Dear Ann Landers,
hat can a secretary do about a boss who seems to lie awake nights thinking of small ways to irritate her? When he laughs, the whole building shakes. He pops his chewing gum and cracks his knuckles. Last week he took off his shoes and cracked his toes. When he talks to me on the intercom, he breathes so hard between sentences I want to scream. Sometimes he coughs and wheezes-all this with a cigar clenched between his teeth so his words are barely in-telligible. Some days when he is extremely busy, he will tell me not to put through any calls. Later in the day, when I give him a list of the callers, he gets mad and yells, "Why didn't you put Mr. X. and Mrs. R. through? You should have known those calls were important!" So in addition to having the patience of a saint, I am expected to be a mind reader. Any suggestions?

Dear Only,
These small annoyances will loom larger as time goes by. You don't really like this man, and I can tell you he is not going to change. So start now to look for another job, buttercup. You and the boss are incompatible.