My other hat...

One of the things I love about working in customer service is the fact that you never know what mood you will be in by the time your shift ends. There is always that one customer who believes that your presence as a public servant means that you must also be his personal servant. I'm referring to that customer who comes to you and asks for help, but then expects you to do all of the legwork once you have given them the complete instructions on how to do it for themselves.

For example, we have a regular customer who brings a list of items that he wants in and asks if we have them. Once I have given him the information on where the items are located, he then says to me, "Can you get them for me?" He's not disabled, he's not blind, hell, I don't even think he's got any real reason not to look for the items himself other than he simply believes that it is my job to bring him exactly what he wants and that no matter what, I should be happy to do so. Ordinarily, I'd say that's fine. I do work in a field where customer service is very important and it really doesn't hurt me to get up and go retrieve items for this person, other than making me really angry that he's mentally snapping his fingers at me to "go fetch." This type of interaction with a customer usually brings out the angry feminist in me. The one that refuses to bring a cup of coffee to her boss because, by God, he's got legs and I don't want any damned coffee. It's an inner conflict which I cannot easily resolve.

For the most part, most people are nice and they simply want help figuring out our very complicated system so that they can do it for themselves. Occasionally, though, much to my chagrin, we have someone who believes that they are extremely important and can't be bothered with walking to a shelf and pulling a book for themselves. It's just one of those stupid things. Until I make the big time, I will have to endure these challenges and hope that I don't forget one day that I really do enjoy helping people find what they want and bust into a serious Tourette's-inspired monologue about why they should do it themselves.

I'd love to hear your customer service horror stories if you have time to share them here. They always make me feel better about my own plight. If you have a good one, send it to me here.

Until next time...



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George Carlin

Upon hearing the news of comedian George Carlin's death, I had to take a moment. He was, without a doubt, one of the greatest comedic talents who ever lived. A sharp witted, intelligent, thinking man's and woman's comedian. Through his comedy, he was able to pick up on the subtle similarities and the not so-subtle differences between each and every one of us and make us laugh when we realized just how stupid we really are sometimes. He was an inspiration to those of us who enjoy good old fashioned sarcasm. He will be missed. Here's hoping you will smile when you think of his list of cuss words or his "stuff." Some of my favorite George Carlin clips are included below:


George Carlin STUFF


George Carlin - The Little Things


George Carlin - Phrases and Sayings


Ten Commandments




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Too much information...

While I ordinarily think it is a great idea to have open communication with others, I don't think that we need to be so open that we know too much about the people in our lives. I especially don't think we need to know that much about the people who entertain us. These days there is an overload of information about celebrities and the things they do and say in their personal lives. I'd just like to say that I really don't care what Dog the Bounty Hunter says during his personal phone calls. If he has a politically incorrect viewpoint, then he is the one who has to live with it. I am not sure that it warrants cancellation of his television show (did it really?). I'm not sure it even warrants our individual shock and dismay. In fact, I simply don't give a shit. There, I said it. Now I feel better.

I make it a point not to be disrespectful when addressing people of other races, cultures, religions, etc. but I do this because I tend to like people of all races, cultures and religions. I simply don't have the kind of racial and cultural biases that would have me bust out and use the "n" word. It's just not my style. I don't like the "n" word, but I also hate the word, "awesome." I have different reasons for hating each of these words, but basically, they just aren't words I would use comfortably. This is not to say that I don't often call a skank a skank. On the rare occasion when I am judgemental, I tend to judge people based on my observations of how well they respect those around them. For example, if I see a young man standing outside somewhere and he is using alot of foul language and acting like a fool, my first thought is, "What a dumbass!" or something similar to that. It doesn't really matter to me what race he might be, that's not the issue. The issue at hand is his blatant disrespect for those around him. Of course, this is based on my own personal opinions about what is offensive. Some people may not find this type of behavior to be offensive and I am not always offended by it, myself. It really just depends on whether or not my daughter is with me and the context of the scenario. There is a time and place for things. Some people just don't seem to have any idea when and where these things are appropriate.

This brings me back to the situation with Dog. He may well know when and where he can say things like this and he may have thought that he was having a private conversation with his son. I don't know. When I talk with my family on the telephone, we pretty much say whatever is on our minds without worrying that we will be blasted on the evening news as being terrible people. We all have our moods and I'm sure that most people have said things that they know would not be particularly popular should they be broadcast for all to hear. That's the point of having private conversations. That's why we shouldn't care what celebrities do when they are trying to lead the portion of their lives that has absolutely nothing to do with the rest of us. How much do we need to know? How pathetic are our lives that we must live vicariously through the famous people who find themselves in the spotlight? Once and for all, I don't care how many times Lindsay Lohan goes to rehab, I have no interest in what Brittney Spears is doing at any point in time, and I could give a flying shit about the next child that Brad and Angelina decide to rescue from an unfortunate existence. I'd really like to hear about things that are important for a change.

Just once I'd like to turn on the news and hear a really good explanation for why gasoline is $3.00 per gallon or why I can't shop for groceries without spending at least $100 a week. I would love to hear some news that explains why the cost of living is so high, yet families are expected to support themselves on minimum wage that is embarrassingly disproportionate to the amount of work being done in minimum wage jobs. What about some information about medical technology and how close we are to finding cures for disease? Can we ever discuss things that actually make a difference or am I required, make that sentenced to hear all the news I can possibly absorb about Rosie O'Donnell's next creative endeavor or about which celebrity spent their time punching out the paparazzi this week?

This is probably not a great attitude for someone who hopes at some point to achieve notoriety for my own creative efforts. I realize that celebrities are interesting and that there are people out there who feel that they need to know everything there is to know about their lives. But I remember a time when a little mystery was a good thing. I remember leaving some things to the imagination and being able to view celebrities as something special. I don't want to know everything about them. Though I love Johnny Depp, I really do not want to know much more about him than when his next movie will be out and that he is working on something new. Well, at least not unless he plans to propose to me...but that's not likely now is it? Besides, I'm taken. The point is, I'm sure that celebrities would love to have some part of their private lives back. Though I hear all of the time that this is the price they pay for stardom, I think that's a pretty lame excuse for using celebrity news as a smokescreen so that no one has to report anything useful.

I have to go for now, it's time for the news and I don't want to miss my daily dose of the War in Iraq recap, fifteen to twenty different stories about local crime and traffic accidents, a mediocre weather report and of course whatever our local station can dig up from the celebrity news feeds that are so vital to the state of our nation today. I can just feel myself losing brain cells over here...

Until next time...

My 50th post...

What to say? What to say? Well, I guess I will go with more of the same. I'm still reading several books that I think you might find interesting. Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin is still holding my interest. It's not that long of a book, but I tend to have limited pockets of time during which I can sit and read. Browsing through non-fiction books seems to work better for me than trying to read through the latest book by my favorite fiction writers. Luckily, there are audiobooks. Without these, I might never get to hear the latest Lisa Scottoline or Janet Evanovich stories.

Right now, I have several "browsing" books on hand. The first is called, Never Shower in a Thunderstorm: Surprising Facts and Misleading Myths About Our Health and the World We Live In by Anahad O'Connor. O'Connor is the "Really?" columnist for The New York Times. If that prompts you to ask "Really?" then you've got bigger issues than I can help you with. Anyway, this book is about dispelling myths such as "Does the Spanish Fly really exist?" or "Does grilled meat cause cancer?" or the title question of "Do you risk electrocution if you shower during a thunderstorm?" Intriguing? Yes. I picked a few at random and here's what I found:
The explanations given in this book are too involved for me to share here. I was going to dispell a few choice myths for you, but then decided that it really wouldn't be cool for me to spill the beans. Sorry if I got your hopes up on this one. My advice would be that if you are really interested in things like this, it wouldn't hurt to pick this one up. The book has tons of great statistics and so forth and would probably make a great gift for the inquisitive types on your Christmas list.

The second book I am looking at right now is called The Wish List by Barbara Ann Kipfer. I like this one because I am always looking for interesting things to want to do. Not necessarily to do, but just to want to do. It doesn't hurt to keep your dreams fresh. For example, I know that I am not likely to find myself in a situation where I am swimming with dolphins. For one thing, I'm terrified of deep water and big fish. For another, I don't trust them. Although they are built up to be this wonderful mammal (I guess) that wouldn't harm a human being, I don't trust any animal that can do the things that dolphins can do. Hell, I'm not even sure what they can do, but they kind of creep me out. In any case, this didn't stop me from putting "swim with dolphins" on my list of things I might like to do at some point during my life. Kipfer's list includes this and other crazy things like visiting all of the Major League Baseball stadiums in the U.S., tasting the native foods of every region on earth, and even flirting with Paul Newman. The book makes for interesting conversation with those around you and it gives you something to think about other than the usual lists of things you have to do to keep your household running. My new list, for example, includes learn how to read music, truly understand football instead of just watching in hopes of seeing a fight break out, and having dinner with three of my favorite men, Bob Barker, Richard Dawson and William Shatner. Can you imagine the conversation at this table? What a dream come true this would be! I might have to add James Garner to this list, too. After all, that's what wish lists are for. If you get a chance, pick this little book up and carry it around with you. Wishing is good for the soul.

In my never-ending quest for knowledge, I have also stumbled upon several good books about organizing your home. I have so much crap that I work with on a daily basis that it is sometimes difficult for me to keep everything tidy. I found 1000 Best Quick and Easy Organizing Secrets by Jamie Novak to be very helpful. Novak is the founder of Clutterproofing products. This is trademarked, but I couldn't figure out how to put the little symbol beside it, so I'll just have to spell it out. In any case, the book gives an itemized list of things you can do to make each area of your home and your life a little more organized. I have been using some of these and I have to say, I'm impressed. Several of these have been very helpful and I'm only halfway through the list. If you are into organizing, check this one out!

As usual, I'm always looking for inspiration and I have a few standard passages that I like to read from time to time to keep me grounded. Cynthia Kersey's book, Unstoppable has been a motivating force in my life since I found it years ago. I often pick this one up and read through it until I find the one that fits where I am in my journey. For today, I will share this poem:

Often your tasks will be many,
And more than you think you can do...
Often the road will be rugged
and the hills insurmountable, too...

But always remember, the hills ahead
are never as steep as they seem.
and with faith in your heart start upward
and climb 'til you reach your dream.

For nothing in life that is worthy
is ever too hard to achieve
if you have the faith to try it
and you have the faith to believe

For faith is a force that is greater
than knowledge or power or skill
and many defeats turn to triumph
if you trust in god's wisdom and will...

For faith is a mover of mountains.
There's nothing that god cannot do.
So start out today with faith in your heart
and climb 'til your dream comes true!

Helen Steiner Rice
Climb 'Til Your Dream Comes True

If that doesn't motivate you, try a couple more cups of coffee and check back with me later. Try to have a good day and possibly, a good week. Until next time...