You should let me double-check things before you send them out. You really should.

When I started working here, you were charging Client P $1650/month as a retainer for the stuff we did all year-round, plus $10k and $4k respectively for extra work we did at their large annual and small annual conferences.

I badgered you because we were doing twice as much work as we were being reimbursed for and you bitched about it constantly. You were afraid to ask for more money from the client, but you weren't afraid to make my life and DiamondGirl's a living hell with your constant complaints because we couldn’t do 10/hours worth of work in a week in 2 hours.

I badgered you until you changed the monthly retainer to $3300 and bumped the upcoming small annual conference to $5k.

When I had my back turned, the client decided to cut out of the monthly jobs we did for them, about 50% of the monthly work, and you changed the agreement to...wait for it people...a $1575/month retainer that quotes such an absurdly large ceiling for monthly work volume that they can run us ragged without touching it.

You cut your monthly fees by 53%, regardless of the fact that the client has made up for the work they cut by doubling the amount of work on the projects remaining.

You didn't cover everything that will need to cost extra, and you made no mention of the things you have verbally agreed that we will not do any longer - and you know you need to formalize things with this client.

And you did all of this without telling me until two months later--when you bitched me out because the invoices I've sent out for the last two months are at the "old" price.

And that was right after you said it was working out really well for you to have me doing the reporting on Client W and Client S (and client Sc, if they return to us), because you didn't have to pay PoodleBoy, the expert, to do what he does and so I should plan to spend four more hours for each job for each of those clients to do my own reporting.

Which was right after you said that you didn't want to pay PoodleBoy for the actual hours it takes him to do the reporting for the larger clients, P, C, and I, and that I need to mentally "book" about ten extra hours in each job we do for each of them in the future so I can clean up the data so that PoodleBoy, the supposed "statistician," doesn't have to actually think about the data.

And then you said yesterday that in your ideal world, I would do all of the work for Client P, Client C, Client I, Client W, and Client S, along with whatever else comes up in the same line, and that you'd never see or hear of any of it.

So, you know. Less money, more work, and just me doing on it all where there used to be 3-1/2 people sharing the load, proof-reading each other's stuff, and pitching in to help when deadlines got tight.

Thank you. So very much.

All of which was shortly before you said that we were going to move the office in February (was there a point when I agreed to stay after 12/31? Because I don't remember it, if there was.) and that I should plan to spend my spare time cleaning out files, throwing things away, and figuring out how to get rid of the excess office equipment, furniture, and unidentifiable electronics bits and pieces over the next two weeks.

For the detritus of 10 departed employees, I also thank you.

I do not love you, Bernie.

I cannot tell why, but the spirit of the season ebbs from my heart when I see your little face.

Me

P.S. I got a call from Sassy today. She's found a new job and she's leaving. Even though we didn't get to talk often, I'm going to miss her.

P.P.S. I am planning to start job-hunting after Jan 1. If Bernie feels free to extend my commitment to suit himself, then he's entitled to his reality. I'm going to take advantage of the situation just enough to stay employed while I start the job search. (This decision came about partly because something Sassy said made me think she has info I don't have about actual definite plans to close the place March 1.)