I took you all's advice and went to the cops. so did the jerkwad's wife.
together there was enough to land the guy a night in the cooler. he was
released on  his own recognizance, having had no priors, and a temporary
restraining order placed so he can't so much as wave hello to his estranged
wife without consequences. I have been advised that I may be wanted for more
statements if anything comes up, and they may want to talk to the guy
Jerkwad's been palling about with: the one he asked for a phone number to a
lawyer or a hitman. The wife, my good friend, officially filed for divorce
last week. I am expected to provide a court statement down the road. It's
difficult to divorce in New York; you have to provide grounds based on
infidelity and cruelty, or imprisonment or insanity. We don't have the no-
fault thing. Asking after a hitman should fall under the abuse-and-cruelty
clause. My friend is breathing easier.

The big boss laughed in my face and refused to move me to a different
location; the ultimatum was either suck it up and deal with Jerkwad, or quit.
He said it was my fault for meddling. I heard my friend gave him a snootful
of opinion after she heart about this.

The company kept Jerkwad on. This, and other ethical concerns surrounding how
the new boss is making me do my job to inflate his collection numbers, led my
old boss Vince to quit yesterday. I'm so sick over it. Vince treated me
always with respect and like I was a full equal in the ranks. He was demoted
last February to "team leader" and fill-in for @$$hole-uber-alles Mark, the
new boss but not the big boss, and an unethical SOB. He called a meeting
yesterday to tell us Vince was out the door and I went to the john and cried.

Let me explain my position. I'm called a "point caller," a human dialer. I
get people on the line and then pass them to the next collector in line.
Theoretically that's how it works. But I got orders from Mark that when
certain high-balance accounts come in from certain clients, they were to go
to him first, and only four other collectors and then only if mark was on an
other call. So the ret of the collectors are stuck trying to get these old
bounced-check accounts that are small and pay nothing to either the company
or the collector's bonus checks. So Mark is living off the fathead of the
land, the person he seems to have appointed his own personal phone operator,
at the expense of his employees. Of course, when anyone gets a payment I get
on the recorded line and review it and approve it for processing. this
increased responsibility hasn't gotten me a raise or any damn thing but
aggravation.

And on top of it all i have a writing block from hell. This is my avocation,
the author's trade, and I can't write a GD thing. Figures.

Blessed be,
Baha