So we've been incredibly busy the past couple of weeks. We've all been averaging well over 100 calls per day. It leaves very little time to write coherent thoughts or do anything at all -- when you are interrupted every 30 seconds. assuming 3 minutes per call, that's a call every 90 seconds. yuck.

and, last week we were down 20% of the call center all week - due to various deaths of family members/sickness. I was here until 7p on monday and friday nights. and got here at 7:30a a every day of the week. it was, in a word, miserable.

today is the last day to place orders though, after today, no amount of begging and pleading will get you your order before christmas. and you really shouldn't have waited until now to place your order for hundreds and hundreds of our product. no, i cannot help that you are going to lose your job over this, you waited until it is too late - and that is your fault.

in other news, i had two job interviews. one here and one at ag edwards. i've also been virtually guaranteed that i will have a permanent job here at the beginning of the new fiscal year (april) and that they can keep me on as a temp until then. and the company is moving to a new building, with windows! so at least the environment wouldn't be so bad. with a stead and permanent job in place, i could immediately look for other jobs. jobs that don't involve customer service or cubes, where i might find these jobs, i don't know.

i went to my first hockey game last week. with jen and her bosses boss, and his girlfriend. we sat in the second row, right next to the players box. it was a pretty good way to see your first hockey game. of course the blues lost, but that's not important, what's important is that i saw lots of guys get smushed up against the glass - but not fights, sadly.

i also saw imogen heap on wednesday night at the pagaent. she was amazing! quirky and odd - but amazing, with fantastic energy! (moose, you missed out) i love the layering of sound that all the artists did - even the two openers. i need to check out more of kid beyond. and more imogen heap!

i know i complain about this alot, but how are you going to call in for the status of your order not only not know your order number or your account number, but sounds shocked, SHOCKED, that this is something I would need in order to look up your information?

online games are the bane of my existence here are two that have been driving me nuts.
damn birds
swords and sandals

meanwhile... i just had this woman who started her call to me with: "I'm having astroturf put down in my lawn and they don't accept amex." Immediately i knew that i would not be able to help this woman because 1. we don't deal with credit card issues and 2. she was having $11k in astroturf put down in her backyard. seems that the company laying the turf does not accept amex, and she didn't want to lose out on 11k sky miles - that she gets by using her card. she was quite upset, and my thought is: "tough luck" - should've picked a company that takes amex when you were picking out a company to LAY $11k WORTH OF ASTRO TURF. right.

don't be bitchy to me. "i'm upset wah wah wah" well here's where you need to go to get the help you want. "i don't want to go there wah wah wah - people have transferred me 9 times blah blah blah" ok, well here's where you need to go.. "no, i want the number of the person in charge" sir i don't have that number, but i can give you this other number. "i don't want that number, i want the other number" sir i don't have that number "well maybe you should find it, and i'll stay on hold" so i let him stay on hold for two minutes and then transferred him to the number i was originally going to transfer him to. don't be pissy with me. I will slap you down.

i just found out that not only do i get christmas day and the day after off, we also get the following friday off - but really, what's the point of a two-day week?

here's a case of overreacting:
Kids throw tomatos/eggs at passing cars. drivers turn around, follow the kids, and gun them down. pot should be mandatory. these people need to relax. like bill hicks use to say "shut up and smoke that, it's the law!" with cannabis topping out as the top cash crop in the US - there's enough for everyone.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061219/ap_on_re_us/deadly_prank

here's another case of overreacting:
Woman is beaten on Jerusalem Bus -
http://haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=801449&contrassID=19

I just received word that two girls were taken to the hospital after a fight broke out in the bathroom. What they were fighting about, and the extent of their injuries, is not known. Apparently there are police cars, campus security guards and an ambulance outside of our building right now. I've just received word that the argument broke out because one girl used the other girls hand lotion. i am not even kidding.

these are fun - road rage placards
http://www.roadrage.com/samples.htm

A girl I work with just bought a $1900 bag. Carl and I agree that that deal would only be a good one if that bag contained: diamonds, a plasma tv, cold hard cash, or anything else that had a hard value of $1900. Apparently this girl's boyfriend also purchased her a $2000 purse. i am not even kidding.

if you need your order before xmas, don't place your order today.