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Anger & Annoyance

There is a veritable *ssh*l* in my Department by the name of Ed Edgerton who happens to be an extraordinarily rude, obnoxious, and so utterly full of himself crank that it is difficult to believe he chooses to breath the same air as everyone else on the planet. This fellow is near retirement and is about as skinny as a rail and looks and acts for the most part like "Barney Fife" from the old television show, The Andy Griffith Show.

Well, to get to the heart of the matter, today was another of those "wonderful" days where we had a Department Meeting, and this idiot starts yammering and complaining about the current administrative policy on when and if to cancel a class at the U in inclement weather. This is something that happens once, perhaps twice a year. Well, Fife was so rabid and riled up about the current policy because one time, a few years ago, students were sent home and the U was closed for half a day. And get this... the official time the U closed (due to the storm) shaved off an hour of demigod Fife's 3 hour lecture. How dare the U discern that student safety was more important and significant than what Nobel winning and sage bologna 'ole Fife was going to spout off to his nodding-off students!!! How dare the U!!!!! In the meeting today, he kept ranting and crabbing, and b*tch*ng about demeanding the administration change its policy so his class would not have been affected. It was sickening to listen to and annoying as hell. But, unfortunately, that is the way most Department Meetings are when he attends (which is unfortunately about 95% of the time).

Well, since this was a Department Meeting, another faculty member, Bart, spoke up and stated that we have flexibility to handle such situations through our syllabi if we wish, and we can also use our electronic classroom if desired. Then I added, that in my opinion, the current administrative policy was appropriate.

Well, "Fife" raised his voice towards me and tried to shout me down. I did the appropriate thing and DID NOT respond in kind, although I wanted to with every fiber of my being. I wanted to tell him what a foolish, petty person he was. I wanted to growl at him with my deepest, most menacing voice that he had damn well better not use that tone of voice with me again, and I wanted to tell him that if he did use that tone of voice with me again, I would respond in kind toward him and increase it ten fold.

I did not do any of those things, for I did what was polite and civil. But now, here it is 8 hours later and I am still angry as hell at him. He and his *ss*n*n* behavior... and my own inability to let go of my rage and frustration have ruined my own evening. Please know that *I do know* it would be best for me to simply let it go and forget the b*st*rd and his behavior. I know that intellectually in my mind. I *also do know* that by experiencing all this turmoil, I am in effect letting this puny, little nobody WIN. I, also know that intellectually in my mind. Yet, here I am, still feeling angry and hurt. I am angry and hurt because I merely stated an opinion, and this rabid weasel shouted me down because I disagreed with his opinion, and I dared to say so. I am even more angry and hurt because I did the correct, polite thing in the meeting, and stopped talking about it.

Yet, it doesn't do me a whole helluva lot of good right now. I am still angry and I cannot figure out how to let it go at the moment.

PipeTobacco