The latest chapter in the saga--help! (Warning: Long!)

[MorningGlow]

Hola all,

Welp, for those of you who enjoy the MorningGlow Employment Follies, here's the latest! If you're feeling charitable, please put on your psychic perception caps, because I sure need help with this one!

Last week the VP who summarily stripped me of my job title in front of everyone in the department a month ago came to see me about the projects he wanted me to do and said we needed to meet about the one that had been languishing for a while. I said fine, "and can we talk about other stuff too?" because he had promised that in an e-mail a while ago. He said "Sure, we can do that."

Last week (Friday morning) was the meeting. He apologized for his rather detached state, as he had just gotten over a migraine. I talked with him and his Girl Friday about the project, then asked if he felt up to talking about my personal issues. He said yes, and Girl Friday left.

He started out by formally apologizing to me for stripping me of my title in the meeting. I said I appreciated that, because it had been hard for me since then--folks either came up to me to express sympathy or they avoided me because I seem to be "dead man walkin'". He said he was attempting to be honest and up front in answering people's questions in the meeting, but he should have said my job title was a private matter instead of blurting out that I was no longer an associate editor.

Okayfine.

Then he told me that the new job he wanted me to do is working in a department completely separate from all the other writers. For a manager that makes my Asshat Editor look like Santa Claus. This other guy is a liar, a cheat, pits his employees against one another, PLUS has slandered me in his department's meetings (which the other folks in the department have told me about)--that's because he's friends with Asshat Editor and repeats whatever Asshat says about me, whether it's true or not.

And yes, these people are considered middle management. Can you believe it? :eyes:

For the first time in my life, I calmly refused to do what a superior asked me to do. He was shocked. Asked why. I told him why.

Now, that's not exactly good, because as far as he knows, these middle managers of his are doing just fine (because they hide all the bad stuff from him and he doesn't ask or investigate). Other people have complained about them, but of course nonmanagers don't have a valid opinion and are probably wrong, so our thoughts don't count.

So in the midst of a long discussion, he said that if after trying out the assignments he just gave me, if I felt that I didn't like it, he would understand if I decided to look for another job elsewhere.

NICE!

I feel so valued. Not.

Especially because this guy is creating approximately 3,045 new positions (okay I'm hyperbolic there)--but this one job was all he could think of for me to do?

Well, part of it is because he said that he was well aware that Asshat Editor and I didn't get along--"and most of the negativity seems to be coming from you."

Now, ANYbody who knows me for real knows I am NOT negative, but A.E. is one of the most negative people on the planet. But again, as long as A.E. says "everything's fine", VP believes it. (I also found out from another manager whom I trust that A.E. said I was hard to get along with--most definitely NOT true for anyone except him--because he's an insecure troll and has targeted me mercilessly for the three years I've been here.)

In fact, A.E. has just jettisoned the entire staff of the magazine I worked on in favor of hiring a freelancer and using other writers on the staff to put it out. He keeps saying he can't work with me, can't work with the designers, can't work with the photographer...but he's okay and we're all the ones who are difficult?

I am stunned.

So I shut my VP's door and said, "Let me fill you in on a few details" and give him the highlights of my three years of hell with the guy.

Trouble is, I'm not sure if he believes me or not. There's nothing I can do either way, of course, so I'm trying not to worry about it. But if he thinks I'm full of it, then I'm branded a troublemaker and I have a problem with authority (not getting along with one manager and refusing to work for another doesn't look good).

I know in my heart that I am right. If anybody else around here had the guts, they could talk with the VP and corroborate everything I said. But they won't. So I'm out here twisting in the breeze.

Now the funny part--anybody remember my dream about the white female fox with the hood over her head? I thought that meant I was supposed to mask my femininity (to my credit, in this meeting I didn't cry as I usually do when I get frustrated)--but it turns out that I was supposed to hide the goddess till it was appropriate to bring her out--as I stood up to leave, I asked VP if he had ever had reiki done (he is ailing and his body is all out of alignment).

He had never heard of it. I tried to explain it. He got more confused (conservative Catholic guy). So I said "Sit there" and did about two minutes' worth of work on him. The problem he was having vanished. He was amazed. I told him he should have that done regularly, but barring that, if the problem came back to give me a shout and I'd do it again.

So NOW he must think I'm some sort of a "weirdo"--or whatever. (Do I care? Not sure that I do! LOL!)

After this whole drama, DH said he thinks I should stay home with MG Jr. and freelance. We can't afford it, though. He said he could make up my salary with a few extra hours of his own freelance work, but I don't want to put that burden on him--he'll be locked in his office all night after a full 8-hour day on his regular job.

Sigh. I don't know what to do. I don't know what VP believes. I DO think that my time here is coming to an end.

So, for those of you who made it through this voluminous post, what do you think? Where to now???

Gracias!