I'm so mad, frustrated, confused, demoralized, that I don't know what to think.

1. I received an email from Columbia, informing us that we'd be getting valuable info we'd need to register "at orientation" and no dates given. I replied back that dates would be helpful, since I'm on the other coast. I received a snotty reply from the director of the anesthesia program to watch my tone. What the fuck? My email was forwarded around and scrutinized for sarcasm? Why don't they do this with their own emails to check if they have included information we frigging NEED in it?!

2. I'm so mad, that I really would like to tell them in which orifice to cram it.

3. doing so would be to bow out of not only Columbia, but anesthesia in general since my ICU is filled with similar passive/aggressives from whom it would be nearly miraculous to get a good refernce from. A very experienced nurse with a few years of dedicated service to them has just given notice, and the nurse manager's response is "no big loss there." What hopes have I got for a good reference?

3. Speaking of references, the people at UCSF that I met last week want me to provide them with my nurse manager's/charge nurse's numbers and contact info, so that they may contact them before considering me. If I give it to them and it ends up in a job offer...great. But if it doesn't lead to a job offer (such as, my nurse manager says something like "no big loss") my life would become a living hell there. Oh the power they'd have over me. They're losing two nurses this month, two next month, one is out on maternity leave, one is out on leave of absence, the unit secretary is on permanent disability (work related psyche issues, no less) and one person is retiring in September. And they'd give ME a positive reference? Hah...I can hear it now "You're stuck here, under my power...you'll never get away, etc." They'd be thinking it, anyway.

4. if this happens, I'd have to quit. period.
I would find myself in August, jobless, and with no academic program to return to.

5. Anyone have a loaded pistol?