Oddly enough, “distrups” got 149 hits in Google. Those were all, understandably, typos. However, I’ve never seen someone typo when it comes to writing.
ruthie’s notes weren’t traditional…they were grainy photocopies of her breasts mashed against the scanner with “I”LL BET YOU MISS THESE PANCAKES” scrawled in angry script. she left them for her ex-boyfriend, who broke up with her because of her meth addiction and her obsessive insistance that one day she would finally be a contestant on Wheel of Fortune.
And he (or she) says “my” fellow employees, not “your” fellow employees. The latter would fit better if the author was a manager telling an employee to cut it out. Or a manager to a third party would probably say “my employees.”
My guess? Ruthie is ticked about a breakup and is leaving nasty notes at her ex’s workplace, as RunBarbara suggested. Ex’s manager has said, “Dude, could you PLEASE get that crazy chick to stop leaving notes here?” Probably because everyone is getting significant entertainment out of each installment of the soap opera. (I think RunBarbara’s description is probably right in spirit, if not in details.) So ex wrote this note. Which probably won’t work at all — if Ruthie has already been asked “many, many times” to stop, and still hasn’t, then she’s probably the sort who won’t stop until someone gets a restraining order.
In fact, maybe not even then. I predict a new note from Ruthie: “You jerk how dare u!! get a restaining order, on me they served me at work, and now everyone think im some kindof insane crimanal! Youll paye for this!!!” What Ruthie fails to realize is that everyone at her work already thought she was nuts.
I’m sorry I<3A2. I forgot that being unable to spell was a sign of great intelligence. Did my post hit a little too close to home?
“My employees” is posessive. Like a supervisor or manager from another unit telling Ruthie, to stop posting notes in their section.
Either way, i stand by my assumption that anybody who leaves a pan, telling somebody else to stop leaving notes is probably oblivious, and not fun to work with. Whether they are a manager, or a floor sweeper is immaterial.
Which reminds me, I do happen to know that this is the second edition of the note. Originally, it read:
Ruthie, you have been asked many, many times not to leave notes. On the windshield. As this DISTRUPS the campaign bus drivers. Also, Cindy has read them and is now mad at me. Please respect my fellow employees and stop leaving notes.
Good evening. My name is Ruthie. I’m a recovering chronic noteleaver. My penless date was October 2, 2008 and my home group is Somerville, Mass. I am 24. Thank you for asking me to share my story tonight.
Statistically 90% of people who receive treatment for notewriting abuse end up relapsing before their 4th penless year is complete. As you can see, I have not even made it two weeks.
Every prudent fibre in my body told me visiting PAN would be a bad idea. But here I am. Oh Lord, forgive me for the deluge I am about to author and tape to any office window I see. Actually, to the surface of any building which even seems to hint at housing employees. In fact on the back or backside of any employee I see.
I admit that I cannot control my compulsion; to the Greater Power, I implore thee, give me strength.
Hi I am Tim and I am grateful to be here. For me it wasn’t just the notes it was all the other cravings. The secret stashes of sharpies around the house, feeling like I had to have a highlighter in every available color from the Staples catalog. Everyday wanting more and better clip art. I even wrote notes to myself and signed Mishee’s name on them. I had admit I was powerless to get better.
How funny mrs. pommelhorst says that, cause after Timo posted 10.12 I wrote this, but got caught up at work (damn you work!) so I didn’t get a chance to post it right away:
Hey! I’m also named Ruthie, I’m 20, and I was not named after a relative (I was actually named after a secretary younger than my parents). And there was another Ruthie in my year in grade (also not named after a relative).
In other words: I’m sorry, Mishee, that my name isn’t quite so popular anymore. I can see how that must offend your world view.
By the way, these are the kind of notes that “distrup” my coworkers all the time.
Some names just suck. It’s nothing personal; just a fact of life. Look, just because your great, great, great, great grandmother was named Ruth doesn’t mean it was right for your parents to plop that turd of a moniker on your birth certificate. My advice is to find yourself a cool webhandle like claw72, and post snarky comments online until you forget your real name.
you naughty boy! your fellow employees wouldn’t be distrupped if you didn’t show them the dirty little notes i put in your lunch bag. you’re getting a spanking when you get home!
xxx
ruthie
p.s. i hope you don’t show them the special pix i text!
Right, some guy named “Joe” submits this note claiming he “found” it in the street. We’ve all seen plenty of notes like this…hell, some of us have left them. I call bullshit.
The proof is in the date stamp: Anybody anal enough to stamp a missive like this would not misspell disrupt.
Also there’s a crease indicating the note was folded but there’s tape on both ends indicating it was taped unfolded to something. There’s quite a few things that don’t quite add up here.
Umm, how about: the note was taped up for Ruthie, who took it down, folded it, and stuffed it in her pocket, so that she could nurse her grudge for a while and then write a properly angry response. But then she re-read it and got even madder, and threw it in the street for Joe to find. Or submitted it herself.
Not saying it had to be that, just that I don’t see incontrovertible evidence of shenanigans.
Oooh! Maybe there’s not even a co-worker named “Ruthie”…..
Maybe “Joe” just got very, very lonely… Or maybe his other personality, “Thank You”, left this note in a conspicuous place in the apartment for Joe to find…
I thought this might not be completely true as well but then I thought maybe you have to document times that you ask someone to stop a behavior in order to get restraining order, so the date makes sense in that case. I agree with Captain Dick that the NW probably started to write “disturbs” and thought “disrupts” would come off better (I get lost in the middle of thoughts sometimes too) and probably didn’t proofread too well b/c he’s embarrassed by Ruthie’s notes (RB’s break-up theory is compelling) and all the hoops he has to jump thru when a one-night-stand went bad. While this still may be BS, I don’t think that this note is out of the realm of possibilities of true.
“As this DISTRUPS the work of my fellow employees” is a sentence fragment. I hope the place of business is not one which relies on this employee to write letters to clients.
Linguo: Sentence fragment.
Lisa: “Sentence fragment” is also a sentence fragment.
Linguo: [shifts eyes around] Must conserve battery power. [shuts himself down]
The thing is, none of Ruthie’s coworkers know about this note, nor are they aware of the fact that Ruthie has a penchant for posting little reminders around the office. In fact nobody really knows much about Ruthie at all. People tend to give her a wide berth. It’s not that she’s unpleasant to be around; on the contrary, Ruthie is actually very sweet and endearing. It’s just that in times of stress Ruthie gets a little creepy. She yells at herself. You’re a stupid little bitch, Ruthie she often hisses to herself in her cubicle. Sometimes you can even hear vicious slapping sounds from behind the polyester divider. Then the crying…sad, tortured sobs that are very, very distruping.
Please accep my promp apology for abruply eruping on you earlier. I’m attemping to change my ways, and will never scrip a note like that again. I’m going through a tough chaper in my life and and promise to adop a more recepive disposition – no excepions.
The notewriter was so pissed off when s/he wrote the note that the underlined spelling error was overlooked. In my days of having roommates I left a few PANs of my own. I may have even made spelling mistakes in my haze of self-righteousness.
I really want to know what kind of workplace Ruthie was leaving all those notes at, and what kind of notes she left that were so disruptive.
I couldn’t find a Kenny Roger’s version, but Ruby’s been running though my mind all day long.
You’ve plastered up your tips and notes and missives everywhere.
Ruthie can you quit complaining? We don’t even care.
We have important business and disruption brings us down –
Oh Ruthie,
Don’t tape your notes around
It wasn’t me that started this, but now it’s nearly war
And I’ve been loud to you about your notes upon the door
And yes, it’s true you’ve got a manic personality…
Oh Ruthie,
Please leave our company
It’s hard to stop, but I am still demanding that you cease
And it’s not just me- crazy woman, you scare my fellow employees
And it won’t be long (I’ve heard them say) until they hunt you down
Oh Ruthie,
Don’t tape your notes around
Stop leaving them- we’re sick of reading rambling dull remarks
That one about Astrology- it really “jumped the shark”
And if I could leave you with one topic on which I expound
Oh Ruthie,
Don’t tape your notes around
Oh Ruthie,
For God’s Sakes, take ‘em down
77 responses so far ↓
#1
Melissa
…because they’ll all have to stop what they’re doing and go read it on PAN.
Oct 8, 2008 at 3:47 pm rating: 10
#2
Sweet Kel
Ruthie- Please stop reading notes or I’ll have to leave you another note.
- Thanks
Oct 8, 2008 at 3:50 pm rating: 17
#3
eddy
Oddly enough, “distrups” got 149 hits in Google. Those were all, understandably, typos. However, I’ve never seen someone typo when it comes to writing.
Oct 8, 2008 at 3:50 pm rating: 11
#4
Lo
Always underline the misspelled word to make it easier to find.
Oct 8, 2008 at 4:02 pm rating: 85
#5
RunBarbara
ruthie’s notes weren’t traditional…they were grainy photocopies of her breasts mashed against the scanner with “I”LL BET YOU MISS THESE PANCAKES” scrawled in angry script. she left them for her ex-boyfriend, who broke up with her because of her meth addiction and her obsessive insistance that one day she would finally be a contestant on Wheel of Fortune.
Oct 8, 2008 at 4:04 pm rating: 42
#6
Captain Dick
it is a fun combo word….disturbs meets disrupts
Oct 8, 2008 at 4:05 pm rating: 15
#7
Holiday Djinn
I love how the idiot middle manager not only misspells disrupts, but underlines it.
DISTRUPS???
If i were Ruthie, i would leave a simple note saying.
Sorry for the DISRUPTION!
Ruthie
I bet the person who wrote the note is an absolute gem to work with!
Oct 8, 2008 at 4:08 pm rating: 3
#8
Dina
Ruthie,
I’m sure you know how long it takes my fellow employees to read your notes, as sounding out the words is a hard process.
In the future, can you please send pictures instead?
Thank you….
Oct 8, 2008 at 4:12 pm rating: 9
#9
Jimmy Straightline
Dear Dad,
Sitting in the car is scary when it’s dark. When are you coming back?
Love Ruthie
Oct 8, 2008 at 4:14 pm rating: 37
#10
Mishee
I’m not exactly sure what to say.
I mean, who nowadays is called Ruthie anyways?
Is this a note to an 80 year old great-grandmother?
Cause if that’s the case, methinks she is leaving the notes for herself, to remind herself to take her medication and such she slowly becomes senile…
But that’s just me.
Oct 8, 2008 at 4:18 pm rating: 2
#11
snee
dear carl,
you naughty boy! your fellow employees wouldn’t be distrupped if you didn’t show them the dirty little notes i put in your lunch bag. you’re getting a spanking when you get home!
xxx
ruthie
p.s. i hope you don’t show them the special pix i text!
Oct 8, 2008 at 4:32 pm rating: 18
#12
claw71
Right, some guy named “Joe” submits this note claiming he “found” it in the street. We’ve all seen plenty of notes like this…hell, some of us have left them. I call bullshit.
The proof is in the date stamp: Anybody anal enough to stamp a missive like this would not misspell disrupt.
Oct 8, 2008 at 4:34 pm rating: 6
#13
Flaboy2425
Only Thank You is allowed to leave notes, Ruthie.
Oct 8, 2008 at 4:36 pm rating: 3
#14
Dare
Obviously Ruthie’s notes are only distruptive because they don’t contain the required quota of Clip Art!
Oct 8, 2008 at 4:43 pm rating: 2
#15
secondsout
Ahh, a note to end all notes. That sort of irony just seems to escape people.
Oct 8, 2008 at 4:47 pm rating: 19
#16
MW
I got too drunk one time and distrupped the contents of my stomach.
Oct 8, 2008 at 4:49 pm rating: 8
#17
J0sie
The NOTEwriter is obviously not a fan of leading by example.
Oct 8, 2008 at 4:51 pm rating: 2
#18
Claire
“As this DISTRUPS the work of my fellow employees” is a sentence fragment. I hope the place of business is not one which relies on this employee to write letters to clients.
Oct 8, 2008 at 6:07 pm rating: 2
#19
se
It appears that the writer of the note originally wrote “employer”, not employees.
second time
Oct 8, 2008 at 7:29 pm rating: 0
#20
bean
Hail! Hypocrisy, in all its glory.
Oct 8, 2008 at 9:08 pm rating: 0
#21
Quite Contrary
Thank you is just here to help.
Oct 8, 2008 at 9:14 pm rating: 2
#22
K Dog
I love that he put the date on it. He can’t spell worth a flip or write a complete sentence, but he sure remembered to put the date on it.
Oct 8, 2008 at 9:27 pm rating: 0
#23
Agent Inspired
Hypocrisy and Irony, see, they go way back. Childhood sweethearts, even.
Oct 9, 2008 at 3:43 am rating: 2
#24
0falcon8
ruthie, distraught and distressed by disturbing distruptions, destroys distasteful and distracting directives distributed during the day
Oct 9, 2008 at 8:25 am rating: 8
#25
claw71
The thing is, none of Ruthie’s coworkers know about this note, nor are they aware of the fact that Ruthie has a penchant for posting little reminders around the office. In fact nobody really knows much about Ruthie at all. People tend to give her a wide berth. It’s not that she’s unpleasant to be around; on the contrary, Ruthie is actually very sweet and endearing. It’s just that in times of stress Ruthie gets a little creepy. She yells at herself. You’re a stupid little bitch, Ruthie she often hisses to herself in her cubicle. Sometimes you can even hear vicious slapping sounds from behind the polyester divider. Then the crying…sad, tortured sobs that are very, very distruping.
Oct 9, 2008 at 9:20 am rating: 9
#26
Andy
Dear Thank You…
I greatly appreciate you underlining your misspelling. You’ve tickled my passive aggressive bone.
Sincerely,
Ruthie
Oct 9, 2008 at 11:39 am rating: 1
#27
Patti
I don’t know what distruping is but I bet it’s painful.
Oct 9, 2008 at 11:49 am rating: 0
#28
Andy
Ruthie,
Please accep my promp apology for abruply eruping on you earlier. I’m attemping to change my ways, and will never scrip a note like that again. I’m going through a tough chaper in my life and and promise to adop a more recepive disposition – no excepions.
Sorry for the interrupion.
Oct 9, 2008 at 11:56 am rating: 10
#29
cre8tivewmn
The notewriter isn’t bothered by Ruthie’s missives. He is just worried about the productivity of his fellow employees. What an unselfish guy!
He’s also so sure that Ruthie is only writing notes to him that he doesn’t need to sign this note. Maybe Ruthie is stalking multiple men.
Oct 9, 2008 at 12:40 pm rating: 1
#30
Juliet
The notewriter was so pissed off when s/he wrote the note that the underlined spelling error was overlooked. In my days of having roommates I left a few PANs of my own. I may have even made spelling mistakes in my haze of self-righteousness.
I really want to know what kind of workplace Ruthie was leaving all those notes at, and what kind of notes she left that were so disruptive.
Oct 9, 2008 at 1:18 pm rating: 1
#31
GhostWriter
I couldn’t find a Kenny Roger’s version, but Ruby’s been running though my mind all day long.
You’ve plastered up your tips and notes and missives everywhere.
Ruthie can you quit complaining? We don’t even care.
We have important business and disruption brings us down –
Oh Ruthie,
Don’t tape your notes around
It wasn’t me that started this, but now it’s nearly war
And I’ve been loud to you about your notes upon the door
And yes, it’s true you’ve got a manic personality…
Oh Ruthie,
Please leave our company
It’s hard to stop, but I am still demanding that you cease
And it’s not just me- crazy woman, you scare my fellow employees
And it won’t be long (I’ve heard them say) until they hunt you down
Oh Ruthie,
Don’t tape your notes around
Stop leaving them- we’re sick of reading rambling dull remarks
That one about Astrology- it really “jumped the shark”
And if I could leave you with one topic on which I expound
Oh Ruthie,
Don’t tape your notes around
Oh Ruthie,
For God’s Sakes, take ‘em down
Oct 9, 2008 at 4:31 pm rating: 6
#32
Sophie
This should be PAN’s note of the year.
Oct 9, 2008 at 9:15 pm rating: 0
#33
AnotherRutthie
My sister just sent me this. Being named Ruthie I loled.(I’m 25 and not and old lady).
Oct 14, 2008 at 4:46 pm rating: 0
#34
fluffy8u
This note was found some time after:
Dear Management,
I’m sorry about leaving all those notes, but Rene Hall was killing with her smoking. Also, you spelled ‘Disrupt’ wrong.
Ruthie
P.S. Sorry about leaving this note. Your other employees should mind there own business and read the notes that only concern them.
P.S.S. Someone is still drinking my cokes, even though I licked the tops.
Jan 4, 2009 at 6:13 pm rating: 1
#35 Please refrain from unintentional irony | PassiveAggressiveNotes.com
[...] related: Please respect my fellow employees and stop leaving notes [...]
Mar 16, 2010 at 1:03 pm rating: 0
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