Tim once mused that Bob is so terrible at his job because he just doesn’t care enough about it. I thought that was a very gentle thing to say. But, as it turned out, it was also quiet incorrect. Even when Bob really cares about the task at hand, he still can’t [...]
Archive for August, 2008
Professional Development (Part I)
Posted in Bob on August 25, 2008 | 46 Comments »
Welcome Party for Dave (Part II)
Posted in Bob on August 21, 2008 | 18 Comments »
That was just one example of how Bob bogged us down. Marek, Nick and I were pretty good at dealing with Bob and his craziness. (I suspect, because he was a little bit afraid of Nick who was able to match Bob’s crazy-aloof look with a crazy-axe murderer look). But Ben and [...]
Welcome Party for Dave (Part I)
Posted in Bob on August 20, 2008 | 21 Comments »
Miraculously, Bob did something right! Oh, he resisted, he tried to do the wrong thing, you can be sure of that. In fact he did so many wrong things leading up to it, that he hardly deserves any credit at all. But it turned out right in the end, and I suppose, [...]
Bob versus Jim
Posted in Bob on August 13, 2008 | 52 Comments »
Bob is an insecure man. On its own, that’s not an especially terrible affliction, one that can certainly be dealt with through some carefully timed compliments and an occasional sugary treat. But combined with nine community college credits worth of management courses, the insecurity can grow into a full blown pathology. That’s [...]
Bob’s Other Job
Posted in Bob on August 12, 2008 | 103 Comments »
Week by week, we’ve been learning about the many bizarre worlds of Bob. There is, of course, the small world of our office. It’s clearly a minor and insignificant world in Bob’s universe, one which he visits infrequently, and only when he absolutely has to. We also know a bit more than [...]
The crazy party excuse.
Posted in Bob on August 8, 2008 | 55 Comments »
A person can be either socially incompetent or technically incompetent, and still succeed in IT. Somebody who is technically incompetent, but can still talk the talk, can certainly get by on charm, and (that most elusive of all traits) people skills. On the other hand, if somebody is a technical genius, nobody really [...]
Joon in July
Posted in Bob on August 6, 2008 | 10 Comments »
The month of July was rather miserable for Bob’s health, but quite propitious for his social life.
Every week Bob was plagued by some unpleasant illness, which precluded him from coming to work. As time went on, the illnesses got more pronounced, more contagious, and more exotic. At first, it was food poisoning. [...]
Laryngitis, stomach flu, imaginary car.
Posted in Bob on August 6, 2008 | 4 Comments »
Skipping work is by no means a crime. In my opinion, it’s not even morally questionable, that is, if done properly, sparingly, and in a considerate manner. Bob’s absenteeism, however, is neither clever nor tactful. His excuses are usually a direct insult to our intelligence.
Monday morning:
From: Bob Bossman
To: sitg-staff@bpu.edu
Hello Everyone,
I am feeling ill this morning. [...]
Three Long Months
Posted in Bob on August 6, 2008 | 41 Comments »
I recall the day when Bob first walked through the door to our office, three months ago. It was a sunny afternoon. The first week of May. Birds were chirping, servers were humming, and things were generally swell. That is, until a clinically obese cloud of arrogance, misfortune, and incompetence descended on our unassuming professional [...]
