I’m a member of a local volunteet run observatory. Every month we have an open evening. A chance for members of the public to come and see what astronomy is about.
Volunteers check tickets, control access to the building, sell merchandise, books and refreshments, and also run the telescope pad where members use their own telescopes to show off cool stuff in the night sky (moon, planets, star clusters etc.).
I’m on the telescope pad. Unfortunately tonight it was cloudy so I had my telescope pointing at nothing. But had my phone mounted on it and a stargazing app opened on the Andromeda Galaxy.
A woman came up and I told her about how the app on my phone works. Then she stumped me with one question
Woman: Is the Andromeda galaxy closer to us or those planets (points at models of Neptune etc)
Me: no it’s not close to them
Woman: So it’s next to us in the solar system?
Me:…it’s a galaxy. It’s not in the solar system. It’s not even in our galaxy. It’s 2 million light years away

Coworker 1: [privileged and reeks of it, but generally good at what he does] I like to use the Profiles, but I found a problem with it. Who should I tell?
Senior Coworker: Well, it’s only updated every six months. That said, Z is the one does the bi-yearly updates
Coworker 1: I’ll tell that person!
Coworker 2: Almost every list in Profiles has errors!
Coworker 1: … Does that person know?
Senior Coworker: It’s only accurate twice a year.
Coworker 2: Coworker 1, I suggest using X
Coworker 1: I’ve been using the Profiles though.
Coworker 2 : I would go check your facts.
Coworker 1: The Profiles are so convenient.
Senior Coworker: And wrong.
Coworker 1: But but but my Profiles!?!
[big boss] Everyone, stop using the Profiles. Meeting over

I suspect Coworker 1 is still sadly mourning the Profiles, maybe while holding a stuffed animal.

[Note: This story began as a comment to another bank-error story, but after I got done typing, I thought it worked pretty well on its own, so here goes.]

I had something similar happen many years ago, when I received a bank statement claiming that my account had a balance of just shy of a negative million dollars. As a computer instructor, I assumed that it was just a bug triggered by some bank clerk’s improper entry . . . but that didn’t mean that I couldn’t have some fun with it.

So I sat down and wrote a very long and teary letter apologizing profusely for my apparent huge overdraft (e.g. “I don’t understand how I could have messed up so badly!”). I also wrote up a long list of problems that I’d supposedly run into while selling off my home, car, and all my other assets. I closed by assuring them that no matter what it took, I would get them the money somehow, but couldn’t be sure of how long it would take.

I was disappointed to never receive a reply from my bank, but at least my following bank statement was correct.

I also taped printouts of the original statement plus my reply to my classroom door, which was where I displayed my collection of real-life computer-based SNAFUs.

(My dad and I are visiting some of his friends, who have two small children. While I am hanging out outside, I notice a plastic terrarium set up in the carport with a butterfly inside. One of the lid’s hatches was gone, so in the interest of keeping the kids’ pet/science project contained, I grabbed a nearby toy plate and set it over the hole. Soon after, my dad and his friend came out as he was being showed around.)

Friend: “… and right here we have a butterfly chrysalis, that my kids are waiting to hatch.”

Me: “Actually, it already did. I put that plate there so it couldn’t escape before they saw it.”

Friend: “Oh, really? Thanks.”

(He went to go round up his kids, and they gathered in the yard to open up the lid and watch it flutter away.)

So I worked at an office for 4 years. One evening after work I took a nasty fall in my yard. I was in a lot of pain and couldn’t walk. A friend took me to the ER, where I was diagnosed as having a sprained ankle. I had called my supervisor that night after I left the hospital to let her know what happened and I would not be at work the next day.

She was sympathetic and told me to take all the time I needed.

I went to my primary care doctor the next day and she evaluated me. She agreed I had a sprained ankle and ordered me to stay home for a few days. She told me that I just needed to keep my foot wrapped up and changed often. She told me that I could use crutches to get around. ( the hospital did not have any for me since I am a petite girl. The only ones they had were for smaller kids or tall adults. I got crutches from a pharmacy.

My doctor told me that I did not need a boot and I could wear an oversized house shoe on my injured foot.

I let my supervisor know all of this and she said that was fine.

I went back to work a few days later. As I am coming into the building a woman I had never met before stopped me.

Woman: what are you doing here?
Me: I am going to work.
Woman: what happened to you?
Me: I sprained my ankle
Woman: where is your boot?
Me: my doctor said I didn’t need one
Woman: oh yes, you do. If you want to work here, you need to get a boot.
Me: I have already talked to my supervisor. She said it was fine.
Woman: you cannot work here.
Me: are you a nurse or with human resources?
Woman: no
Me: OK, well I’m going back to my department and speak to my supervisor about this. What is your name?
Woman: Don’t worry about it, but I will be speaking to HR about you.

I hobble down to my department and I tell my supervisor what happened. She wanted to know if I knew the woman’s name which I said no then she asked for me to describe the lady and she would find out who she was.

After a few calls, my supervisor was able to find out who the woman was turned out She’s a team leader in another department And she had no authority over me.

Human resources came out and talked to me and said that everything was OK. There was nothing wrong with me not wearing a boot. They also said they would speak to the woman that said something to me.

Human resources came out and talked to me and said that everything was OK. There was nothing wrong with me not wearing a boot. They also said they would speak to the woman that said something to me.

I was able to find out that this particular woman decided to pick on me for no reason at all. We had several other employees who had sprained ankles over the years who came to work with crutches and house slippers over their feet. I was also told that no one had ever said anything to any of the other employees. Apparently, that woman just wanted to bully me.

That woman was reprimanded for what she said, and for overstepping when it was never her place to say anything to me as she is not over me.

That woman had really upset me as I was already in pain and I didn’t need for someone to single me out. My supervisor had sad that that woman decided to pick on me because she did not like the way I looked. And I don’t mean the crutches or the house slipper. She did not like the way my face looked. In other words, she Felt I was ugly.

About a year later, I had found another job. My ankle was fully healed, and I had already turned my two week notice in. It’s winter time and I’m wearing my boots with my office clothes . And who do I say walking down the hall it was that woman the team leader.

She gave me a Mean look. So I walked over to her and said this:
Me: Hi , guess what? Today is my last day here and I am wearing my boots. Remember, you said I couldn’t work here unless I had a boot on. Oh, do you remember when you said you told Human Resources you picked on me because you thought I was ugly? You know what I think I’m gonna do today since I’m wearing two boots. I think I may go ahead and stick both of these boots where the sun don’t shine on you.

The woman turned around and walked away really fast.

I am not proud of saying that Or acting so unprofessional. But that woman picked on me because she felt I was ugly.