Mr. and Mrs.

I know this is petty, but it annoyed the hell out of me today. Granted, I've been a bit more on edge due to my job situation which continues to rest in this limbo of "We feel we can so make a go of it! We just need a kajillion dollars and everything will be fine!" with no explanation of how this money will be gotten and when if we don't get it, I'll unemployed.

So. Yes, my annoyance fuse is shorter, I admit that. I got a call ( at 4pm on my cellphone which I shouldn't have picked up because I didn't recogonize the number, but whatever) and a customer service representive asked:

"Is this Mr. or Mrs.Mylastname?"

Me: No, I'm their daughter, how can I help you?
CSR: They recently got their cable installed with OurCompany and we wanted to be sure they liked it.
Me: Uhhh...my parents got OtherCompany's cable installed a year ago.
CSR: Our records show that the cable was installed last month...
Me: ::light bulb goes off:: No, that is MY service. Why did you ask for Mr. and Mrs.?
CSR: We just go with your last name, that's our policy.

Can we pause here? I mean the conversation went on, but it was stupid and after all they just wanted to know if my cable was hooked up right and did I want to buy anything else.

The year is 2008 is it not? There is only one name on all my bills and it's mine. There is no mister involved. I love Nox and all, but he's neither married to me nor paying my bills, so WTF? Why would your policy be to ask for people that way? It's not like fifty years ago where it was a safe bet that a household contained a married couple.

I know, I know, it's really minor thing, but

1. I was embarrassed because the mix up was also partially my fault. In my defense, my parents use me as a secondary contact for a lot of things.

2. Isn't this post-feminsim? There was a woman's name on that bill. Trust me, my first name is very recognizably female. Why would you tack on the non-existant Mr. Or assume a Mrs? Shouln't the policy be to ask for the bill holder?

3. This isn't the first time this has happened. Not even close. I once had someone insist I put my father on the phone because I couldn't possible be knowledgeable about a phone bill. This just...ugh.

4. This is why I don't drink caffienated beverages any more, aside from few sips of Nox's pepsi at dinner. I just feel....so irritable lately. I'm sick of it, I don't like how I am like this, but I just feel rubbed raw by all this will they or won't they nonsense. I just moved into my apartment and now I'm afraid to buy book cases, because what if I lose my job and need that money for groceries?

Your fed-up, washed out,
CGL

Not Yet Dead

Hey y'all,

I know it's been a while and what with the ghost post previous, it gives an odd apperance. The skinny is basically that my very small library is closing. With an unknown termination date for yours truly. The worst case scenario is end of May. I couldn't talk about it before because I'm not sure how many of my co-workers read this blog ( most likely none) and I was sworn to secrecy.

You'd think with all that in mind, I'd be in a much more tolerant mood with patrons, but you would be wrong.

One of the screwy community patrons has started coming in with alarming regulararty. Let's call her Ann O. Ing for now. Ann works at the co-op that I used to buy lunch in before I realized that HOLYSHITNOMOREPAYCHECKSDOOM meant that I should watch my spending. When she found out that I was the librarian, she started making threats about joining, but that she was too broke to afford the 20 dollar membership fee for non-student members.

But apparently she got the money together and now she is here every goddamn morning. And she wants to be my friend. I don't mind talking to patrons about finding a book, that's my job. But she likes to sit at the table and laugh at whatever she's reading or make 'hmm' noises that are clearly meant for me to engage her in conversation. Here's the problem: I don't care and what's more, I'm working!

Today she used the computer and tried to engage me in a conversation about how scary it was that all her information about her various moves was easily gotten via google. This is of course no revelation to anyone that's been participating in the world for the last ten years. Also, sweetie, you work at a co-op and can't afford a twenty dollar membership fee, NO ONE is trying to steal your identity.

Sorry to be all negative and really, she's the only patron I have that rubs me this way and I know I should be nicer to her. Yet... I know needy people and I've put so much time and energy into being someone that doesn't cave to that neediness. I'm sorry she's lonely, but I'm not an appropriate friend object. I'm here to help you get information, not pass the time.

On a pleasent note, it's off to a sci-fi convention this weekend.

Your bipolar,
CGL