You know, I try to avoid cliched characters in my fiction and creative works for the sake of realism, but then life has to throw at me the incompetent coworker given responsibility she can't handle, who not only is on a raging power-trip but exhibiting passive-aggressive anal retentiveness worthy of the most petty bureaucrat.

Stupid reality.

My boss drives me crazy. Absolutely crazy, and I have no idea what she's doing in her position or how she's stayed in it this long.

Back in March, she essentially said that by the end of the summer I should have all my training done to be an issue editor.

Back in the end of July when we were discussing job duties for August, she basically said that she wasn't happy with my performance, but I would be advancing in my training in September.

September's calendar came out without advancement for me; I ask her if we could consider it, and she gives me a bald, flat-out "No." No explanation whatsoever, just no.

Meanwhile, the people who actually work with me and train me have acknowledged that I've mastered what needs to be done and am ready to progress. They're even *giving the work away* to other people who need training because there's no POINT in my doing it any more.

So what's the problem? Does she view me as incompetent (despite giving me a stellar performance review)? Am I just male, which is no good? (Quite possible...) I guess it doesn't really matter since I can't get promoted till March anyway, I just want to know *why*.

I guess I can take some solace in knowing that despite all the bad shit happening to me, it is at least not taking anyone else down with me for a change.