Inflammatory E-mails

What a great day I've had. Nothing big happened, but it still feels satisfying. I cleaned two thirds of my house so everything is tidy, organized and smelling like bleach. I'm half way through my laundry. I completed several tasks for my clients. I took a long, satisfying shower. I had coffee with a friend I haven't seen in a while. Now I'll finish my bedroom tonight - laundering my sheets, comforter and pillows, cleaning my bathroom and organizing my closet. I can't wait until I slip into clean, white sheets.

I didn't write about how I resolved my conflict from January 23. I was preparing for teaching a course at my college in mid-March. Last year, when I taught the same course, there were major classroom booking issues, which were not my fault. I was three weeks into the course before rooms could be confirmed, so my students could attend class. I was infuriated! On my own time I had to work with the whole bureacracy to find a room (this was a major task, one that involved politics) and then book an extra three classes for my students because they missed the first three weeks. I'm not hired to be a room booker. I wasn't hired to teach an additional three classes. And I wasn't paid extra, when it wasn't my fault.

In the last three years, I've always had rooms prepared for me. So I was very pissed! It's because our college had a new Dean last year, and he screwed things up, and made things look bad for me. Remember - I've got type-A, brilliant students, and they weren't happy.

So this year, I found out that my lecture wasn't booked into a room with Internet access and a video projector, which is highly necessary for my course. In fact, I requested it last October to the Dean and he hadn't followed up on it. So I contacted the Room Booking Assistant, and he e-mailed me back saying, "I'm sure there's no rooms available. Your course doesn't merit such technology."

For the last two years since the new Dean took over, the Room Booking Assistant has been difficult and unhelpful. I assume there must be conflict between the Dean and him. And the Room Booking Assistant is taking it out on me - making me look bad!

So I called the Room Booking Department (I went beyond the Assistant) and asked if there was a lecture room with Internet access and a video projector. After lots of cajoling, she agreed to check it out (it's the Assistant's job to do this) and found two rooms available. So I left a message with the Assistant, telling him, politely, that I over-rode his bureaucratic hierarchy, and that there are two rooms available.

This happened late on a Friday afternoon. I stewed about the situation. I was angry for being put in this situation again, the second year with the new Dean, and even asking beforehand for the kind of room I needed. I had had enough!

So I wrote an e-mail to the new Dean, saying stuff like, "I don't play politics well. I don't know what's going on between you and the Booking Assistant, but he's being unhelpful. Remember, I spent last year trying to find a room for my students for three weeks, without any help or resolution, and I paid for it." I went on and on, digging my own grave (in terms of my job) making my Dean look like a loser and an asshole. I just didn't care any more. "Fire me," I thought.

What makes this situation ironic is that I decided not to come back in September 2003 because I had such a nightmare in the Spring 2003. I didn't want to work with this new Dean, who was screwing up. So he hired someone else, then in mid-term, called me to come back and rescue the class. So I did, to great applombe from him and the students. Anyway, I wrote a viral e-mail to him, and realized that if he read it, he wouldn't hire me again.

So this is my brilliant rescue...I called the Dean at home on Sunday night and said, "I sent you an e-mail when I was very angry and triggered. It's not the type of e-mail you should read, or that anyone should read. After writing it, the next morning I felt differently. Would you please delete it from your mailbox, before reading it? I'd appreciate it immensely."

So, he did. He deleted it before reading it. He totally understood (He's sent me reactionary e-mails before, so I think he knew what I meant.)

Actually, he may have read it, because on Monday, the Room Booking Assistant sent me very sweet e-mails, thanking me for helping him with his job, and that he found me a new room.

Isn't that cool? I guess I got my own way, without getting fired.

Thanks be to God.