More and more I experience how people won't listen to each other. Whether it's family, friends, customers or co-workers.
One person says something and the other always has a reply. Usually it's a 'but'.
My parents are very often a good example. Mum says something - dad disagrees and replies with his version.
Or vice versa. And they just aren't able to notice that they actually talk about the same thing. Only in different words.
It drives me nuts!
When I talk with friends (customers, co-workers) and I might tell something almost every sentence is replied with 'yeah but'.
Do they know better? Is what they say more important?
Makes you want to scream? It has this effect on me at least.
It usually feels like everyone else thinks that they have more information and I am just stupid.
Which I know I am not.
Just the other day I was talking with dad on the phone and he told me something about mum. My reaction:
"yeah but maybe this and that..."
Yesterday it suddenly hit me and I realized: we talked about the exact same thing - just in different words.
And it scared the living daylight out of me!!
Usually I skip those kind of story. This time some sick curiosity got me to follow the case for a while and see what the outcome would be. Because my gut feeling, reading the couple's story, told me that they are just full of BS.
Which was confirmed by the following article.
Gate crashers at the White House
All I can say:
Definition of Invitation
The act of inviting; solicitation; the requesting of a person's company; as, an invitation to party or a dinner, or to visit a friend.
In other words:
Something I choose to give to you. Not something you can make me give to you.
Either it's their or my perception that is messed up.
I chose them.
Alright - I realize that I have to get this written down, otherwise I won't be able to sleep tonight.
Today has been one of those days when I've been evaluating again
whether this job that I am doing, is really worth it. Customers are
extreme ingrate creatures!!
For about 12 hours now I've been trying to let this angry feeling go.
Usually I am pretty good at it because it's something you just have to
learn in my line of business. And usually I am able to let things go
that have happened during a day. If I wouldn't I'd probably go insane
at some point.
I thought I have seen it all now. But I was proven wrong.
Today I've got an email by a customer who was asking me - I quote: "do I need to feel deceived/defrauded?"
His delivery went without any of the usual hick-ups (unless you count
illness by a carpenter in times of the swine flue a hick up. Which was
handled about 2 weeks ahead of the scheduled mounting and another
carpenter was put on the case). Said carpenter was able to do the whole
work of de-mounting, disposing of the existing and re-mounting within 2
days.
Normally people complain for it to take too long. This customer felt he
was charged too much for that short amount of time because I had said
it takes between 3-4 for days.
Which is a correct estimation if my carpenter would have had to do the job by his own. Which is the normal case.
At this point of time he had the opportunity of having 2 helpers
available, to being able to do things faster. Therefore 3 people want
to be payed too. So.... One person working all in all 32 hours or
instead having 3 working 8 hours the first day and two working 8 hours
the second day.
Shall we charge 16 hours for one person and pay 3 people from the same amount?
Never mind the fact that we don't charge hours to begin with? But do calculate the amount of actual work that has to be done? That it is fair to everyone involved especially the customers? Because if there are f**** ups, which is the norm (many link in one chain) our carpenters have to do several tours in addition to the normal 3 to 4 days - which cost the customer nothing. I think it's also called fix price.
It just doesn't fit into my thick brain how someone in any way could imagine that I was trying to screw them?!
(set aside that my biggest, most fast and almost single anger-trigger is questioning my integrity)
Just been sitting lazily on the couch with a cup of nice hot Cappuccino on my belly, while watching NCIS.
Then the following scene played out on the screen:
McGee was hacking the internal system, trying to push Ziva forward in a waiting line of paper work and saw that something was going on. I can't remember the exact choice of words of the 3 characters involved. But it went somewhat like "oh oh code blue!" "You just got a red flag" (McGee) " Bla bla Black list" (DiNozzo) "What's this blue, read and black thing?!" (confused Ziva)
And then it all started to go wrong. During Ziva's inquiry I took a nice big zip from my cup when DiNozzo answered dryly "A Zebra in a blender".
A huge laughter forced it's way up and out, which resultet in the Cappuccino going somewhat the wrong way. Normally it would mean chocking on what you're drinking - in this case the laughter prevented me from that. In stead I showered in a wide spray the floor, the coffe table, of course my clothes, and most importantly my beloved couch.
So instead of continuing watching the episode I was busy cleaning everything around me, while fighting a laughing fit.
And definitely feeling very sorry for my sofa - which suffers profoundly of stains.
For some reason the former one which also was of a light colour never got as many stains as this one has gotten already in the first 6 months in my possession. I am just glad that I chose the microfiber fabric which is easy to clean.
And my personal moral from this will be: never try to multitask. From now on it will be either NCIS or Cappuccino.
Now I know why there's so much of a propaganda going on about the vaccine against the swine flu:
The Norwegian Oil fond has invested a lot of money into the company that is producing this pandemic vaccine.
How ironic!! The state system bought vaccines, more then apparently needed, so by that the Norwegian state is making money through their investments. And! additionally they earn through everyone else who is actually buying it thanks to the increase of the value of the shares.
Just read in the news that the first step towards the new US Health bill is done. With the risk of p#&¤"# - ing off a few people - I just got to say this anyway: I hope they go for it. In the long run it will benefit more then it will do harm.
The ones opposing it, meaning that it will cost too much, are the same that have been coining money through the system as it is right now in all the years before. If this means for them to no longer cashing in millions, not longer sitting on a gold mine, but actually have to invest a little - I don't think there's any harm in it.
It's basically the same thing that we've experience in Germany 20 years ago when East and West were re-united.
40 years of mismanagement of the East-Germany economy had to be equalized. It took time, it took money. It still does. But in the end something good will come out of it.
My view on it is this: if people can go to a doctor regularly on check up's, (serious) illness can be detected far earlier and be treated. Instead of people waiting for too long because they can't afford it, and then first being treated when it is almost too late - when it really costs money to get them back to health.
If nothing else counts - then at least this: what I've learned so far, the jaw - dropping amounts that Americans have to pay to their insurers every month - it's such a rip off that they DESERVE a better health care system!!
Sure feels like it. The wind is biting cold. And all you want to do is go home again and curl up on the couch with a cup of hot tea. Been at work for a little over an hour and don't seem to get the hang of it. Instead I went to the grocery store and bought myself rice pudding - breakfast didn't last too long either today.
Now I am sitting here spooning down the comforting sweet 'gunk' together with some coffee, in an attempt to get the corner into a productive and satisfying work day.
Not getting my hopes up though .....
Today is one of those days, when I should have stayed in bed.
I turn into an absolutely unusable individual if I wake up in the early morning hours, doing some toss and turn to just fall asleep again. So when the alarm clock launched this morning crawling out, from under the warm and comforting duvet, was more challenging then usual. Only the prospect of a nice, hot shower kept me going.
Being fully aware that there were problems with the hot water supply in the building lately, I refrained from jumping the shower right away but waited for the water to warm up.
Standing there in my birthday suit, waiting 10 min with my feet in cold water, I started developing the first goose bumps. After 15 min I was pissed off and gave up. But the hair needed to be washed and there was no way around. So I stuck my head under the cold jet of water, silently cursed the water system and tried to finish up as quickly as possible.
From that point on - everything that could to go wrong went wrong.
Time run away, it felt like I was just whirring around scatterbrained, items falling from my hands, stumbling over everything coming in my way. Barely made my bus to work and was surprised that I actually would make it in time.
After changing clothes 3 times, until I found something that I felt remotely human in, I skipped my usual make-up routing to limit the mess.
Safely arrived at work, I noticed that this was something I shouldn't have done. Not only were every effort to create some sort of hairstyle on my head a waste of time - but looking like some paleface really didn't do anything to flatter the rest of my rather disheveled looks.
Which shows very clearly in my customers reactions - they just won't take me seriously.
Either they doubt that I know my job, and ask two times whether or not I am able to answer all their questions satisfactorily. Or - which happened more then once today: they ignore me completely.
So just to find some sort of comfort - I will now go to the coffee shop around the corner and get my self a steaming hot cup of coffee and the biggest cupcake that I can dig my claws into!!
Though being still way to comfortable on the other page... I probably will need a while to get things up and running.
Bare with me :)
Recent Comments
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KatharineGrate said:
Too funny and you made me lol. Fortunately my mouth was empty, having learned my personal inability to multi-task years... read more
on No multi-tasking -
Obsessedwithart said:
thanks for sharing as you browsed.........peace............ read more
on Monday
Oh I understand and its maddening. I have actually stopped speaking midway through a conversation and yes the person has... read more
on Listen