Sunday, January 25, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Countdown: Pet Peeves to Watch in 2009: WORK EDITION
This is our first full week back at work, and it's been a rough one. Needless to say, I've got work on my mind and specifically lots of peeves on it too. Let's get started.
5. FOOLS IN THE PARKING DECK. Employees downtown typically arrive at their jobs between 7:30 and 9:00. After 9:00, people come downtown to go to appointments at their lawyers' offices or, worse, Marbles Kids' Museum. I usually get to work between 8:45 and 9:15, so about half the time, when I turn into the parking deck from Blount Street, I get behind someone in the monthly pass-only line who thinks they can use the intercom to transmit, via wires or magic, an hourly pass. To get an hourly pass, they have to be in the other lane. But, after 2 or 3 minutes of futilely pushing the (broken) intercom button, they want to back up and try the other lane. The problem is: there are already 5-6 other cars behind them, backing up into Blount Street, which is one-way. So nobody can turn around. Which doesn't stop the first car in line from trying. It KILLS ME to get behind these people.
Next, when they finally get into the deck, they cruise around, examining each space and car carefully for their spot. They hate walking! For five levels this continues, no space left unturned. Sometimes, they'll even pull into a reserved space on the second level, argue amongst themselves about the "reserved" status of the space, and pull back out--just in time for me to avoid running into them!
4. PARANOID CLIENTS. People call my office when they're going through the worst times in their lives. Divorces, custody battles, criminal charges, sometimes all at once! So a certain level of freaked-outedness is more than understandable. And maybe there's no public awareness of the fact that, even more than psychiatrists, attorneys are required to maintain confidentiality, pretty much at all costs. That also goes for their staff. So when you call, and you need to speak to someone urgently (especially someone who does not receive his own calls, ever), and your case is "just like" this highly publicized other case he handled, except it's worth one million dollars, and then you won't give me your name so I can at least ask if he wants to take your call? AND you get snippy about the fact that I'm required to get it? I don't think so.
3. PAPERCUTS. Obviously!
2. COMPUTER PROBLEMS. This one was a sleeper in '08 but I think it's going primetime in '09. I'm talking about problems such as when the whole network goes down and you can't do anything. Not fun things, not work things, not fun work things that you really have to get done. Nothing! So everyone's in a bad mood and it comes down to manual labor where the only thing to do is clean out the file room. Sometimes there are "fun" computer problems, such as when the billing system is down and, too bad, no data entry today! But there's another, much worse kind, and I'm afraid we'll be seeing more of them in 2009.
1. *~*~*~*~*~*~**OfFIcE PoLiTicS**~*~*~*~*~*~* Y'all know what I'm sayin'!
5. FOOLS IN THE PARKING DECK. Employees downtown typically arrive at their jobs between 7:30 and 9:00. After 9:00, people come downtown to go to appointments at their lawyers' offices or, worse, Marbles Kids' Museum. I usually get to work between 8:45 and 9:15, so about half the time, when I turn into the parking deck from Blount Street, I get behind someone in the monthly pass-only line who thinks they can use the intercom to transmit, via wires or magic, an hourly pass. To get an hourly pass, they have to be in the other lane. But, after 2 or 3 minutes of futilely pushing the (broken) intercom button, they want to back up and try the other lane. The problem is: there are already 5-6 other cars behind them, backing up into Blount Street, which is one-way. So nobody can turn around. Which doesn't stop the first car in line from trying. It KILLS ME to get behind these people.
Next, when they finally get into the deck, they cruise around, examining each space and car carefully for their spot. They hate walking! For five levels this continues, no space left unturned. Sometimes, they'll even pull into a reserved space on the second level, argue amongst themselves about the "reserved" status of the space, and pull back out--just in time for me to avoid running into them!
4. PARANOID CLIENTS. People call my office when they're going through the worst times in their lives. Divorces, custody battles, criminal charges, sometimes all at once! So a certain level of freaked-outedness is more than understandable. And maybe there's no public awareness of the fact that, even more than psychiatrists, attorneys are required to maintain confidentiality, pretty much at all costs. That also goes for their staff. So when you call, and you need to speak to someone urgently (especially someone who does not receive his own calls, ever), and your case is "just like" this highly publicized other case he handled, except it's worth one million dollars, and then you won't give me your name so I can at least ask if he wants to take your call? AND you get snippy about the fact that I'm required to get it? I don't think so.
3. PAPERCUTS. Obviously!
2. COMPUTER PROBLEMS. This one was a sleeper in '08 but I think it's going primetime in '09. I'm talking about problems such as when the whole network goes down and you can't do anything. Not fun things, not work things, not fun work things that you really have to get done. Nothing! So everyone's in a bad mood and it comes down to manual labor where the only thing to do is clean out the file room. Sometimes there are "fun" computer problems, such as when the billing system is down and, too bad, no data entry today! But there's another, much worse kind, and I'm afraid we'll be seeing more of them in 2009.
1. *~*~*~*~*~*~**OfFIcE PoLiTicS**~*~*~*~*~*~* Y'all know what I'm sayin'!
Thursday, January 8, 2009
2009
Happy New Year! This year I will be taking a picture a day for 365 days. JK!! It does seem to be popular with many of the blogs I read/stalk. I'm glad 2009 has come because this is the last year we'll have to see people wearing these glasses:
Unless they somehow carry over to 2010 with the eyes between the 2 & the 1. Who are we kidding? These novelties are never going to die.
Funny pet pictures. This ferrets spoofing movies spread on people.com is hilarious! This makes me actually want to see Cat in the Hat.
The Super Bowl. The game and the commercials are decent enough. But Bruce Springsteen is doing the halftime show. Yes, every year they go towards the old rock man over 50+ genre, but I'm pumped!
Going to Sandals Jamaica. Still only a dream - but maybe this is the year!!
Unless they somehow carry over to 2010 with the eyes between the 2 & the 1. Who are we kidding? These novelties are never going to die. Let's look ahead at what I'm looking forward to for 2009:
The return of American Idol. It looks like Ryan and Simon are already getting ready! Something about this show is horrible but comforting. It's probably all the soft rock adult contemporary tunes and Paula Abdul for me.
Funny pet pictures. This ferrets spoofing movies spread on people.com is hilarious! This makes me actually want to see Cat in the Hat.
The Super Bowl. The game and the commercials are decent enough. But Bruce Springsteen is doing the halftime show. Yes, every year they go towards the old rock man over 50+ genre, but I'm pumped!
Going to Sandals Jamaica. Still only a dream - but maybe this is the year!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)