I'm really tempted to induce vomiting on myself just to avoid my 1:30 meeting.

It's a program-wide meeting to "critique" openly our project presentations from 2 weeks ago. Sounds harmless, right?

No, it doesn't. And I KNOW they're going to pick on me BIG-TIME. My advisor, Brenda, is an uber-bitch, and after 2 semesters working with her, it is abundantly clear that she does NOT work well with other intelligent women. Nay, she considers them a threat - and seeks to crush them.

So she nailed me on my "process grades". If that wasn't bad enough, the general group feedback was basically ALL directed at me.

And the most horrible part about it is that they actually get me to second-guess myself. I've been working 12 or 14 hour days as the ONLY technologist on this project, and yet somehow I am responsible for all of the group's woes...

Oh, and those woes are imaginary. They do not exist. My group is doing well.

But don't tell that to Brenda.

I've talked about this with other people in the program, and they all smell blood in the water. They think the faculty are being unreasonable. they think I'm doing an amazing job. And these are individuals I respect.

I need to try really hard to resist the urge to punch Brenda's crinkly MFA-in-directing face full of crap from here to tomorrow.

Oh, goodness! Did I say that out loud?

This is just another straw on the camel's back - but make no mistake about it, the camel is having a REALLY hard time bearing the weight on his back. In fact, if I didn't know better, it almost looks like a back injury is in the very near future for my poor camel!

And I hate it when my camel hurts his back...

But is there a job for me in industry? Do I have the courage to stand up to these dumbfucks? Or will I bite my tongue and try not to burn any bridges?

The gauntlet has been thrown. I just need to make a choice.

I just wish I wasn't so scared.