Exciting, sadly

I am feeling much more stable and relaxed than in that last post. Much of what I wrote is still true, or true-ish, or not blatantly false, but I'm dealing with it.

I walked out of the office yesterday (well after 8 p.m. by the way) in the middle of a pointless, circular argument about the height of a parapet wall: after half an hour of debate, with no end in sight, I declared that it was a waste of time and that I was sick of it. U was shocked, and appealed to G to forbid me to leave; G replied that he thought I was right.

I find it odd that this should have happened on a day when I was feeling weak and weary, rather than from a position of strength. I would normally have backed down from the argument, abandoned the fight and simply drawn at her insistence that which I knew - and could prove - to be incorrect. Absolutely wrong, for all concerned; pure passive aggression. Well, that's bullshit, harmful emotionally (for me) and financially (for them), and I'm not going to do it any more.

They were on a site inspection today, so we didn't meet and won't until tomorrow afternoon. I am curious to see how U will react. I will not back down, and I am not afraid to resign.

U was the cause of the circularity, as is often the case: she simply cannot - or will not - change her mind once it's been made, and will disregard any evidence or logical argument that is presented. A sample of the conversation, towards the end of the session:

U (furious): The top of the parapet wall is at 37! God damn it to hell!

Udge (slowly, calmly): Look at the cross-section, this is the parapet here. The bottom mullion of the window is at 42, is that correct?

U: Yes.

Udge: And the mullion stands on this little metal foot, right?

U: Yes.

Udge: The foot is 9cm tall, is that correct?

U (getting bored): Yes!

Udge: So the mullion is at 42 centimetres, and the foot under it is 9 centimetres tall. Does the foot stand on the top of the parapet wall?

U (scornful): Yes, of course.

Udge: Then the top of the parapet wall is at 33 centimetres. 42 minus 9 equals 33.

U (screams): NO! The parapet is at 37!

That was an exact quote, I'm sorry to say: the substance of the half-hour argument was that 42 - 9 = 37. Well, what can one say to that after hearing it for the fourth time? So I walked out.

G and I shall have to have a boys' night out, one of these evenings, to have a little talk about that elephant in the office.

In other news a relevant and bitterly funny Dilbert.

In other other news for some reason I was moved to put on Prince's soundtrack to Batman while writing this, a middling album with a few great songs ("Electric chair," "Partyman" and the burbling basso continuo of "Vicki waiting"). I was a great fan twenty years ago, I've got all the albums up to Come (1994); but somehow I have moved on. (Did I ever tell you that he and I were born on the same day of the same year? Prince too is nearly fifty years old.)