Work Creeper

I must admit, I've never encountered a creeper in the workplace until now. I've known them to exist, but luckily never had to deal with one. You know, the person that makes you feel extremely awkward, that's undressing you with their eyes, making random conversation with you, being overly friendly to you opposed to other employees... Yea, that person!

Well, at my job we have a big finance team that consists of several small department, like payroll, accounts receivable, billing, etc. The departments obviously sit together, and the company has recently gone through some changes- merging with another company, integrating the two companies, bringing in new employees from the other location... Blah, blah, blah. Well, a lot of individuals on the finance team at the other location were offered positions within the new company and turned them down, with the exception of one person. THE CREEPER!

I got a weird vibe from him the very first time we had a finance team meeting, and he's been weird ever since. Let's start with the first encounter... "The waist side hello"- you know, when someone tries to get your attention by gently touching your waist. Usually done by someone that you know, or are close with. That wasn't the case. Instance #2... "The shoe compliment"- yes, he complimented me on my shoes and instantly my brain tracked back to that moment in Legally Blonde when Elle tapped her foot at the gay witness at the water fountain. Same thing went off in my head, until I overheard him talking about his children. Instance #3... "The i-don't-have-anything-else-to-say conversation" so he'll always make a point to ask me about my weekend. On top of that he pulled the race card on more than one occassion...

In so many words, he tells me that we're almost matching one day (when clearly, we weren't even remotely matching). Then he starts up this weird convo about how he's wearing the colors of his "homeland" (New Orleans clearly is a hometown, not a homeland!). He goes on to say that he shuld have been black; black men have it easier when it comes to going bald. If you didn't know by now, GAB is black, African American. Why would you make a comment like that?

Icing on the cake, this douche lord puts his arm up next to mine, starts talking about how he was upset that it rained this past weekend cause he couldn't lay in the sun... Followed by "I have some competition. I'm almost there", in reference to my complexion! OMG!

So now I'm to the point when I want to report him, at least to my manager. I'm sure she'll direct me to HR, but how- being the only black person on the finance team- can you "anonymously" file a complaint? Of course their going to use whatever I tell them in their case against him, and it will no longer be "anonymous"...

GAB needs major help! Anyone ever had to deal with this? How did you handle it?
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Inspiration: Operation Beautiful

'm a big magazine reader, simply because I'm into fashion (although I'm not a trendsetter, and would rather blend in than stand out). That's definitely something that you guys didn't know about GAB. Anywho, I'm perusing through the September issue of Glamour Magazine when I come across an article that has inspired me. It is called Operation Beautiful, and it was started by Caitlin Boyle who battled with her weight and depression. Basically, she wrote a note to herself and to anyone else who might read it that said "You are beautiful"... simple and sweet :-) It helped her get through her roughest moments, and it serves as a spotlight for women and/or men who may be struggling with their appearance, have low self-esteem, or are simply having a bad day.

You can see below some of the notes that people are leaving across the world. I encourage everyone to join in on the movement. Grab a pad of Post-It notes and a sharpie marker, and start to grace everyone with your encouraging words!

Do it for you, for your coworker or boss, for your mother or sister, do it for your best friend or your worst enemy, do it for the young girl in school who "doesn't fit in", do it for the battered woman who can't leave an abusive relationship, do it for a stranger or a homeless person. The point is to do something that could be life changing, and join in on a positive revolution to encourage and inspire.

Here is the one I left in the women's bathroom at my job this morning!

Can We Get a Manicurist Over Here???

I don't know what it is about some men and their lack of awareness concerning their appearance. Allow me to elaborate... nice slacks, dusty folded up tennis shoes, and a wrinkled polo shirt. Were you going for a casual look or just an "I don't give 2 shits" look???

But my absolute pet peeve is a man in the office with dirty nails. Key words: in the office! We don't work at a construction site, or as carpenters or landscapers. We use calculators, pencils, paper and computers all day. The dirtiest one can get in an office setting is accidentally pooping their pants, or not washing their hands after a finger-looking-good lunch! So I don't understand how a guy can have such filthy nails!

Are you collecting ear wax? Digging for gold in your nose? A chronic butt scratcher? Really, what is the cause of such evil in the workplace? Another peeve of mine is people who run out of the bathroom after only RINSING their hands.

We have got to be more mindful of the things that we do regarding our personal hygiene. It's takes a lot to get a rise out of me, and those two things definitely put me on edge.

Winners from 100th Post, $100 Post Giveaway

I would like to thank everyone for entering the giveaway... moreso for loving GAB. As stated before, winners were chosen using a random generator. The wait and anticipation is over, so here are the results:

1st Place: 1 Year Subscription to Cosmo Magazine

Pretty Unfamous

2nd Place: "On My Own Two Feet" book by Manisha Thakor

Jess

3rd Place: $20 Panera Bread Giftcard

Nicole

4th Place: $15 Walmart Giftcard

Jessalyn

All of these chicks have pretty sweet blogs, so it wouldn't hurt to congratulate them AND make a slight detour to some new awesomeness in the blogosphere!

 To claim/receive your gift, please email your:

Full name and Full mailing address to

gab.life@yahoo.com

I hope you all enjoy :-)