Bad Manners and Brimstone

"We do no do that here. We generally do not respond to those types of e-mails. We keep everything in house. Senior Management sends those e-mails, and they do not want to see those types of responses. Senior Management does not care to see those types of responses."

I would argue that her response was more clear than just saying it's not our company culture. She told you why it's frowned upon (they don't care to see those responses) and what to do instead (we keep everything in house.) As long as her tone was pleasant and informative this was a valuable learning experience. I've had to tell new employees not to cc everyone when responding to an email. It's for their benefit - not to be "that" person.

I would like your opinion on whether this was rude or whether I'm just a grumpy old person. I went to a small concert last week. The room was the size of a ballroom and seating was at round tables for 6 people each. A smallish stage was at the front. The front tables (VIP) were several feet from the stage, so no room for dancing or SRO. There was food and bar service at the back of the room so people were up and about during the actual concert for drinks, bathroom, etc. It was not a formal event. Mostly adults but also a few families with children. There were about 150 people total, from the same charitable organization. So, many people knew each other.

At one point during the first set, one woman with a 2-3 year old child brought the child up to the very front by the stage and stood between two of the VIP tables. That wouldn't have been bad IMO if it would have only been for a quick look-see and they returned to their table. But the child was enthralled by the performer and started to dance. About 20 people (maybe family/friends) thought it was cute and then all left there seats to gather around and take pictures. Now the whole audience was focused on her. The performer acknowledged her and started to sing in her direction.

Where I think it gets rude is that the woman would not leave. She was crouched down between the tables, taking pictures and encouraging her daughter to dance. Almost like a stage mother who is doing dance moves from the side of the stage. She obviously thought it was adorable. She was not blocking anyone's view per se. Where I question the rudeness is that she stayed there for 45 minutes. The performer was clearly uneasy as the attention was no longer fully on him and it seemed he was afraid to just ignore her since other people seemed to think she was so cute. There was an intermission and when the 2nd set started she came back  again.

After the event I saw some pictures that showed the girl actually laying on the edge of the stage watching. This performer is very energetic, dancing around the stage and this clearly hampered his movements on the small stage. I know that part was rude (and dangerous). Why I am wondering if I'm just being grumpy is that the pictures posted on the event site with the toddler dancing and laying on the stage were all accompanied by comments such as "Performer's greatest fan!" and "So cute!" etc. Apparently I was the only one who thought it was rude to the performer and also to the people in the VIP tables who had a dancing toddler a foot from them and a crouched down mother gesticulating in between their seats for over an hour. Opinions?

On the subject of older ToTers - my 80+ year old mom told me this yesterday. She had a much larger than normal number of ToTers this year and was in jeopardy of running out of candy. She sits on her front porch with her bowl of candy and waits for them to walk up the sidewalk to her. As the evening got later and the candy supply dwindled she started telling the older (and I'm guessing 15-16 year olds) that she didn't have enough candy for them, that she was saving it for the younger kids.    Oh my! How hurtful to just turn them away.

I'm so sorry - for the kitty and your family! Hopefully it will clear up relatively soon after everything is decontaminated. Hugs!

I'm going to differ. I think 5 minutes is too long and is a bit inconsiderate. I'm assuming it was closer to 5 minutes.

I have no problem waiting a few minutes (not 5) as long as I can see that the person in the parking spot is actively trying to leave (putting their seatbelt on, etc.)

I had someone contact me individually this week for this exact reason. I didn't find it rude at all, even though it was not me who sent them the flowers. A group text or FB post is a good idea but since this person and I don't have any friends in common, contacting me individually was her best option.

Not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV, however I always heard that those blanket type waivers were unenforceable anyway.  Not that I'd sign it in the first place. What a way to leave a bad taste in the guest's mouths before the event!

You express in your note why you love it there, which is fine, however, you might want to also include a sentence or two about why you'd be a good hire, e.g., your work ethic, your accomplishments, your relationships with the students and staff.

I second this! They need to know what you bring to the table to be the best fit for the position, not just why you liked working there. Especially given the fact that they have not reached out to you for an interview. Good luck!