After reading these letters about awful work situations, I can see why people can't wait to kiss the workplace good-bye. Even if one has no desire to go to Florida, golf or do any of the other stereotypical retirement activities, the thought of leaving an Olga behind is priceless. This explains why I brought up the possibility of Olga being near retirement age in my last letter.

It will be at least 10 years before I can retire, but this is a subject I hear about non-stop at work every day. I work with one other lady in a small office, and am grateful that she is the polar opposite of Olga. However, my co-worker does talk about retirement way more than she should at this time. It will be 4 more years before she is even eligible. All she talks about is how grateful her husband was to have retired at least 5 years before his friends, and how rough they had it when he was working. It's great to look ahead to the future, but I think that we all have to do the best we can where we are at in our lives right now.

All this griping about the workplace makes me wish that I had started my own business when I was younger. I suppose I could start one right now, but it would be really tough, and I'm not sure that I want to make that sacrifice. However, I may change my tune about work before long. Last week, I found out that we are getting a new boss, starting tomorrow. I know absolutely nothing about the new guy, and I'm concerned. Hopefully, I'll like him and find out that I worried for nothing.

It sounds like she had a reasonable complaint, and Cary offered her some excellent advice. So why are so many of you griping about her? Are you all putting up with your own "Olgas" and have no choice but to suck up the situation? Sometimes the office suck-ups are the ones who criticize everyone else the most.

I wonder why management is acting the way they are. If Olga is getting away with murder because she is very friendly with and/or sleeping with someone in higher level management, there is nothing that the LW can do about that, and I would advise her to start looking for another job immediately. Even if the LW had to take a pay cut, it would be worth it to get out of this rotten situation.

The LW does not mention Olga's age or how long she has been with the company. Is retirement an issue? If Olga is within 3 years or less of eligibility for retirement, I'd advise the LW to tough it out if at all possible. Management may be giving Olga a break, if this is the case. I've seen it happen before - it's easier for higher-ups to tolerate a bad situation from an employee who will be likely to leave before long than to force said employee out the door. If this company has a 401K plan and not a policy of how many years employees have to work to qualify to retire, the LW probably should grab whatever she has earned and move on to another company.

At any rate, I wish the LW well. Too bad that we can't see a follow-up to this - I'm curious about how it will all turn out.

Yes, you will probably continue to worry about whether or not you are doing the right thing, but you will never know what else is out there if you don't try.

Those letters calling the LW a whiner remind me of the fools I worked with in the Air Force. For most of us, the military is the epitome of soul-sucking. When I went in in 1982, I did so merely to get away from my home in Illinois. I had no intention of staying beyond the first hitch (4 yrs.). But I ended up staying in for nine and a half years. Why? Because I allowed my family back home in the Midwest to influence me far too much. Every time I griped about the Air Force, I would get a lecture about factory layoffs in my hometown.

Yes, I agree that the economy sucked and continues to not do well. But damn it, my life is far more important to me than any economy. In 1992, I was offered money to leave the Air Force and went for it. Yes, there was some tough financial times after I left. Especially after I failed a nurse's training program. That sucked, but I learned a few things. One is that for me, nursing is even more soul-sucking than the Air Force. I finally understood why my registered nurse Mother is an alcoholic (shit, I'd drink too if I had become a nurse). The other thing I learned is that no position, no matter how well-paying, is worth having if you hate the work. I remember laying in bed at night, unable to sleep, and absolutely dreading going to the hospital the next day.

Now I work for a city government. I do not get paid well, but I love my job and get along great with my boss and co-workers. I'll stay there as long as they'll have me. Sure, I'll have to continue to pinch my pennies, but as long as I'm happy, it's worth it!