an interesting dilemma...

[bluebutton]

It's a central air unit for the house.

Any updates?

The capacitor that was replaced last summer by the lying POSes last summer blew out on us on Thurs evening. We've had about 40 consecutive days over 100 here in Central TX. Ozzie at the time gave me some good advice about looking around for reliable service ppl (unlike the lying POSes). So we called back Ed & Sons and he put in a new capacitor, topped up the freon, and told us we were good to go. He didn't try to sell us a whole new unit unlike the lying POSes who told us we had a coil leak and needed to replace everything to the tune of $6K even w/ a home warranty.

We had the home weatherized over the winter, and in the 18 hrs the AC was out, the home temp only rose 5 dgr to 84. I was impressed although sticky and ready for a shower.

Ack--didn't mean to highjack AD's interesting thread, but did want to know how the capt was faring and commisserate--hope your part comes in and you're cooling off soon!!

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

AD, this thread certainly does make for interesting reading, especially for those of us who are retired and no longer having to face our own cast of fools. Perhaps the most interesting turn in this tale is that you found someone else who asked to be relieved of this assignment before your arrival. This is often part of the workplace, a bit like a hidden mine field for the newest arrival. When I had to develop coping strategies in a hostile workplace, the best one seemed to be to focus on the essential mission....how can that be wrong????? Other people under fire began to seek me out for help in how to cope.

I look forward to the next installment!

[captmojo]

Ack--didn't mean to highjack AD's interesting thread, but did want to know how the capt was faring and commisserate--hope your part comes in and you're cooling off soon!!

I'm not certain how interesting my dilemma might be...
but we're gettin' by on the two window units and half the house shut off.

Good to know you got fast service. Keep Ed's number handy!

Now, I've a lawn mower to repair. The perils of cutting when a little too wet, and when it's grown a little too high, can lead to things like...I don't know...perhaps a blown f&%kin' blade bearing that required me to remove the pulley, blade and connecting mandrel, which had all 3 bolts to shear off when turned with the wrench...DAMN, JUST DAMN.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Ack--didn't mean to highjack AD's interesting thread, but did want to know how the capt was faring and commisserate--hope your part comes in and you're cooling off soon!!

I'm not certain how interesting my dilemma might be...
but we're gettin' by on the two window units and half the house shut off.

Good to know you got fast service. Keep Ed's number handy!

Now, I've a lawn mower to repair. The perils of cutting when a little too wet, and when it's grown a little too high, can lead to things like...I don't know...perhaps a blown f&%kin' blade bearing that required me to remove the pulley, blade and connecting mandrel, which had all 3 bolts to shear off when turned with the wrench...DAMN, JUST DAMN.

That's one of the reasons I pay someone else to cut my grass ($35 every other week). Let me recap my reasoning:
1. I hate to do it.
2. I can use the time doing yard work or doing something else, like playing golf (or not playing golf...)
3. I don't have to buy toys, er, equipment.
4. I don't have to spend time and money maintaining said toys
5. I won't hurt myself lifting, toting, hauling, etc. any of the equipment or stuff that is no longer growing in my yard, nor handle any of those nasty chemicals.

I think I'm way ahead of the game this way.

[ArkieDukie]

I had a lot of time to think this weekend while driving to/from the family farm, and I came up with a plan. If what Pushy PI told me last week is really true, my boss didn't pass along all supporting information that he needs in order to make an informed decision about the piece of data I think is wrong. To recap, my boss passed along only one piece of data and left out everything else. Pushy PI's plan is to include my findings with a note saying my assignment "is equally likely to be true." (Yeah, if you live in fantasy land.) This will be place after the clearly incorrect (IMO) assignment. Pushy PI says that he really wants everything in this paper to be correct since it has his name on it. I think it's time to test him, and this will be a pretty iron-clad test. I'm going to forward the note I sent my boss back in early June that details why my assignment is more likely to be correct than theirs. I'm going to add a note to Pushy PI, politely saying that I think he needs all information in order to make an informed decision. I might also say that, if he chooses to keep the clearly incorrect assignment in the manuscript, he is knowingly committing data falsification. Of course, I will come up with a more diplomatic way of saying this.

Pushy PI opened himself up for this when he asked me to send him a note in which I list all of my issues with the manuscript. This particular issue is MAJOR. If he's really interested in the data being correct, as he says, he'll listen to me. If not, I have further grounds for reporting them to Academic Integrity. If worded correctly and diplomatically, this note will clearly tell them that ignoring my information makes him guilty of data falsification. If it stays in the manuscript, he's hosed: I'll have hard evidence that he knowingly included incorrect data in order to make his results look better.

It still amazes me that my boss only gave him part of the story and is letting them include the incorrect assignment along with the correct one, calling them equally likely. The long drive also gave me time to formulate a theory as to the reason for this: my boss knows he's wrong and doesn't want to admit it. He will rarely, if ever, admit when he's wrong. It's an ego thing, especially since he overruled me on this particular point in the first place. If you remember, after I emphatically stated that this particular assignment was incorrect, my boss sided with Pushy PI and The Minion and let them include it. I proved fairly conclusively that I was right and they were wrong, and they don't want to admit it. It will be interesting to see what Pushy PI thinks when he gets the rest of the story.

I also made another fairly major decision this weekend. Once I have another job in hand, before I leave, I'm going to have a meeting with Pushy PI about The Minion. If he proves to me that he really is concerned about the integrity of his work, I think I need to fill him in on the fact that The Minion does not share his concerns. Either she's blatantly committing data falsification (i.e. she knows what she's doing and doesn't care), or she's too stupid to know that this is what she's doing. Since she has ignored me on multiple occasions when I call her on it, I seriously think it's the former. IMO neither scenario is particularly excusible for someone in her position, and it makes Pushy PI look bad.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Perhaps you could even let the PI read this thread. I'd love to be a fly in the stall while he does that! Oh, wait, that phrase belongs to The FITSter. ;)

[captmojo]

This is all based on the trait within Pushy, that he may have a shred of honesty, integrity and decency within his personality. If he doesn't, it won't matter to him.

I say, go for it. There's nothing to lose.

[ArkieDukie]

This is all based on the trait within Pushy, that he may have a shred of honesty, integrity and decency within his personality. If he doesn't, it won't matter to him.

I say, go for it. There's nothing to lose.

Righty-o, capt. I like to think of tomorrow's e-mail as an integrity test. His response will determine how I handle passing along additional info about The Minion. I would contend that, if he leaves in the bad data despite the information that I will be passing along to him, then he won't care that The Minion is falsifying data. In fact, I'd go a step farther and say he endorses it.

[Turk]

I had a lot of time to think this weekend while driving to/from the family farm, and I came up with a plan. If what Pushy PI told me last week is really true, my boss didn't pass along all supporting information that he needs in order to make an informed decision about the piece of data I think is wrong. To recap, my boss passed along only one piece of data and left out everything else. Pushy PI's plan is to include my findings with a note saying my assignment "is equally likely to be true." (Yeah, if you live in fantasy land.) This will be place after the clearly incorrect (IMO) assignment. Pushy PI says that he really wants everything in this paper to be correct since it has his name on it. I think it's time to test him, and this will be a pretty iron-clad test. I'm going to forward the note I sent my boss back in early June that details why my assignment is more likely to be correct than theirs. I'm going to add a note to Pushy PI, politely saying that I think he needs all information in order to make an informed decision. I might also say that, if he chooses to keep the clearly incorrect assignment in the manuscript, he is knowingly committing data falsification. Of course, I will come up with a more diplomatic way of saying this.

Pushy PI opened himself up for this when he asked me to send him a note in which I list all of my issues with the manuscript. This particular issue is MAJOR. If he's really interested in the data being correct, as he says, he'll listen to me. If not, I have further grounds for reporting them to Academic Integrity. If worded correctly and diplomatically, this note will clearly tell them that ignoring my information makes him guilty of data falsification. If it stays in the manuscript, he's hosed: I'll have hard evidence that he knowingly included incorrect data in order to make his results look better.

It still amazes me that my boss only gave him part of the story and is letting them include the incorrect assignment along with the correct one, calling them equally likely. The long drive also gave me time to formulate a theory as to the reason for this: my boss knows he's wrong and doesn't want to admit it. He will rarely, if ever, admit when he's wrong. It's an ego thing, especially since he overruled me on this particular point in the first place. If you remember, after I emphatically stated that this particular assignment was incorrect, my boss sided with Pushy PI and The Minion and let them include it. I proved fairly conclusively that I was right and they were wrong, and they don't want to admit it. It will be interesting to see what Pushy PI thinks when he gets the rest of the story.

I also made another fairly major decision this weekend. Once I have another job in hand, before I leave, I'm going to have a meeting with Pushy PI about The Minion. If he proves to me that he really is concerned about the integrity of his work, I think I need to fill him in on the fact that The Minion does not share his concerns. Either she's blatantly committing data falsification (i.e. she knows what she's doing and doesn't care), or she's too stupid to know that this is what she's doing. Since she has ignored me on multiple occasions when I call her on it, I seriously think it's the former. IMO neither scenario is particularly excusible for someone in her position, and it makes Pushy PI look bad.

Arkie, I admire your desire to do the right thing here, but I'm not sure you've chosen the right course. As you've noted a bit farther upstream, the boss and the PI are political schmoozers. Based on your comments, no one here can be trusted, and you don't know who told whom, nor what nor when. I think there's a lot of selective memory and you're setting yourself up for another "Charlie Brown kicking the football" episode. Your first instinct is correct, and your better role model is Pontius Pilate - you should still keep your hands clean and your name off this train wreck. You already told your boss everything he needs to know, and he chose to ignore it for whatever reason that floated through his pointy head. Tell the PI you've changed your mind, the situation is too complicated, your boss must have had good reasons for what he chose to share and not share, and you should stay out of the middle and let the two of them work it out.

Need Windsor's take on this; perhaps she can offer some suggestions from her considerable arsenal of office skullduggery... Be careful you're not getting caught in a land war in Asia...

[ArkieDukie]

I had a lot of time to think this weekend while driving to/from the family farm, and I came up with a plan. If what Pushy PI told me last week is really true, my boss didn't pass along all supporting information that he needs in order to make an informed decision about the piece of data I think is wrong. To recap, my boss passed along only one piece of data and left out everything else. Pushy PI's plan is to include my findings with a note saying my assignment "is equally likely to be true." (Yeah, if you live in fantasy land.) This will be place after the clearly incorrect (IMO) assignment. Pushy PI says that he really wants everything in this paper to be correct since it has his name on it. I think it's time to test him, and this will be a pretty iron-clad test. I'm going to forward the note I sent my boss back in early June that details why my assignment is more likely to be correct than theirs. I'm going to add a note to Pushy PI, politely saying that I think he needs all information in order to make an informed decision. I might also say that, if he chooses to keep the clearly incorrect assignment in the manuscript, he is knowingly committing data falsification. Of course, I will come up with a more diplomatic way of saying this.

Pushy PI opened himself up for this when he asked me to send him a note in which I list all of my issues with the manuscript. This particular issue is MAJOR. If he's really interested in the data being correct, as he says, he'll listen to me. If not, I have further grounds for reporting them to Academic Integrity. If worded correctly and diplomatically, this note will clearly tell them that ignoring my information makes him guilty of data falsification. If it stays in the manuscript, he's hosed: I'll have hard evidence that he knowingly included incorrect data in order to make his results look better.

It still amazes me that my boss only gave him part of the story and is letting them include the incorrect assignment along with the correct one, calling them equally likely. The long drive also gave me time to formulate a theory as to the reason for this: my boss knows he's wrong and doesn't want to admit it. He will rarely, if ever, admit when he's wrong. It's an ego thing, especially since he overruled me on this particular point in the first place. If you remember, after I emphatically stated that this particular assignment was incorrect, my boss sided with Pushy PI and The Minion and let them include it. I proved fairly conclusively that I was right and they were wrong, and they don't want to admit it. It will be interesting to see what Pushy PI thinks when he gets the rest of the story.

I also made another fairly major decision this weekend. Once I have another job in hand, before I leave, I'm going to have a meeting with Pushy PI about The Minion. If he proves to me that he really is concerned about the integrity of his work, I think I need to fill him in on the fact that The Minion does not share his concerns. Either she's blatantly committing data falsification (i.e. she knows what she's doing and doesn't care), or she's too stupid to know that this is what she's doing. Since she has ignored me on multiple occasions when I call her on it, I seriously think it's the former. IMO neither scenario is particularly excusible for someone in her position, and it makes Pushy PI look bad.

Arkie, I admire your desire to do the right thing here, but I'm not sure you've chosen the right course. As you've noted a bit farther upstream, the boss and the PI are political schmoozers. Based on your comments, no one here can be trusted, and you don't know who told whom, nor what nor when. I think there's a lot of selective memory and you're setting yourself up for another "Charlie Brown kicking the football" episode. Your first instinct is correct, and your better role model is Pontius Pilate - you should still keep your hands clean and your name off this train wreck. You already told your boss everything he needs to know, and he chose to ignore it for whatever reason that floated through his pointy head. Tell the PI you've changed your mind, the situation is too complicated, your boss must have had good reasons for what he chose to share and not share, and you should stay out of the middle and let the two of them work it out.

Need Windsor's take on this; perhaps she can offer some suggestions from her considerable arsenal of office skullduggery... Be careful you're not getting caught in a land war in Asia...

You make a very good point, turk. Truth is, I really DON'T trust any of them. Add to that the fact that I have been stabbed in the back before by Pushy PI when I thought he was being straight with me. Another friend (and co-worker) pointed out that Pushy PI knew exactly what my issues were with the paper because I mentioned them multiple times in multiple meetings. Maybe the best course here is a simple, "Thanks, but no thanks" in response to adding my name back in. I have already decided this anyway because I don't trust The Minion's additional analysis, and nothing I say will make them change anything in the manuscript.

[Ima Facultiwyfe]

Smart girl! I was getting nervouser and nervouser as I read your recent plan of action. This fascinating plot is definitely thick enough already. So glad Turk was tuned in to offer his food for thought.

Not having been blessed with experience like yours in the workplace, my advice in that department isn't worth much. But, I do know enough about life in general to know that your first priority right now is defense rather than offense. In that regard I'm much more comfortable with your spending time and energy keeping your head down and finding that new job before this ship of fools sinks itself!

Love, Ima

[windsor]

I agree with Turk...this situation can be summed up in two words: Kobayashi Maru - if you try to rescue the civilians (fix the paper) the Klingons will kill you.

Pushy PI will find a way to come out of this debacle smelling like a rose...as will your boss...the Minion will hide under the coat tails of one or both of them...the really big chunks will land on you.

I would go with Turks 'too complicated' and there must be a reason your boss chose not to share it...then direct Pushy PI to your boss to discuss it...and offer to sit down with both of them. This must be a sweet as pie I don't want to go behind my little ol' boss' back (eye lashing batting optional ) I would also throw a 'you know he wants everything correct in a paper with his name on it..and he's right to be worried about it' ...that has to drip with the implied "you are fucked asshole"

Your boss will NOT sit down with Pushy PI and you. There is no logical reason for him to do so. He may discuss it with P-PI but he won't drag you in. It would make him look bad.

Do not put your name on that paper. Under any circumstances. "I really think it would be best if my name was left off" and if you've mastered the 'you are so fucked' tone from before, use it. No reason, no explaining "it would be best" period. If at some point someone says 'fine, we'll leave your name off'...audible sigh of relief and sincere thank you. The idea of course is to imply without words that this thing is a train wreck and you are standing at the station waving and smiling...while they rocket off to their doom...

Game. On.
EDIT: Bonus - if you direct P-PI to your boss and this ever blows up and there is an inquiry from the outside (acadmeic integrity, right?) They may ask if you shared your concerns with P-PI. You can then say "I shared them with my boss, and indcated that to P-PI. My boss chose not to share all of my concerns with P-PI. I directed P-PI to my boss and offered to sit down with both of them and go over my concersn"...Butt Covered. Next Play.

[Lavabe]

Turk & windsor have posted the two best posts on this FANTASTIC thread.
For the non-Trekkies, here is a youtube clip of the Kobayashi Maru:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rzNlprD ... re=related

Arkie: Do NOT put your name on that paper. In hockey terms, this is a 4 minute powerplay, and the puck is on Bobby Orr's stick. Don't let the offense touch the puck.

Do these folks have NO IDEA that academic integrity might be brought in?

[ArkieDukie]

Turk & windsor have posted the two best posts on this FANTASTIC thread.
For the non-Trekkies, here is a youtube clip of the Kobayashi Maru:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rzNlprD ... re=related

Arkie: Do NOT put your name on that paper. In hockey terms, this is a 4 minute powerplay, and the puck is on Bobby Orr's stick. Don't let the offense touch the puck.

Do these folks have NO IDEA that academic integrity might be brought in?

The name is definitely NOT going on the paper. Nothing I heard from P-PI on Thursday convinced me that it should. In fact, if anything, it cemented my decision to leave my name off the paper. My conclusion is that the new version of the paper sets them up for even MORE counts of data falsification. And, no, I don't think they have any idea that Academic Integrity might be brought in. I seriously think they are underestimating me.

I think my e-mail might be something to the effect of, "After careful consideration, I believe it is in my best interest professionally to stand by my earlier decision regarding coauthorship of this manuscript." Then, if I include a brief mention of the two points that we discussed on Thursday, I have written documentation for AI that I voiced my concerns to P-PI and they were ignored.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Fascinating. Simply fascinating.

[ArkieDukie]

I agree with Turk...this situation can be summed up in two words: Kobayashi Maru - if you try to rescue the civilians (fix the paper) the Klingons will kill you.

Pushy PI will find a way to come out of this debacle smelling like a rose...as will your boss...the Minion will hide under the coat tails of one or both of them...the really big chunks will land on you.

I would go with Turks 'too complicated' and there must be a reason your boss chose not to share it...then direct Pushy PI to your boss to discuss it...and offer to sit down with both of them. This must be a sweet as pie I don't want to go behind my little ol' boss' back (eye lashing batting optional ) I would also throw a 'you know he wants everything correct in a paper with his name on it..and he's right to be worried about it' ...that has to drip with the implied "you are fucked asshole"

Your boss will NOT sit down with Pushy PI and you. There is no logical reason for him to do so. He may discuss it with P-PI but he won't drag you in. It would make him look bad.

Do not put your name on that paper. Under any circumstances. "I really think it would be best if my name was left off" and if you've mastered the 'you are so fucked' tone from before, use it. No reason, no explaining "it would be best" period. If at some point someone says 'fine, we'll leave your name off'...audible sigh of relief and sincere thank you. The idea of course is to imply without words that this thing is a train wreck and you are standing at the station waving and smiling...while they rocket off to their doom...

Game. On.
EDIT: Bonus - if you direct P-PI to your boss and this ever blows up and there is an inquiry from the outside (acadmeic integrity, right?) They may ask if you shared your concerns with P-PI. You can then say "I shared them with my boss, and indcated that to P-PI. My boss chose not to share all of my concerns with P-PI. I directed P-PI to my boss and offered to sit down with both of them and go over my concersn"...Butt Covered. Next Play.

Windsor, again, a hearty thank you and a salute to your brilliance. I have, in fact, shared my concerns with my boss - via e-mail. As with most everything that has happened since I removed my name from the initial submission, I have written documentation. There will be additional written documentation in the follow-up "Thanks but no thanks" message. As I said, they are seriously underestimating me.

I will likely wait a few days before letting them know of my decision. The reason? Pushy PI is supposed to send me a draft of the new version of the manuscript. It will be far easier for me to have everything ready to go for the AI office if I have this in-hand.

[Ima Facultiwyfe]

How are you feeling about everything at this point, AD? Somewhat relieved? Nervous? Satisfied? Invigorated? Weary? Proud? Thankful? What adjectives apply?
Love, Ima

[ArkieDukie]

How are you feeling about everything at this point, AD? Somewhat relieved? Nervous? Satisfied? Invigorated? Weary? Proud? Thankful? What adjectives apply?
Love, Ima

Definitely much less stressed than I was a few months ago. As to how I feel, there's a large dose of amusement in the mix for several reasons. First, the terrible three have underestimated me and don't yet realize it. I'm laughing to myself a lot because they're making it so easy for me to bring them down, and their arrogance is my weapon. Second, PPI and M may be starting to figure out that they need me for another project that they're stuck on. I'm trickling out hints and letting M do the work. They're also stuck because PPI has some nutty ideas about the reactivity of a compound they're using to label their protein. I tried to correct him, but he wouldn't listen. After he actually argued with me, i went into nod and smile mode. One of us has a PhD in organic chemistry from Duke, and it ain't him. If he wants to screw up his project due to sheer arrogance, let him. Third, it's just fun to laugh at people who are so arrogant that they don't recognize how clueless they are. Actually, I think point 3 just about sums it up.

[Ima Facultiwyfe]

"another project"? They're going to get you involved in yet another fiasco? How will you avoid that one?

Man, oh man. I'm not the brightest bulb in the box so I can't tell you what a shock it was to me the day I learned that the people running things weren't necessarily smarter than me!
Love, Ima

[windsor]

Windsor, again, a hearty thank you and a salute to your brilliance.

You are, as always, most welcome. I'm not sure it is so much brilliance as experience. I have been in IT for pushing 30 years...starting when there just weren't a lot of women in IT. I had to have crappy handwriting and ask people to repeat themselves a lot to NOT be the assumed 'note taker' at every meeting because I was female. . I have brewed some nasty tasting pots of coffee on purpose. I have been honey, sweetie and deared to death. Luckily, somewhere early on I learned to use the blonde hair and the gender as an advantage...please think I am a silly dumb blonde woman...I will let you reel out rope, paint yourself into a corner and at the last second I will rip your {redacted} off. If I am arguing with someone who is male (and back in the day most of them were) I don't set off the testosterone alarm that another man would and get away with a LOT more.

Most of my passive/aggressive knowledge comes from being on projects for years that involved multiple departments and watching the power plays go down…When you are on the outside it is much easier to the gamesmanship than when you are in the thick of the fight. I will admit to yanking the chains of the players sometimes just for amusement. Sometimes I am evil.

I am not passive aggressive. If I feel the need to be aggressive there is nothing passive about it. I’m out there in your face. The older I get the less the I need to do that, my gender is no longer much of an issue and most folks now assume I know what I am blathering about. I also don’t sneak around behind people…as one of my good friends once said “Loni will never stab you in the back…she will tap you on the shoulder and make sure you are turned around before she cuts your heart out” .

I’ve reached a point where I am not afraid or intimidated by anyone in the workplace. They can fire me. That’s it. They aren’t going to shoot my dogs or burn my house down. One of these days I will share the saga of Windsor’ Finest Hour aka ‘how I came to have two large titanium bearings mounted on a plaque’