9:40a
I just remembered that one of the permanent people took today, tomorrow and friday off. Without her, it promises to be a busy week.

9:47a
My temp agency just called to tell me there was some sort of problem with my time card and overtime last week - I suspect that it has to do with the fact that they paid us for our lunches last week. I am glad though that I decided to check my messages...I had eight unlistened to voicemails, and they needed verification of my hours today-because they process timecards today. Not getting paid on Friday would have sucked.

10:15a
Uh oh, someone on the phone just told me that she got a very condescending phone call from one of the permanent people here - a certain space cadet. Anyway, I was able to help - but it does remind me that you can be in this job long enough that you start to hate people and theink that they are stupid, even when they are not. I must remember to be kind to the non-stupids and be kind to the stupids, but privately laugh.

10:36a
"Do you see an order button on your home page?" "No." "Do you see anything that says 'place order'" "No." "what do you see?" "it says 'click to place order'" Really? Really? This would be one of the stupid people.

11:48a
My boss just asked me a question about another co-worker - I'd say she likes me, and he sucks. Therefore, she should keep me permanently and ditch him. Thanks.

1:07p
I really do enjoy helping pleasant people. They make my life so much easier.

2:15p
I mentioned yesterday how I hate when my boss makes me what for something silly while I have a client on the line breathing down my neck -- today she finished an email before answering my question. Thanks for that.

2:32p
It's been too freaking busy here today. I've been on the phone literally all day. Which would be fine if I didn't have to fill out a "ticket" for every god damned phone call that I take.

3:53p
MS guestblogging from Gosh-Shoe:

So there's a new responsibility for the Customer Service Representative, a.k.a. me. Managing the Appeals Committee - this entails setting up the meetings (a big ridiculous process, as you may recall), making the reservation at the K Center, and then mailing all the decisions to those who submitted appeals. I'm still giving all the submitted appeals to Pete, who is handling it for now, but enjoyed my first crack at appeals yesterday, when Bossman asked me to contact all the inhumanly-busy people who must attend the meeting and ask when they were available. I sent e-mails, made phone calls, and got to use my skills of logic to finally find a time that was convenient for the majority. Who said those word problems in math class would never come in handy? I kept Lisa updated, found a time, made the reservations, and sent out an e-mail to all the committee members letting them know the final time for the big meeting. I felt pretty damn good about it too.

Lisa commended me on my skills in handling this process - I was sufficiently patted on the back, and rightfully so. I was quick and efficient, reliable and friendly. Mission accomplished.

So I proceed with the two million other things I needed to get done today, when Lisa came to shred some paperwork. Since she was standing right next to me, she actually spoke instead of just e-mailing the news she was about to report. Her exact words were, "You're going to be mad at me." Not only frightening to hear, but not quite characteristic of what I feel should be exhibited by a BOSS. Know what I mean?

I planned the meeting around Lisa's availability, given to me in random 2-hour chunks of time on various days within the next week. I guess she gave me those chunks a little prematurely, as she said that the meeting time I discovered and sent out to the attendees was not going to work. Before I could get too frustrated, she mentioned that we weren't going to have to reschedule the day, just adjust the time by half an hour.

My response was silence. I guess she took this as me being angry, as she said she was going to take care of notifying the committee members of the change. I wasn't angry, especially since this meant I had no further action to take with this matter, except making sure the reservations for the meeting place could be slightly adjusted.

If this would have stopped here, at this particular point, I wouldn't have thought any more of it. What makes this story even better is that she felt compelled to tell me why exactly she couldn't be at the meeting until noon.

Her daughter, who is in grade school, has some kind of Grandparents Day extravaganza at her school on Friday. The grandparents come to school, they all go to church or chapel or something like that, and there is all kinds of food and merriment. Since the boss family was transplanted to St. Louis, all of little dude's grandparents live far, far away. But Grandparents Day is so very special that they make a trip here for it every year, using a very complex system of alternating years for separate sides of the family and separate marriages within said sides of family.

This year, Grandpa and step-Grandma were supposed to come for the shindig, but due to some unfortunate oral surgery needs for Grandma, they won't be able to make it.

Lisa told of the trauma involved on Grandparents Day with her daughter's fellow students - I got to hear one particularly sad story about a little boy a couple of years ago who had no Grandparents to show on Grandparents Day, and the horror! The tears! The humiliation! This kid may not make it to adolescence.

So to spare her poor offspring the same terrible fate, Lisa is allowing her to stay home from school during the festivities, which end at lunchtime, 11:30. Lisa must make her daughter feel very special during the morning hours, and then drop her off at school at 11:30, which is why she can't make it to the meeting until noon.

I could have done very well without hearing that story. All she owed me was "I can't make it, we'll have to reschedule." But instead I get that story, which is supposed to keep me from being angry about the misunderstanding.

What's even funnier about this is that while I'm listening, nodding intently, adding a "hmm," every now and then to show my interest, I can feel this look of extreme concern (maybe even sympathy?) that has somehow jumped onto my face without my knowledge. Furrowed brow, puppy-dog eyes, corners of the mouth turned slightly downward . . . how did that happen? I wasn't particularly concerned, nor was I mentally exuding sympathy. But there it was, all over my face.

I think I made her feel a whole lot better about the whole fiasco. Well, either that, or I looked completely ridiculous. It's hard to say. At least the little kid won't have to be emotionally scarred for the rest of her life, and the Appeals Committee will be successfully meeting. All is well indeed.

The end.

4:09p
Oh yeah, and troop levels are going to remain the same until 2010.

4:19p
I like people that mutter everything that they are doing when they are on the phone with me. This woman has been talking to herself for the past three minutes.

4:28p
I would like to go home now. 1hr and 2min remain. 55 interactions.