tried to get to know me, yet he calls me something completely unappreciated -- Trouble. Why? Because when asked if I believed in God, I answered no.

I'm not going to lie to avoid persecution where I work. I don't go shoving my beliefs in everyone's face, but I do openly admit to being Pagan, and Wiccan to those I'm closer to. I didn't say either of these things to the person in question. I simply answered, no. I don't know him well enough to tell him all about myself. The person he was working with that night asked me if I really didn't believe, and said that she didn't mind. That I was still a sweetie. He proceeded to shoot me a dirty look that night. Mind you this was months ago, my birthday actually. I didn't appreciate it then, and now, I come to find that he's calling me "Trouble." To my coworkers no less.

I'm sorry. I didn't shit in his cereal. I didn't make him the repressed bigot that he is. I answered a question truthfully. Do I go around calling him a prejudiced jackass to others? No. I call him by his name. If asked, I'll say he's a little peculiar, given that he insists on signing everything to me, and to a few others, and calls for help whenever he doesn't really need it, according to people around my workplace.

I understand that I grew up in the deep south. I understand that this is where religion is still a major part of people's upbringing. I also understand that there is a stereotype that goes along with being uber-religious: being a prejudiced asshole. He's part of the reason why it exists in my eyes.

Trouble my ass.