Whoa whoa whoa. Back up.

I just got back from a much needed winter break in Puerto Rico, and I'm semi-dreading going back to work on Monday as I'll be faced with the consequences of leaving for vacation without finishing an assignment. By "consequences," I mean a quasi-abusive verbal dressing down from my boss, one in a series I've received from him over the years. Aside from a few coworkers, the only person I know who can identify with this is a friend employed by a megalomaniac whose tirades are so inappropriate that she actually had to say "you better back up OFF me" the last time he invaded her space with his yelling. Are bosses like this purely a New York phenomenon, or is it at least considered more acceptable here because we're in a city that has long celebrated the archetype of the ambitious, aggressive careerist? In both my case and my friend's case, any attempts to point out this behavior has essentially been met with "that's just the way I am, love it or shove it"; it certainly does seem to be viewed as an asset from their vantage point. And maybe that's what I have the hardest time getting past, the fact that negative behavior is so often rewarded. Fuck it — if I am to be serious about success, my 08 persona will have to be less Andy Sachs, more Omarosa.

The Bluetones - Baby, Back Up
(the Bluetones)

Don Rimini - Let Me Back Up (Crookers Tetsujin Mix)
(myspace)