Working with the enemy.

It's too good to be true, to love what you do. To actually be excited to go to work at the beginning of the week. I love my boss, the atmosphere is cute, my clients are cool. Something's got to give. For me, it comes in the form of a loud, younger, bright colored co-worker. I have known her for years now, I knew her before we worked together and I didn't care for her then. When she got hired at my salon I felt the weight of dread come over me but I thought I should give it a chance, maybe I would have a change of heart.

Through the years we have put up with each other. She's the kind of person who sucks the air out of the room. When she's talking to her client you can not hear yourself think. She leaves a mess everywhere she goes but says she has a cleaning compulsion. Her area is clean while she's left a pile of dirty dishes in the common area and there's hair color smeared all over the carts. Then she's the first to say we all need to do a better job cleaning the salon. It's her world and we are all just visiting.

What really sets me off is that she is always listening and collecting information. She looks through the appointment books at who's coming in, what you are charging and what they tipped you. Then she likes to gossip to whoever will listen. She wants to be the highest paid stylist so she is always checking on what the other stylists are charging. She will boast about your most embarrassing moments in a room full of your peers especially if it's mortifying to you. That level humility fuels her engine, in fact any bad news really gets her going.

This co-worker would never admit that she gets off on other peoples downfalls, in fact she"s an "energy healer" or at least she paid some white guy in Tennessee to make her a "shaman"... did you know there's such a thing as "shaman school"? Why are the people running around talking about bad energy, burning sage, and holding on to crystals for dear life always the most problematic people?!

There's a person like this in many situations and it makes the days long. I try to ignore the behavior most of the time because I like my job and want to have good days but recently she's been crossing the line and has been talking to my clients. She doesn't think before she speaks so she will say "Your hair has a pinky tone" to a color client. Why would anyone say that?! Unless it's bubblegum pink... don't say it. But that client had been in her chair in the past and so the stylist wants to let her know that she see's her and create doubt in her mind. The client was happy with her hair color but it still pissed me off.

I hope it gets better, we had a long time where things were going smoothly and we could work together amicably. I guess it's a good thing that she's acting up, this behavior normally is due to her being jealous or wanting to knock me down a peg. At least if I think of it like that, it will help me to be the bigger person and behave like an adult.