dude my annoying coworker who simultaneously demands validation yet is incredibly patronizing did something astounding today and idk how to put it succinctly but
She called me screaming and crying that she just found out her best friend’s dad has acute liver failure, and all day needs to be coddled by everyone. I feel bad, bring her stuff she likes, I suppose she was very close with this person.
Give her the stuff, and she starts to brag to me that she’s using this to create slides for her exam presentation, basically Erika kirking this dude’s illness to make it about her and pr for her career? It wasn’t even mentioning him, just being overtly emotional to garner more interest in her research?
I asked if the family needed anything, like a gofundme, and she goes ‘nah, they’re financially well off.’ Goes back to talking about herself and how it’s ‘never ending.’
The big kicker: she reveals that her and her family have known he’s had liver disease and terminal for over a year! She literally told me over the phone, and a text that says she found out today???
So she has been sitting on this news until the timing suited her? To get a bunch of attention from everyone randomly? I know 3 people she made stop what they’re doing to listen to her cry. She even told me over the phone when I asked what she needed was, ‘a friendly face at work.’
AND GUYS. We don’t clock in! We all work crazy hours, but it’s not like she has to be there!!! She could go home, and give her self a space to decompress?? She literally wanted to have a breakdown at work…. On purpose? And made me come in early to comfort her?
And then she springs right into how happy she is the equipment is working again. Like a switch. And then tells me that another piece of equipment isn’t working, and I was like “oh shit, that kinda messes up some of my plans but whatever.” Her response: “well maybe you have to get out of your comfort zone”
EXCUSE ME???? I am doing 3 entirely brand new research routes in this lab after only moving out of state and restarting my whole career projection after 4 months? And that specific microscope gave me SO much more info than a normal stereoscope, like it has x ray so you can see EVERYTHING even inside, and if she PAID FUCKING ATTENTION during my presentation (and I know she did bc she asked 1 million questions and has since made everything I’ve done about her by saying ‘oh you’ve inspired me to do this and this…’) that design I created to measure a million variables took forever to design bc it had to work for the material, the printing method, and the microscopy. She constantly speaks like she’s the authority on shit and it drives me nuts!
Like DUH i can handle and pivot and get creative you fucking first year grad student.
Oh and everyone she called her friend and his dad to ask if she needed to fly home, and she said that they told her to stay and it’s because ‘she’s going to solve liver disease with her research.’ Like dude, once again, you’re a 1st year grad student on a huge worldwide team bt various institutions with hepatic specialists / surgeons / PI’s with whole ass labs doing this for years I’m positive you’re not responsible for idk. A whole disease being solved?
