Cowboy Who?

MINNEAPOLIS—Cackling in gleeful anticipation, the staff at local gym Verve Fitness reportedly installed confusing new equipment Monday to mess with anyone joining in January. “Good luck getting back in shape, idiots—you’ll never figure out how to use all these pulleys,” said fitness director Kyle Cates, who showed off the newly renovated cardio floor where the team had removed all of the treadmills, bikes, and elliptical machines, and replaced the equipment with a baffling and intimidating workout station. “We also switched out all of the helpful step-by-step diagrams on the weight machines with a graphic of a man screaming and violently flailing his arms. These people won’t even be able to get the lockers opened. With any luck, they’ll have quit within the first 24 hours.” At press time, gym employees confirmed that to their dismay the new members were having the time of their lives thrashing around in a web of resistance bands.

The post Gym Installs Confusing New Equipment To Mess With Anyone Joining In January appeared first on The Onion.

Despite a federal program designed to clear backlogs of DNA evidence from rape cases, state and local officials around the country chose not to test about 20% of kits and secured few convictions from those that were analyzed. What do you think?

The post 20% Of Rape Kits Remain Untested Despite Federal Funding appeared first on The Onion.

Three years after it first premiered, Squid Game is returning to Netflix. Here is what you need to know about the second season of the hit dystopian drama.

Q: When is it coming out?

A: At the exact moment when you get kicked off your ex’s Netflix account.

Q: Will this season also require audiences to read subtitles?

A: No. Execs estimated that enough Americans became fluent in Korean from watching season 1 that subtitles will no longer be available. 

Q: Who is joining the cast?

A: Ray Romano has been cast as the voice of the giant doll with laser eyes.

Q: Is this worth pausing my Friends rewatch?

A: Observing a clump of dust blow gently across your kitchen floor is reason enough to pause your Friends rewatch.

Q: Why did Gi-hun dye his hair red?

A: He’s just expressing himself, god! 

Q: What themes does season two explore?

A: Greed, sacrifice, and the sick way blood sprays from a human body when crushed.

Q: Who wins this time?

A: Netflix.

Q: Will there be a season three?

A: Yes, my little piggies.

The post What To Know About ‘Squid Game’ Season 2 appeared first on The Onion.

OTTAWA – Officials from the Federal Body Inspection agency have announced that Special Agent Bradley Carmichael has been stripped of his rank and discharged after being enmeshed in a corruption scandal. “Mr. Carmichael is a disgrace to the overpriced screen-printed black t-shirt that is our uniform,” said an FBI spokesman. “He has turned in his […]

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A look back at the life of the 39th US president.

In brief: This morning’s update discusses the tornado outbreak on Saturday, and looks ahead to milder weather this week. We also discuss the increasing potential for much colder weather beginning next Monday in the Houston region. But just how cold will it get?

Tornado recap

The National Weather Service has completed its preliminary analysis of six tornadoes in the greater Houston metro area on Saturday, December 28. These included an EF-3 tornado near Porter Heights and Splendora, which had a ground track about 10 miles long, and an EF-2 tornado in Brazoria County with a ground track of nearly 9 miles. This latter tornado killed one person and injured five people, and also did major damage to Walt Disney Elementary School in Alvin. Many teachers lost educational materials due to the tornado, and you can donate to support their efforts to recover here.

Houston experienced three days of violent weather in the last week, which is a rarity for this time of year. Fortunately conditions should settle down now. Our next big concern is the potential for a hard freeze about a week or 10 days from now, which I’ll discuss further below.

Monday

With air temperatures and dewpoints both in the upper 50s this morning, we are dealing with marine fog across parts of the metro area. This should dissipate later this morning as temperatures rise. It will be a warm day, with sunny skies and highs of around 80 degrees. Southwesterly winds will aid in the flow of warmer air into the area. Lows tonight will generally be in the 60s through the evening hours before a cold front (likely without precipitation) pushes down into the area after midnight.

Tuesday

We should awake to cooler conditions, in the 50s, on Tuesday morning. Highs will likely peak in the mid- to upper-60s for most areas with sunny skies and drier air. If you’re going to be out and about on New Year’s Eve, expect cool temperatures in the lower 50s, with a northwest breeze. Besides the cooler conditions, there should be no other concerns for New Year’s Eve. Lows on Tuesday night will drop into the mid-40s.

New Year’s Day

We will start the new year cold and clear, with highs likely only reaching the lower 60s. Expect to see sunny skies.

Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday

The second half of the weekend will bring a gradual warmup into the area, with partly sunny skies and highs in the upper 60s to lower 70s. As atmospheric moisture levels rise we’ll see some low-end rain chances each day, but accumulations at this point do not look overly impressive. By Sunday or Sunday night the next cold front should push into the area, potentially setting the stage for a significantly colder period.

Potential for a hard freeze

Since Matt addressed the possibility of a hard freeze on Friday, we have continued to gather more data, and the story has changed somewhat. The bottom line is that we could see our first Arctic air of the season next week, although the details of just how cold things get are still fuzzy.

For Texas, it’s the usual story in winter. A significant slug of colder air is going to drop down into the eastern United States from Canada. This differs from the more zonal flow we have seen this winter to date, in which modified colder air comes down from the Pacific Northwest, rather than the really cold stuff directly down from northern Canada. The question for Texas is whether this Arctic air dives down into the state, or gets shunted off to the southeast. This time I think we’re going to get plenty of colder air next week, but we are unlikely to see the worst of it.

With all of that said, my sense is that an initial surge of colder air next Monday will drop area-wide lows into the 30s for much of the Houston region (the coast may be warmer, and the usual suspects for inland areas may see a light freeze). Then, with one or two additional pushes of colder air, temperatures are just going to get colder through the week. Since we’re talking about a period 10 days from now it’s impossible to say how cold, but at this point I don’t think we can rule out lows in the 20s by Friday or Saturday of next week. Whether that’s lower 20s or upper 20s, we just cannot say. If we get some precipitation there is a low-end chance of some snow or a wintry mix toward the end of next week, but the odds of this happening are probably on the order of 10 percent at this point.

Anyway, this is something we’ll be watching all week, and we’ll keep you informed as we go along.

Wisdom, a Laysan albatross and the world’s oldest known wild bird, laid an egg at the approximate age of 74, a feat given that members of the species usually only live for 12-40 years. What do you think?

The post World’s Oldest Known Wild Bird Lays Egg At 74 appeared first on The Onion.

The United Kingdom indefinitely banned new prescriptions of puberty blockers to treat minors for gender dysphoria, with the announcement coming soon after the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case involving similar state bans on transition-related care. What do you think?

The post Britain Bans Puberty Blockers For Transgender Minors appeared first on The Onion.

Apparently Hertz's purging of electric vehicles from its fleet isn't going fast enough for the car rental giant. A Reddit user posted an offer they received from Hertz to buy the 2023 Tesla Model 3 they had been renting for $17,913.

Hertz originally went strong into EVs, announcing a plan to buy 100,000 Model 3s for its fleet by the end of 2021, but 16 months later had acquired only half that amount. The company found that repair costs—especially for Teslas, which averaged 20 percent more than other EVs—were cutting into its profit margins. Customer demand was also not what Hertz had hoped for; last January, it announced plans to sell off 20,000 EVs.

Asking its customers if they want to purchase their rentals isn't a new strategy for Hertz. "By connecting our rental customers who opt into our emails to our sales channels, we're not only building awareness of the fact that we sell cars but also offering a unique opportunity to someone who may be in the market for the same car they have on rent," Hertz communications director Jamie Line told The Verge.

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Because of a warming planet with more wildfires and hurricanes, it’s growing more common for insurance companies to stop insuring people with existing policies. For the New York Times, Christopher Flavelle, with analysis and graphics by Mira Rojanasakul, describes the coverage shift.

The consequences could be profound. Without insurance, you can’t get a mortgage; without a mortgage, most Americans can’t buy a home. Communities that are deemed too dangerous to insure face the risk of falling property values, which means less tax revenue for schools, police and other basic services. As insurers pull back, they can destabilize the communities left behind, making their decisions a predictor of the disruption to come.

Oh good.

Tags: climate, insurance, New York Times

For anyone who has stuck with this blog since its earliest days (thank you), it is no secret that I like talking about keyboards. When it comes to modern keyboards, I have merely dipped a toe into the ocean of manufacturers, switches, keycaps and other options. Until this year I have been using IBM Model M keyboards, and prior to that Unicomp keyboards, for about 20 years. This year I have felt it is a time for a change and for the past several months I have been using a keyboard with Cherry MX-style switches. The keyboard I have been using is excellent value for the money, but I always planned for it to be a stop-gap measure until I could get a better keyboard. Now that day has come because I have acquired what could be the ultimate old school PC keyboard, the Model F Labs LLC Classic Style F104 Keyboard.

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Unearthing the Legacy of Islamic Spain at Southern Methodist University’s Meadows Museum is an exciting exploration of Islamic art from a new perspective. This exhibit, on display in Dallas through January 5, 2025, offers a glimpse into the impact of Islamic culture on Spanish identity and art while generating questions about how to embrace the past with the appropriate respect. Through a carefully curated display that is sure to intrigue and inspire, those who visit the exhibit will be able to step into an experience that will make a lasting impression while casting a spell of awe that beautiful artworks, such as the Islamic artistic treasures here, have the power to bestow.

The Legacy of Islamic Spain almost exclusively highlights art from the Meadows Museum’s permanent collection and SMU’s libraries, emphasizing Dallas’ commitment to developing and collecting cultural assets for its residents to enjoy. 

Through photographs, paintings, books, and a stately column capital that acts as an unforgettable centerpiece, the exhibit takes the viewer on a journey through imagery that explores the impact of Islamic culture and art on Spain and its cultural identity, specifically in the 19th century. 

This intimate exhibit transports the viewer both to new places and into the past. It is immersive in its content while also being equipped with additional tools to truly appreciate what is on view. As we embark on a journey through this art, we are reminded of those who have traveled before us to experience the same art in significantly dissimilar contexts. We are able to witness art and other imagery that resonated with the wealthy tourists of the 19th century. Many were recorded through photography or painting as they made evident their approbation of Islamic art on their sophisticated journeys on a tour through the world. Seeing these cultural artifacts in person makes it clear why and how this art resonated with these 19th-century individuals. 

As the viewer becomes immersed in the exhibit, the experience is heightened. You don’t have to imagine what it would be like to step into one of the photographs in this exhibit. Some of the images on display are a special type of image known as a stereograph. It is an early example of a three-dimensional visual tool that is spectacular to experience with the provided stereoscopes. 

Cristina Sol Aldrich, the 2023–2024 Center for Spain in America Curatorial Fellow at the Meadows Museum, explained the inspiration behind The Legacy of Islamic Spain. 

“It did start, actually, with the one Islamic object in the [Meadows’] collection which is the [column] capital from Madinat al-Zahra.” 

Aldrich went on to explain that this column capital was the object around which the exhibit was built. Ultimately, the story of Islamic Spain needed to be told, and it was through an exploration of architecture and other artifacts from the 19th century in Spain that it would be told. 

This exhibit is described as a “companion” exhibit on the museum’s website to an exhibition titled The Legacy of Vesuvius: Bourbon Discoveries on the Bay of Naples. The term “legacy” in both exhibit titles is fitting, as both examine the lasting impact of the art that they display while also encouraging the viewer to come to terms with how their own perspectives in the present create yet another layer of meaning with which to contend.

The art featured in the exhibit captures a time of reflection within Spain upon its Islamic past: what would be accepted into the cultural canon at that time and, perhaps more importantly, how. “It’s a complicated identity issue,” stated Aldrich. “It’s this constant tension.” While it can be said that appreciation of the Islamic past is evident in each work of art that is featured, it is also true that the appreciation can, at times, veer into the territory of exoticism and orientalism. While the intentions may be good, the outcome is often not. Such perspectives place Islamic tradition firmly into a domain of otherness that excludes, rather than includes, a vital part of the legacy of Spain’s rich history. “It is uncomfortable. I think that we’re still finding language to explain this,” continued Aldrich. “It’s wrapped up in these deep-seated issues of colonialism.”

As we view the exhibit, if we are aware of these issues, we can then move forward with the understanding that we, too, carry our own biases that can impact how we see. It reminds us of the mistakes of the past and how we can learn from them. It encourages us to endeavor to appreciate art from other cultures with respect, all while making a concerted effort to refrain from inserting ourselves and our preferences upon the art. 

As we partake of the art in this exhibit, we are observers of a cultural and artistic legacy that we cannot fully understand or appreciate. However, we can grasp a sense of the beauty that is in front of us and be thankful that it is there for us to learn from and experience. We can identify and subsequently examine our own prejudices and preconceived notions in order to then challenge ourselves to be self-aware when approaching art. 

 

Unearthing the Legacy of Islamic Spain is on view at Southern Methodist University’s Meadows Museum through January 5, 2025.

The post Review: “Unearthing the Legacy of Islamic Spain” appeared first on Glasstire.

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OTTAWA – The Canadian Society of Sluggish Scientists (not to be confused with the Canadian Society of Slug Scientists) has announced via press release that they’re pretty sure there are many kinds of squirrels out there, but that they’re not about to get off their hineys to do anything about it. “Have you ever noticed […]

The post Lazy scientists announce there are probably several kinds of squirrels but they move too fast to be sure appeared first on The Beaverton.

Howdy folks, and welcome back to HHR. Today, we’re going to take a look at the Brookshire Brothers in New Caney. For those of you already asking, “Didn’t that store close?” Yes, it did, but there is a successor! While it has a Tobacco Barn sign-up, this location is quite more than just that; it also has a fascinating history. Brookshire Brothers started in New Caney in 1982, with the construction of a new store ...

VATICAN CITY—Speaking to reporters in front of Saint Peter’s Holy Vape House in the heart of downtown, Pope Francis spoke out this week against the legal head shops he decried are overrunning Vatican City. “You can’t walk the colonnade without passing a cluttered window display with a bunch of bongs and a painting of a Grateful Dead bear praying the rosary,” said His Holiness, who called on Vatican City officials to outlaw the cannabis paraphernalia retailers from operating within 100 yards of any religious site such as the Sistine Chapel. “These rundown head shops make the piazzas look tacky, especially at night with their flashing neon crucifix-inside-a-marijuana-leaf signs. Sure, some of their stained glass bubblers are pretty dope, but do we really need so many of them? Besides, you can already get grinders and lighters and shit at the Vatican gift shop.” The Supreme Pontiff was later spotted stepping out of The Virgin Mary’s Smoke Shack with a fresh pack of rolling papers.

The post Pope Francis Decries Legal Head Shops Overrunning Vatican City appeared first on The Onion.

An unidentified disease with flu-like symptoms has killed dozens of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with unknown illness having led to the death of at least 79 people and sickened 376. What do you think?

The post Mysterious Illness In Congo Kills Dozens appeared first on The Onion.

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CONNECTICUT – A devastating explosion at Frito-Lays’ Cheetos factory last Thursday – which has left 82 wounded and 27 still missing – was insensitively categorized as a level “dangerously cheesy” incident, according to the International Snack Explosion Event Scale.  “The incident rating is in poor taste, much like the Cheetos themselves,” says media commentator Jesse […]

The post Cheetos factory explosion insensitively categorized as dangerously cheesy appeared first on The Beaverton.

JUDAEA — Archeologists from Sapienza University of Rome have recently uncovered evidence suggesting that Yeshua Ben Yusuf, popularly known as “Jesus,” had a thriving career installing jacuzzis. “The Christ’s system employed a variety of miniature aqueducts,” said head archeologist Dr. Vittoria Bergamaschi, “bringing in water roiled up by servants stomping up and down on a […]

The post Archeological evidence reveals Jesus’s speciality as a carpenter was installing jacuzzis appeared first on The Beaverton.

In brief: This short update is to inform you that potentially severe thunderstorms are on Houston’s doorstep, and will be impacting the region this afternoon. Please be weather aware for the next several hours.

Good afternoon. This is just a short post to note that, as expected, a line of strong thunderstorms is advancing into the Houston metro area as of 1:15 pm CT. We anticipate the period of most threatening and severe weather will occur from now through about 7 pm CT. Here’s what to expect during that time:

• A line of storms presently from El Campo to Sealy to Navasota will steadily progress eastward, likely reaching central portions of the Houston metro area between 2 and 4 pm CT
• These storms will then push steadily eastward, pushing offshore and to the east of Houston by 6 to 8 pm CT
• The primary threats from these storms include heavy rainfall that may briefly flood streets, damaging winds, hail, and possibly tornadoes
• To account for the threat of tornadoes, the National Weather Service has issued a Tornado Watch for the entire Houston metro area through 7 pm CT this evening.

Drier air will be moving in behind the storms as a weak front pushes into Houston overnight. Friday morning will (briefly) feel cooler and drier with temperatures in the lower 50s. Don’t get used to the cooler weather, as the onshore flow returns pretty quickly, with Saturday climbing back into the upper 70s. We’ll have full details in our forecast tomorrow morning, but until then, please be weather aware this afternoon and early evening!

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.

It’s “where are you now?” month at Ask a Manager, and all December I’m running updates from people who had their letters here answered in the past.

Remember the letter-writer who was concerned their new boss was ruining the organization, and the boss was upset that they were pushing back? Here’s the update.

Reading your response and then the response of the commenters made me question everything about the situation — like maybe I was just overreacting — so I didn’t engage with the comments because I was embarrassed. Those comments did, however, help me realize that the details provided didn’t really tell the whole story and made me step back and try to look at the situation from a more neutral viewpoint. I also want to be clear that the changes themselves — the schedule, the reogranization, the new policies and procedures — are not really the issue. The issue is more the way the changes have been implemented. Quickly and with little to no staff input. And when staff gave feedback, the feedback was dismissed or turned back on them. Like when I let her know that folks were reeling a bit from all the change, she sent a survey to staff to gauge their level of change readiness.

All that to say, a lot has happened since then. After I got her response detailing her concerns, I heard nothing again for a few weeks (which is especially weird because we’re a small organization and our offices are right next door to each other). However, because staff continued to be unhappy and bring concerns to me, I wrote a letter to the board with my concerns about where the library was heading and asked for their help (we don’t have HR). Nothing for a few weeks. I then received an email telling me that I had been signed up for a professional development course about effective communication and conflict management. No goals or other information attached. She and one other staff member would also be taking it. (This other staff member was suspended for gross insubordination after she continued to share her thoughts and pushed for answers to her questions.) When I asked her whether I would have goals or benchmarks, she said I would and that I would be put on a PIP in my upcoming review. None of the issues that were mentioned had been brought up to me before this. Several of them were simply based on feedback from two staff members (a mother and daughter). At no point was I asked about my perspective or to explain any of the issues.

My review took place on a Friday and I learned that she had seen my letter to the board the day before. To say she was angry was an understatement and my review reflected that. My scores were based on the one or two small things in each performance area, ignoring the rest of my work. I was able to provide some background information about many of the situations to which she said, “I wasn’t aware of that.” I did point out that if she had talked to me about any of these things, many of them could have been resolved through a conversation between staff. She called me unprofessional, disrespectful, unethical, and disengaged. I told her that staff had come to me with their concerns and that I did not go out looking for them and that I had, in fact, spent her first few months trying to convince staff to give her a chance.

I finally got a response from the board that said they would not be getting involved. It’s not super surprising, but I was hoping that since they are the ones to whom the director answers that they might be able to provide some opportunities for professional development for her or something. I do suspect they might have other concerns with her performance, however, related to the finances and budget and maybe that’s why they aren’t getting involved. Who knows.

Either way, I’m actively looking for a way out. One staff member has already accepted a new position and I know of at least two others who are actively searching. At this point, I am trying to be professional and friendly and do my work the best I can, taking into account the things I learned from the mandatory training (which was quite helpful — and validating).

Late-breaking update to the update:

One final update: the director is leaving the organization, effective next month. They took a job with another organization that would “better use their skills” and so they could be back in the city they moved from (we are located in a small town). We will now spend the next few months picking up the pieces of their disruption and see what happens.

So, all is well that ends well I guess. The drama and disruption is not over but I suppose it probably won’t get much worse than it was.

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.

It’s “where are you now?” month at Ask a Manager, and all December I’m running updates from people who had their letters here answered in the past.

Remember the letter-writer whose boss said they should always be available on their days off? Here’s the update.

Thank you very much for responding to my letter in the first place. As a sort of “Easter egg,” it’s actually the second time you’ve answered one of my letters! The first one I wrote was years ago — I was early in my career and asked how to know whether you want to be a manager. You opened that one up to the readers who gave me a lot of really interesting perspective, and so the update there is that I, obviously, eventually became a manager, and I think I’m good at it (probably thanks in part to the years I have spent reading your advice!). Mentoring is an aspect of my job that I genuinely enjoy — but the downside is what drove me to write the second letter, about being “always on.”

I started to write you an update earlier in the year during your first call for updates, but honestly … it bummed me out. It has been a really hard year. The kind of hard that makes you question whether you’re in the right career. (I didn’t know that was a symptom of burnout until I went to a “lunch and learn” on stress and burnout at work. The seminar leaders suggested exercise and meditation. HELPFUL, THANKS.)

On the vacation I alluded to in my letter, I got engaged! The first three days of the trip were quiet, but I did have to spend about two hours working later in the trip (and frankly, it was a waste of time — I was prepping someone to deal with an important issue, but they ended up kicking the can until I got back). My company does the thing that I suspect most companies do — they talk a really good game about well-being and work/life balance, but it’s a talking point, not a reality for most people.

My boss has continued to demonstrate through words and actions that they place little stock in PTO. I just think it’s something we will always disagree on. I support my direct reports in taking ALL available PTO (what we can roll over is limited) and being fully unplugged, and I try to support peers both directly (by offering to cover work) and indirectly (by being loudly supportive of taking time off). If I have to be “that person” at my company, so be it. This is a hill I am willing to die on.

I recently had a frank conversation with our general counsel about no longer being sure that I wanted to continue in this career. The slightly panicked response I received suggests to me that I was being considered for a promotion next year, if I wanted it. Genuinely not sure if I want it. Genuinely have looked into going into a specific associate’s degree program because I think it would be fun and some days, I’m really tired of corporate life — and then, the very next day I find myself day dreaming about how I would do things when I have my boss’s job someday and I brainstorm ways to be more efficient and less stressed at work.

In summary, I might be having a midlife crisis? I’m trying not to rush into any decisions — I want any changes I make to be about running TOWARD something I’m excited about, not running away. Right now, I’m excited about things that would lead me to getting off the bullet train — and struggling with feeling like I “should” want to be trying to drive it, not getting off. Also, it’s scary to stop chasing the thing I’ve been chasing for a very, very long time.

So, more to come. Someday I hope I’ll write back with a more positive, or at least decisive, or if nothing else, succinct update! But in the meantime, I continue to appreciate the thoughtful and pragmatic advice you continue to dole out. Thank you.

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.

It’s “where are you now?” month at Ask a Manager, and all December I’m running updates from people who had their letters here answered in the past. Here are five updates from past letter-writers.

1. Nosy coworker in an open office (#4 at the link)

Thanks for publishing my letter and your response! As I mentioned in my previous letter, I only had half a year left at this firm and I was debating whether I should (politely and professionally) address this problem with “Nicholas.”

I decided to take your advice and not address it. Given that he was several years my senior (and just got promoted to a title that is two “steps” above mine), I felt that the juice simply wasn’t worth the squeeze.

After reading the dozens of comments commiserating on the post, I instantly felt so, so much better. Over the next few months, Nicholas kept up his antics, but I was surprised to find that it inexplicably stopped bothering me. The affirmation from the commentors as well as from my coworkers (who have since nicknamed him “Swivel Head”) was enough to assure me I wasn’t crazy for having an issue with his behavior. And magically, his behavior went from an annoying professional oddity to a funny quirk I could easily brush off.

I’m now at my next job and recently got a coffee with Nicholas. I’m delighted to say that Nicholas is a great professional connection to have in the industry, especially when I’m no longer in an open office with him. Thanks again for your advice!

2. How much transparency does a manager owe employees in an internal hiring process?

Your advice and that of some commenters was really valuable. Thank you. It’s true, Arden didn’t really do anything wrong. Those who noted I was reading a lot into tiny signals were right. And my hunch that Micah had gotten the job? Also right. Sometimes you just know, maybe in ways that are too hard to explain in this format. We may never know if I was right about the timing of his finding out, but based on what friends of Micah’s said later about the timing of when they found out from him, plus all those subtle signs that ground my gears in the first place, it seems likely.

Micah has been the deputy head of our department for a year and a half now. It’s been going … OK. He’s super competent and in many ways a good colleague, but people don’t love his management style. As you might guess from the victory-lap moment, his professional judgment can be a little off. I wish I had given some context about his personality in my original letter; when he was applying (we didn’t know for sure that he was, but it seemed inevitable), a colleague characterized her concerns about him as “he likes power too much.” And he was just an individual contributor then without very much power.

Luckily, I’ve been able to continue to report to Arden all this time, unlike many of my team members, who were switched to Micah. Arden is now being promoted out of the department. I figured I might finally have to report to Micah now — ugh, but OK, but ugh — but I’ve instead been reassigned to someone less familiar with my work but also not a former job rival. I’m relieved.

And my own ego and mental health are healing, thanks to SSRIs (which I started not long after writing), a cool stretch project I’ve been given, feedback from several coworkers who say they wish I could be the new Arden (unlikely, but sweet of them), and also just seeing how tough Micah’s job is. It wouldn’t have been a great fit for me in some ways, and I get why he has it.

3. My coworker leans on me for too much help (#2 at the link; first update here)

For a few months after my last update, Meg had been having additional training with my manager, let’s call her Lucy. Things improved a little bit until Lucy was let go. Lucy’s position was not replaced and her manager, Bob, had now become my direct manager. Bob had technically been Meg’s direct manager this whole time, not Lucy.

I learned that Bob was aware that Meg was struggling with her work, but he had put the responsibility on Lucy to handle it. Since she was let go, Meg’s issues had fallen back to me along with a handful of Lucy’s items that were not going to be picked up by anyone else.

Those things, combined with a lot of other major changes in the company had started to wear me down pretty quickly. It wasn’t only Meg relying on me too much. In general, too many things were getting dumped on me and I wasn’t feeling super motivated anymore. So, I looked elsewhere and landed a job that has a better culture, more organization, and great benefits that includes an option to work from home, so I don’t have to sit next to needy coworkers aside from my cat. My old company even offered me more money to stay, which I did not accept. I was actually a little annoyed that they only let me know my value when there was a risk of me leaving. Regardless, I tried to give Meg as much support and training as I could before I left, and haven’t heard much from her since. Other past colleagues have told me the workplace is as chaotic as ever, but that is thankfully no longer my problem.

Looking back, what I wish I had done was talked to Lucy and Bob earlier on about the issues I was having with Meg. I don’t know that anything would have ended up differently, but I’m not sure that Bob realized just how bad it was and maybe if he had heard my perspective he would have done more to help get Meg to where she needed to be. Maybe not. But I’ll keep this experience as a lesson to not be afraid of confrontation when it’s needed. Hopefully I don’t have to use it anytime soon.

4. What do I owe a freelance client who abruptly ended my project? (#4 at the link)

The advice definitely helped!

I was able to hold the files until the last payment came through — which, given how late they often were on invoices, did take a while … and I sent the files in one big package to the project manager, and that was that. Every so often, I’d get a follow-up email asking for help figuring out what was in what file, but that was that.

There’s absolutely no relationship there anymore, but I wouldn’t work for them again if they asked and paid me triple my rate, so I think that’s okay. All my friends who worked there have been fired one by one, with no notice or reason, so I guess I was just the first on the list. On the plus side, I secured a full time job a few months afterwards, with the salary and benefits I wanted, and a solid and well organized file management system that means no one is emailing me after hours chasing links … the dream!

5. My boss is trying to “quiet fire” me — can I just ignore it?

Hello from the other side.

I started in a new position just a few days before my letter was published on AAM in January, and the difference it has made is absolutely wild.

Several commenters rightly hit on the mental health aspects that were involved here (special shoutout to the person who said I sounded very well-adjusted — I wasn’t, at all, but glad I could come across like I was!). To be honest, I knew it was a bad situation, but it took getting out and looking back (and therapy) to see just how absolutely destructive it was, how it affected every aspect of my life and I didn’t realize it. Someone likened it to being in the pot as it slowly boiled, and that is completely accurate.

I have been extremely lucky in my new position. It’s a completely different role in a completely different industry, so there continues to be a lot to learn, but my manager is an absolute treasure. He is extremely supportive while also trusting his team to do what they are supposed to without him hovering. The pay and benefits are much better, I get literally 3x as many vacation days and most everyone, from the newest employee to the chief exec, has a good level of work-life balance and encourages everyone else to have the same. The biggest difference though, is that the level of dysfunction is basically nonexistent. If there is a problem or a mistake, no one screams or curses, it’s treated as a very normal part of doing business and is solved without hysterics. If I take a day off, I don’t have anxiety all the night before to see what catastrophe was made up in my absence. No one calls me shouting on weekends or after work hours. I don’t find myself awake at 3 am, dreading the next mood swing. Like anything, there are certain small aspects that I might not 100% agree with, but it has been positive from day one.

Leaving the other job was not easy. I was very unhealthily emotionally invested, and boss’s reactions swung between bitter anger over my “betrayal” and over-the-top performative begging me to reconsider and promises to change. I had to block her eventually, as even after I left she would not stop contacting me. I still have guilt over that, though I know that there really was not another option.

To those of you who are stuck in a toxic workplace and might not think that you have the opportunity to get out, please do yourself a favor and put yourself out there. Don’t be afraid to apply for other positions or other industries, and don’t think for a moment that you need to put up with a job destroying your mental health. You don’t owe them your sanity.

WASHINGTON—Noting that the fasteners commonly found on most trousers were not merely ornamental, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory to the American public Thursday in which he clarified that people were supposed to be able to button their pants. “It should be a smooth effortless action that involves no protracted struggle to connect the two sides of the garment’s waist,” said Murthy, who added that buttoning your pants only to moments later have a seam rip or a button fly off still fell short of the government’s recommended clothing standards. “Leaving your shirt untucked so no one can tell that your pants are not buttoned or declaring that all your pants shrunk several sizes in the dryer are also unacceptable solutions. In addition, pants are meant to accommodate basic inhalation and exhalation, so you should be capable of taking a deep breath while wearing them.” At press time, the surgeon general’s office had received thousands of complaints about pants, and a visibly exasperated Murthy told Americans to just forget about his advisory and go buy themselves a nice pair of elastic jeggings.

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