Kate Returns to the Internet (Kind of)

Previously, I mentioned that my friend Kate got fired because of her blog (which was entertaining), but I hadn’t gotten the full story. Until now. Take it away, Kate:

The Athletic Director and I never got along. Basically, she is a crazy micro-manager.

With full-sized cardboard midget cutouts and other shenanigans, Kate's blog was a must-visit.

I took over the position when the previous girl quit. She did all the stuff I did as well as was the top assistant women’s basketball coach. Our Athletic Director was the head coach, but quit to do more fundraising for the department. When the Assistant Coach asked to be considered for the head coach job, she was told that she wouldn’t be considered and not to apply. So instead of applying, she quit.

Well, when people in the department started talking about why didn’t they give the job to the assistant, the AD told people it was because she didn’t apply.

Then I get hired. I find out all sorts of things about the assistant coach that was there before me – like she was sleeping with one of her players, drank with her players all the time, etc.

I had a blog that I had started when I was an intern at the Atlantic 10 Conference. It was fun,  joking and I always gave people access to it. It was NOTHING that I wouldn’t say to someone’s face, and in fact had said to people’s faces. (Note: N.O. readers, Kate is the female Richie)

Basically, one day I was at work and the next second I was called into our AD’s office and told that I was being fired. A student had shown her the blog (which I’m still confused as to how they got access to it unless they saw it on my computer or something). My AD had the entire thing printed out (what a waste of trees) and had items flagged in it. The one thing she mentioned over and over again was that someone had posted “Leave Lame Forest and come back to Philadelphia” in the comments.  Which is something I hadn’t even said!  I wasn’t given the opportunity to take it down, talk to the student, or anything.

I packed up my stuff, took my blog off-line just because I figured she would start telling people about it and I didn’t want people that were not my friends to read it.

I later found out that the student who I think turned in my blog was someone who was “out to get me” because myself and another person didn’t hire her to work for us for the summer and she was pissed.

I also found out that BEFORE I was fired they had called the Assistant Coach girl who I took over the job from and re-hired her.

In my meeting, they asked me what I had done that day and any loose ends that they would need to finish up. I mentioned about 10 different contracts that I had sent out and a number of different people that I had contacted. The AD couldn’t believe I had done so many things that day. She never liked me, and would constantly call me into her office and tell me that I should CC her on every email I sent out. Which is a total crock of shit – because how do you do that?

So, now I’m living in the city of Chicago and looking for a job. In the meantime, I’m catching up on my reading and all that stuff!

Did you ever talk to an HR person about the whole thing? Or just say screw it, I should probably just move on with my life?

HR was in the room with us… I didn’t have to sign anything though and she was just there to take my keys. The AD is a total pushover so the HR lady didn’t even speak

When you first made the blog, you named it with your full name. Did you consider the fact that people you might not want to see it would easily find it? Did you worry about the work factor when setting it up? I went the anonymous route. While anyone could easily “figure out” who I am, just a quick google search of my name doesn’t bring you here. Although, I did that when I realized “holy shit, my mom could find this on Google!”

I put up a Google block on my blog , so you couldn’t find it through searching my name. I even checked and it worked.

I probably didn’t help you by linking to it on this site. Someone Googling you might have found it via my link. Will you create a new blog under some form of anonymity?

I’m thinking about it

Awesome. So there’s guest-blogger Kate.