Nice to meet you; I'm chopped liver.

This is one of those can't-get-my-mind-around-it situations.

I've been working for this company for a year. It's the same place I worked for six years before leaving to be a teacher. They were thrilled to get me back, because, well, I rock. (Hey, false modesty is overrated.)

But here's the deal. I don't technically work for The Company; I'm employed by a temp agency. That happened to be where the available funds were at the time I was rehired -- in the temp budget.

BossLady has since been cleared to add a position to The Company payroll in her department. Specifically, my position. And I wouldn't really have a problem with the internal job posting if it were just to satisfy a bunch of EOE requirements -- you know, gotta prove we're making the job available to minorities and all that.

But what really fries my ass is that this isn't the reason. The reason is that they must consider qualified applicants from WITHIN the company before considering an outsider. The outsider being ... me.

Excuse me? I've been doing this job for a YEAR. I did it for SIX YEARS previously. And a bunch of people who don't know the ins and outs of the job one-millionth as well as I do are ahead of me in line because of who signs my paychecks? What is wrong with this picture?

I'm not worried that one of these "internal" applicants will beat me out for the position; I am obviously the most qualified based on the fact that I don't have "related" experience; I have THE experience. And BossLady has no interest in hiring anyone but me.

Add to this the fact that a co-worker, for whom I have nothing but admiration and respect, is annoyed at the fact that some of us have answered queries about "the opening" to the effect that it's going to me. Because she is married to one of those "qualified internal applicants" and thinks he should have a fair shot at the position. I like her, and I like him, but I'd also like to see him try doing this job for a week and doing it better than me. Of course he could do it with training, but hello? I'm already trained! I'm already doing it! Besides, I can tell her from bitter experience that working too close to a loved one is a recipe for disaster.

But I will be a good girl and answer any future queries about the position with, "Ask BossLady."

Hell, if it weren't for the lack of bennies -- which I sorely felt last week when I had to shell out $90 for a doctor visit and $88 for a prescription (that is not a typo), I'd be perfectly content to stay with the temp agency. They pay weekly!

Office politics suck. End of rant.