Hyperpissed, Part 1

Here's the deal. I've had several very frustrating and/or unfair and/or completely ridiculous situations arise lately. And, rather then make them all separate posts, I've decided to compile them all into one big rant (that way, I will hopefully not seem like I complain ALL THE TIME...but, rather, just some of the time, which is healthy, right? Hello?). Further, I've titled this "Part 1" because I'm certain this condition will arise again given my stressful career choice...but my decision making skills aren't the topic (for now). So here are the causes of my hyperpissed state of mind:

1: Boring, unnecessary lectures.
If you've ever gone to any school, you know what this situation is all about and you get how badly it sucks. For example, as a future doctor, can anyone please explain to me why my university felt it necessary for me to spend a semester of my undergraduate life learning the reproductive cycles of conifers? (Why would you click on that link? I told you it's useless for we medical folk, silly! I'll forgive your plant-loving behind if you noticed that it is actually a viral reproduction cycle that is shown, though.)

2: I just wanted my friggin' transcript. Morons.
Basically, I found out about a very large scholarship two days before the deadline to apply. So, since I definitely don't have the cash to just pay for medical school, I spent one whole day (and night) writing the amazingly large amount of essays required. The next day, I went to all three of my undergraduate schools (I've had to move around a lot) to get my transcripts. The first two universities had no problem printing me a transcript right then and there. They both told me that this wasn't their normal policy, but after I explained the scholarship deadline, they told me they'd make an exception. And it really was no big freaking deal. Just press print, right? WRONG. Here's what transpired at the third school:

Me: "Hello, I would like to get a copy of my transcript, please."
Useless student clone at the window: "Sure, it will be ready in about 5 days. Sign this release."
Me: "Well, I know that's the usual wait, but... (here I explain about the scholarship. I'll spare you.) Blah, blah, blah...I'm willing to pay extra for the rush, but I really have to have that transcript today."
Useless student clone at the window: "We can't print any transcripts until 9 p.m. Not 'til 9 o'clock. If you pay $10 today, you can pick up your transcript the day after tomorrow."
Me: "That's two 9 p.m.'s from now."
Useless student clone at the window (with a vacant look on her face): "Huh...?"
Me: "Can I speak to a supervisor, please?"

At this point, clone-girl leaves (slowly) and gets an older, more professional-looking woman (enter the trivial liar). I thought I may be able to get somewhere with this person. I thought wrong. Way, ridiculously, completely, obscenely wrong.

Trivial liar: "What do you want?"
Me: "I just want my transcript..." (Insert second scholarship explanation here.)
Trivial liar: "We don't print nothin' 'til 9 p.m."
Me: "I heard a rumor about that."
Trivial liar: "So, pay $10 and come back on the day after tomorrow."
Me (pretty flippin' aggravated): "No, I can't come back the day after tomorrow. I have a deadline. Your inability to print before 9 p.m. could cost me a lot of scholarship money."
Trivial liar (with fake sincerity): "Well, I couldn't even print if I wanted to because we don't even print transcripts here. We get it done somewhere else and they get shipped in."
Me: "You're expecting me to believe that this registrar's office doesn't print its own transcripts?"
Trivial liar: "Yes."
Me: "Well, then, let's say for a moment that I believe you. Could you tell me where that 'somewhere else' is and I'll just go there and ask them to print it now."
Trivial liar: "You can't go there...um...because I don't know where it is."
Me (not buying it): "Who does know where it is?"
Trivial liar: "No body that's here."
Me: "So, not only does this registrar's office not print its own transcripts, but also no one here knows where the phantom transcript printer is."
Trivial liar: "Well...we sort of know that it's the IT department..."
Me: "So, now your story is that the IT department prints transcripts."
Trivial liar: "Right."
Me: "Do the cafeteria workers do tech support?"
Trivial liar: ... (No response; I don't think she got the joke. Shocking.)
Me: "Fine. So, where's the IT department then?"
Trivial liar: "I don't know."
Me: "Fine. Someone on this campus knows where the IT department is. I'll find it."
Trivial liar: "Don't waste your time because they're a dead end. They won't do it for you."
Me: "How do you know they're a dead end if you don't even know where they are?!?"
Trivial liar (with MAJOR attitude): "Oh, that's right. I don't know anything. I'm just a worker-bee!"
Me: "You're not a supervisor?!?"

Then, this very large man steps up.

Me (pointing to the big guy): "Is that the actual supervisor?"
Trivial liar: "Yes."
Me: "Then he's who the first girl was supposed to get!"
Trivial liar: "We don't ever REALLY get the supervisor..."
Me: "Oh, my God."

The big guy steps in. He's actually the only one who was even vaguely helpful.

Big guy: "How can I help you."
Me: (I tell the scholarship story yet again.)
Big guy: "Oh, I understand. Let me get the woman who can help you."

What a great idea. Big guy leaves and gets the person who's actually in charge of the transcripts--and she's the sourest, most hateful old woman I have ever spoken with in my life (enter the crabby old hag).

Crabby old hag: "What?"
Me: (I tell the scholarship story for the FOURTH time.)
Crabby old hag: "We don't print them here, there is nothing I could do, even if I wanted to."
Me: "So, tell me where they do print them and I will go there!"
Crabby old hag: "I don't know where they are."

We go at this, arguing over the logic of a registrar's office that is unable to print transcripts, for nearly twenty minutes. Finally, this is what happened:

Crabby old hag: "Well, this wouldn't have ever happened if you had just known about the scholarship. You could have came a few days ago and not had to cause a scene."
Me (after I stared that witch down for a few seconds, I had finally had enough...I pulled the medical school card): "How many students from this college do you think got into medical school this year?" (I happened to have known that I was the only one--it's a very, very small community college). "I'll just go tell the dean that I'm the one medical school matriculant from this school and ask him where I could get a transcript. I know right where his office is!"

Crabby old hag then sighed dramatically and reached over (it was an arm's length away the entire time!) and hit print on the printer that was RIGHT THERE. I got my transcript and left.

Now, I ask you: what in the hell was so hard about hitting print? These ridiculous people got paid to argue with me for an hour when all they had to do was hit a freaking button! It's bad enough, by the way, that we have to pay for transcripts at all. God knows students pay thousands and thousands of dollars in tuition--you'd think all that money could cover one piece of watermark paper and a seal when one of us needs a transcript! God help me...my blood pressure's elevated just thinking about this ordeal.

3: There are just not enough students failing.
I am in a very difficult, 400 level biochemistry course which is one of the hardest classes I've ever had. The teacher is the chair of the chemistry department and, therefore, he can basically do whatever he wants. Well, the other day the professor makes this announcement: "I have discovered that there are just not enough people failing the course this year. So, I've decided to change the grading scale. Now the scale is 94%=A, 88%=B, etc." So now, in this wildly hard class, you have to get an 82% just to pass with a C. I just don't even know what to say about this. I have no idea what kind of crack this guys is on, but the class has decreased by at least 50% since the beginning. How many students is he trying to fail? 75%? 85%? How many seniors have to not graduate for this guy to feel like he's done a good job?

On the logical side of this argument...isn't the syllabus supposed to be sort of a contract? The professor outlines the rules and scale and policies and, therefore, the student knows what to expect from the teacher and what the teacher expects from him or her. This teacher of mine is just unreal because he's changed the contract midstream, with no warning.

On the philosophical side of my argument...I understand that there must be a weeding-out process involved in this level of education. OK. I've got that--I've lived it and still have nightmares about it. But, by 4th year, when the MCAT, Organic Chemistry, Physics, and every other pre-med hurdle is behind us, why can't the professors just try and TEACH for once before our undergraduate career is over? Those of us that are left may actually appreciate learning a little bit more before we venture off to our respective graduate schools.

4: Group work
"Group work". The freaking name of this activity is a lie. The group doesn't work. One person works (usually the one who is most concerned about getting good grades because he or she has plans to go to graduate school and that grad school application is constantly on his or her mind)...the other people sit there. I'm quite tired of being the working one. So, group...WORK. I'm so freaking tired of being the reason that you're all getting A's.

5: Come on, it's 2007!
Let me just make something clear, boys: I am not impressed that your daddy gave you a Y chromosome (Excuse me while I have an "Iamsuchasciencenerd" moment: did you know that the Y chromosome is the result of degenerative molecular evolution? Yup. Just sat through that lecture...)and that at some point in your development you sprouted a penis. This took no mental aptitude on your part and, as far as I'm concerned, this entitles you to no special treatment, extra pay, or unearned respect. Do you want my respect? Be kind, be knowledgeable, and be of great character. I don't judge you by what is or is not between your legs...and I'm completely tired of the few of you who do judge me by that criterion.

I don't think that men should be treated worse than women; that's not what I mean at all. I just think the time has come that people be judged on their character, intelligence, talent, etc. and not on their physical attributes like gender, size, race, religion, or anything of the sort. Here's some recent conversations that I have had with some guys that think they're better than me just because they're male.


Dumbass: "Did you hear about that couple from church who took the woman's last name after they got married! How weird!"
Me: "I don't think there is anything wrong with a couple taking the bride's name after marriage. I don't see why it has to automatically be the groom's name that is taken."
Dumbass: "It's never OK for a man to take a woman's name. It's like he's taking the woman's role or something."
Me (with great restraint): "What if the man's family were all idiots or criminals or people with whom the new couple just didn't want to be automatically associated? Or, what if both of the people in the couple just liked the woman's name better? It's not a sign of having no masculinity or anything like that. It's just a decision that two adults make together. And, I don't see how it's fundamentally any different than a woman taking her groom's name. The point is that they are SHARING a name, symbolizing the fact that they're now familiy."
Dumbass: "Well, if any of those things were the case, then the groom should say that he's taking the bride's father's name, not the brides name."
Me (absolutely livid): "Why would that make a difference?"
Dumbass: "Then the man's not taking the woman's role. He's just taking another man's name. That way, he's not giving his own identity up to the woman."
Me: "But, if you see changing your last name as giving up your identity (which I don't), then you think it's alright for the woman to give up her identity to the man?"
Dumbass: "Yes. That's her role. That's the way it should be."

At this point in the conversation, I had to leave because I was going to call this jerk a lot of things that would not be easily forgiven (and for some reason I value his friendship). Let me address his comments here, since I have (marginally) calmed down.

The woman's role. This was my friend's big point: the groom can't take the woman's role. Well, dumbass, can you define a woman's role for me, since this is 2007? Women are doctors (hello!), other professionals, and the chief money-makers in many families. Some women are strong, brave, intelligent and can fulfill EVERY role--just like some men are strong, brave, intelligent and can fulfill every role. I suggest to you, dumbass, and to those like you, that you start treating men and women equally since it is an absolutely undeniable fact that men and women now have equal responsibilities.

Let me set one more thing straight again before I go on. I am in no way saying that women deserve special treatment. I'm not one of those feminazis that screams for equal treatment and then expects to actually be treated better than men (or just have all the men killed). No. Equal is equal and that's what I'm talking about. To follow the example above, I'm not saying that a woman shouldn't take a man's name (after my husband and I discussed it and considered taking my name, I actually took my husbands!), I'm just saying that it shouldn't be unheard of that the man take the woman's name. The two options should be equally understandable.

Here's another recent conversation that just pissed me right off:

Dumbass #2: "Did you get into medical school?"
Me: "Yes, I'm really excited."
Dumbass #2: "Well, I got rejected from all of the medical schools that I applied to. I'm sure the only reason you got in is because you're a girl."

Again, please let me address this guy's comments here: What?!? I took the same classes as you in the same school as you. I took the same MCAT you did and I applied to the same schools in the same year. I didn't get to take an easier Physics course because I'm sans penis. My lack of testicles didn't aid in my understanding of Organic Chemistry. Let me tell you this: I got in because I outperformed you. Get it straight and get over it. Better luck next year.

Alright. I know that last paragraph sounded harsh. But, this guy completely diminished everything I've work for--his point was that I'm not accomplished, I'm simply being given a position because I have a vagina--and so, I felt justified in my above rant.

Also, I want to make sure that I don't sound like I consider this an enormous problem today, because I find that among reasonably-logical people, women are certainly treated equally for the most part. There are these little innuendos, however, that keep popping up their ugly, antiquated little heads...so this topic definitely made my gripe fest.

I'm simply talking about fair judgement. If you are faster than me, smarter than me, better than me, or more able to handle a situation than I am, then I'm happy to stand aside and let you shine--regardless of your sex, race, religion, height, weight...or any other random attribute you may have that makes you different from me. I'm just asking for that same respect. And, like I said, this usually happens, but I'm just sick of the few that keep bringing their stupid points up. Speaking of stupid points:

Dumb ass #3: "Did you get your taxes done today?"
Me: "Yup."
Dumb ass #3: "Were you OK with being the secondary?"
Me: "Sure, my husband makes most the money right now. But, you know what? They didn't even ask who we wanted on the first line. They just automatically made my husband the primary and made me secondary. Don't you think they should at least ask us?"
Dumb ass #3: "What are you talking about?"
Me: "Well, I mean, it didn't even occur to the accountant--who was even a woman, by the way--to ask us who we wanted to be the primary. She said it's always the man. I'm just saying that when I'm making six figures in a few years, I just think that it's not ridiculous to expect that I'd be the primary on the financial documents...do you really see something wrong with this suggestion?"
Dumb ass #3: "If my wife ever said anything like that, I'd slap her. I'd never put up with your attitude."

Let me tell you something, Dumbass #3: who do you think you are leading me into a conversation, knowing what I would say, just to say something like that to me? You know, since you brought it up, you couldn't handle being with someone like me. Not for one day. You are way too insecure to deal with anyone who stands behind and is able to defend her own opinions. You don't want a partner, you don't want someone from whom you can learn, you don't want someone who makes you desire to be a better person. You want a dog to pant and slobber after you as you do whatever you want, unquestioned. This is amazingly understandable, though, considering the fact that you've really got nothing to offer a woman but your (moderately) good looks. I'm not impressed.

Wow. I am truly tired of these guys. I guess the truth is, though, that their own prejudice broadly displays their simple ignorance and so I'll be finished writing about it...now.

Well, there it is. Ahhhhhhhhh, I feel better. I'm sure much of you share my grief over these situations and/or ones like them, so know you're not alone. Thanks for reading and if you have any gripes, please feel free to leave a comment...it'll be therapeutic (trust me)!