Yes, I did some perception-checking with Pat (Fayerody) last night, and it is true that some fishy things are going on. Although I was accused of "going on a tear," I believe that I brought my feelings to my department chair's attention quietly and respectfully. I believed the other person gets special privileges, and this was denied, but of course the chair would have to admit being in the wrong, then.

I have been reading Women Who Run with the Wolves, about the harm we do ourselves psychologically when we don't honor and allow our authentic self to surface. But it is so hard to always know when to be authentic, when to go along to get along. And of course, I am forever forgetting that other people have their issues.

Still, there's no doubt that I am perceived as "being prickly" or having some "rough edges."

Thanks, Froggie and Perna, for your kind answers.