TOPIC--The "Other" Fist

There's an ancient saying that goes something like this--"do unto others as you would have them do unto you"--sound familiar? I think that there are a lot of people in this world who think that it applies to how folks treat THEM, but not how they treat OTHERS. For example--while growing up, my mother demanded complete respect because she was my mother. If I said something to her that was abrupt or hurtful, she'd take time to point out how much I'd hurt her feelings. The ironic part is that this is the same woman who told me when I was a kid how much of a "spoiled brat" I was & as I got older, how I "got whatever I wanted whether I deserved it or not..." Don't get me wrong...I loved my mother very much and she loved me as well, but it never dawned on her that her words did a LOT of damage to me. Fifteen years after her death, I am still in an everyday struggle to put the hurt behind me. It's not easy.

If there's an advantage to having gone through this sort of abuse over the years, it's that I have learned that when I do hurt someone (whether it's someone I care about or a complete stranger), I try to put myself in their shoes and see what it's like to be mistreated by someone's insults or other hurtful words. Having that ability has opened a lot of doors for me to apologize for being such a jerk to some people.

So the moral of this little story is this: no matter how angry or frustrated you get with the people in your life, before you go off on them take a few seconds to THINK about what you're going to say. Remember that words can do a LOT of damage.

---

TOPIC--Admitting Fault

Remember the stupid clinic administrator that I wrote about last night? She made a mistake that cost her company a LOT of money and tried to push the blame onto me. I had documented evidence to back up my story (thank GOD!!) ....

Well, today I had to have communication with this boneheaded woman again. Here's an interesting little tidbit that I learned from her email--apparently her office is extremely busy and she would RATHER have all work done on the equipment in her clinic during the evening or on a weekend. The problem is that the contract they have with my company doesn't cover those types of hours--so while we CAN do the stuff after contract hours, they have to pay for it....at $990/hr with an additional fee of $750 for the field guy's overtime. This doesn't include any parts that my be necessary. So the tidbit I got today came directly from the horse's...er, dumb bitche's...mouth. She told me the whole thing about being SO busy during the week that she would rather do the Saturday appointment--at no charge to her of course. Yeah, I smell a rat. And yes, I have escalated the issue to some higher up folks at the company. Sorry, I just can't let this one drop. The funny thing is that had she not made such an issue of trying to blame ME, I would have been understanding and tried to help her out. Lord knows I've made my share of goof-ups!! But this woman isn't willing to even entertain the idea of taking the responsibility of her mistake.

---

So that's about it for my preaching tonight! Hope everyone has a great Thursday!!

Yep, it's time once again for a bitch session!!

Issue #1:
STUPID PEOPLE AT WORK & BEYOND

I've mentioned before my fears of ever having to have medical treatment in Texas, Oklahoma, or New Mexico. Of course I've got reason to be fearful because in conversations that I've had all too often with folks who run these machines and don't even know what they're called!! Well, my latest incident involves an administrator who goofed and has successfully managed to get about $10,000 worth of free service out of my company because she, along with one of the field guys at work and his manager are idiots. Here's the story:

A couple of weeks ago, I confirmed an appointment for her MR equipment, which was due for a maintenance check and a software upgrade. In the same conversation, we made an appointment for a piece of CT equipment that was also due for a maintenance check. The MR was set for a date in late April, while the CT was set for March 19th. A couple of days later, I get an email from the lady asking me to re-confirm the appointments for the MR--which I did. When she responded to my confirmation she asked me, "is someone still coming out on March 19th for the CT? I responded to the email by telling her that yes, someone would be out on 3/19 for the CT.

So March 19th rolls around and the field guy shows up to do the CT work--the administrator has a COW because she has blocked the MR room for the day. She starts raising all kinds of hell, which results in my field guy having to sneak out the back door! She then starts calling my office DEMANDING that we now do this service for her AFTER the office is closed or on a weekend because of MY screw up!!   Since I wasn't at work that day, she was told she'd have to wait for me to come back to get things straightened out.

When I got back to work and heard about this, I pulled the string of emails and PROVED to both the field guy AND his boss that it had not been MY mistake at all!! Of course the manager being the dipshit he is, he decides that he's going to give this free service regardless. Ok, whatever dude. So I get in touch with the field guy and let him know what's going on. He didn't respond for three days--then today I get the following message from him:

• "Given the subject line in your email to her, I can see how she'd be confused about the appointment because your subject line references the MR equipment."
  

WELL DUH!!! That is what the original subject of the email was, you goober!! Anyway, I tell the guy that he needs to READ the ENTIRE email and take THIS into consideration--the email CLEARLY references the maintenance AND software upgrade on the MR--and she SPECIFICALLY asked about the CT--so she had a record of the CT appointment somewhere, otherwise, how would she have KNOWN to ask about it??  

It isn't the fact that my company is going to lose $10,000 on this deal. That's on the incompetent manager if he wants to throw away money like that. What gripes MY ass is that it's STILL being insinuated that this was MY mistake...even though I clearly was NOT at fault!! Sorry, but I've taken enough blame over the course of the last several months and I'm not doing it this time!!

---

ISSUE # 2:
IDIOT DRIVERS

As if my day at work hadn't been frustrating enough, I had to once again contend with the moronic drivers on the highway going home. I've said before but it apparently bears repeating: if you move to a new city, BUY A DAMN MAP!!! Learn your freakin way around!!

From Raleigh to where I live in Fuquay-Varina, there are three major exits to get to the 'burbs on the main highway. Aside from those three major exits, there are MANY MANY MANY main thoroughfares within the cities of Raleigh, Cary, & Durham to get just about anywhere you need to go--specifically all of the residential areas. These aren't just skinny little neighborhood streets either...these are four lane roads--90% of them freshly paved even!! The only drawback is that the speed limits range from 35MPH to 45MPH, where the highway is 65MPH.   Common sense would dictate that it does NO good to get onto a 65MPH freeway if there's so much traffic that you can barely maintain 35MPH--yet, day in and day out here they are--bitching and flipping each other off because they're in a traffic jam to get to these main exits when they could have taken the city streets and actually GONE somewhere!! To make matters worse, the last exit on the highway to the burbs is the worst...and people will just creep along and keep 100 feet between themselves, which of course just slows things down even MORE!!

GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!

---

ISSUE #3:
CRYING WOLF--OR TOOTHACHE!

Last week, my brother calls me at lunch and sounds like shit. He's been having some major issues with his bottom teeth--so major that he hadn't slept more than a few hours each night for almost a whole week. Since my brother has always had some severe issues with his teeth, I'm naturally concerned about him. So he's asking me what he should do and I tell him that the FIRST thing he needs to do is call our sister for some advice--she is, after all, a dental hygeinist!! If nothing else, she can have her boss (a dentist of course) prescribe some antibiotics until he can get an appointment.

Does he call her?
NO.

I could have pinched his head off!!  (For the record, that smiley says, "listen here you little fucker"...I know it doesn't play when you click the little thing under him)

---

So that's my bitch session for tonight. Hmm... I wonder if I can get an IV drip of prozac today??

Here's a warning for those of you who may not be very good housekeepers--having a dirty home can kill you!! Seriously!!

Check this out--
Not too long ago, I wrote about a lady that I'd known who was found dead one morning by her husband. Her death was officially ruled as "natural causes" because of complications she'd had from neck surgery. The funny thing was that the lady was in her best nightgown, hair done up as though she was going out dancing, and she was wearing every single piece of jewelry she owned!

Long story short, Chris (the roomie) went over to help clean this lady's house for the family gathering after the wake. The house was BEYOND DISGUSTING!! Dog turds everywhere, dirty & moldy laundry literally up to the ceilings, and all kinds of other nasty stuff!!

So this lady's husband recently went into the hospital after a car accident he had. He'd been on his way to open his convenience store and ran off into a ditch. Well he kept going until he hit a drain pipe, and then got out of his van and started trying to disassemble his vehicle!! He ends up in intensive care with a MAJOR staph infection!! Unfortunately for him, he got to the hospital too late...the infection was literally all over his body. He died this afternoon. What caused the staph infection? His house!! Now I'm sure most of you out there keep a pretty decent home, but this guy was unbelievable--I could give details, but you'd not believe me if I did!!

The sad part about the whole situation is that there's an innocent little girl in the picture. She's lost her mom and now her dad and will now have to go and live with someone else. That is going to be an ordeal in itself because this poor little girl has been raised by baboons--serious up folks, she doesn't even eat with utensils!! I'm not trying to be insulting of the dead, but I just believe there's no excuse for living that way AND bringing a child up like that!!

---

I had dinner at Cindy's house this evening. I actually got to eat something I've never had before...a Rueben sandwich. I also found out something about myself this evening--I don't like Rueben sandwiches!!

Cindy neglected to tell me the ingredients--two of which I *DESPISE*.....sauerkraut and 1000 Island dressing....the salad dressing is ok--on a salad or Big Mac--but not in conjunction with sauerkraut.

Since I didn't want to be rude or hurt her feelings, I actually did eat it....but UGH!! It was hard to do!!

---

So I see this report on the news this evening.....it seems that the oil industry is in the midst of a nosedive...the price for a barrel of crude is now just over $100....awwww....I'm so sad to hear that all of the trillionaires in the oil industry may not be able to buy this year's Bentley!! What WILL their neighbors think??

---

Well that's all for now! I'm pooped!!

Damnit!
Sometimes I absolutely HATE Blogstream's WYSIWYG editor! If it takes any longer than 5 minutes to write an entry, you have to copy the entry before hitting submit so that you don't lose the whole entry when it comes to the damn "your account has been logged out due to inactivity" screen. So I'd sat here for a bit writing yet another one of my witty entries (yeah, right!) and I inadvertantly hit the ENTER key....and damned if the whole freaking entry didn't freaking VANISH!!

Since I'm WAYYYY too lazy today to rewrite the entire thing, I'll just condense it for you:

"The weekend was eventful. Friday was ok, even though I didn't get shit done. Saturday was ok, except for when a dog who has only one eye (he can't see out of it either), is deaf, and 15 years old pissed all over the seat in my truck. Today was good...I went to see my sister and nephew Eli--he's growing so damn fast!! He enjoyed his time with Uncle Bry though!"

Yeah it's a lot less entertaining than it originally was, but I blame the guy who runs this place. He needs a better editor damnit!!  

---

One thing I definitely WILL re-write exactly was this part--

Even though I don't get to do it as often as I used to and would LIKE to, I do from time to time go to everyone who's listed in my favorites and see what is going on in their little corner of the world. So today I stop over at Zane's blog and am a bit puzzled to see that there are a few "confessions" on the latest (and apparently last) entry--Zane was never "real"--and also a woman, not a man--and said, "you guys will believe anything" and "fellow ladies, please let that be a lesson to you" .....this was after the 'no more comments or private messages--they will not be responded to in any way" statement.

I'm confused:

1. Who cares? So you're a chick who posed as a dude on the internet. Like *THAT* has never happened before......!!
2. Why make a blanket statement like "you guys will believe anything"? Here's a secret--not ALL guys "believe anything", and the assumption that we ALL do is more than just a little naieve, and frankly a bit sexist. I'd have to say it's a good bet that if you were "toying" with someone on the internet, you were being "toyed" with as well. And another thing--women (most of those I know anyway) don't really need other women to give them 'life lessons' about men--trust me, most of them know that there are some creeps in the world.
   
3. You went through the trouble of saying "no more comments or private messages" as though after making a confession that you're a faker someone would WANT to respond or send you a private message? Get over yourself.
   

  So it looks like whoever this was will lay low for a while, invent a new screen name, and then come back a'stalkin one day.

I can hardly wait.

Well, that's all I've got for now! I hope everyone had a good Easter!

Since Easter is this weekend, I figured that I'd better let y'all in on some news that I just got from the Easter Bunny himself (via Santa Claus)....

It seems that Mr. Bunny is really feeling the pressure to be more politically correct, so he's implemented the following changes, effective Easter 2008:

• Chocolate bunnies are no longer left for children in their Easter baskets due to protests from civil rights groups claiming that children consuming chocolate bunnies is a racist hate crime.
  

• Under pressure from chickens worldwide, the act of boiling & then dying of eggs is now outlawed. A group of 100,000 chickens testified before Congress last month that the act of kidnapping their young & then murdering them should be illegal.
  

• The term "Easter basket" is no longer appropriate. The word "basket" is slang for the size of a man's sexual organ and is too mature a subject for children.
  

• Going to church on Easter Sunday is discouraged by the Easter Bunny. Attending church on this day is distracting people from the REAL meaning of the holiday--buying candy, buying cards, and buying Easter baskets...er, Easter candy holding modules.
  

• The term "Easter" bunny is no longer acceptable as a reference to the figure. He should now be known as "The Non Denominational Mythical Creature of Easter".
  

• While real eggs are not acceptable for use, plastic eggs are still allowed for "hunts"...although each MUST be equipped with a tracking device so that children may find them via satellite link GPS units instead of having to actually LOOK for them. Studies have found that children are too active and need their rest. Hunting eggs the traditional way is just too much stress on the little darlings.
  

• Due to the high cost of gasoline since Dictator Bush's takeover of the United States, "The Non Denominational Mythical Creature of Easter" will no longer be making house calls. Those wishing to have treats must now drive to receive the candy. His home is located just to the left of the leprechaun's pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Look for the white hole in the ground with black shutters.

I was pretty stunned when I saw these new rules!! But if you think THIS is bad, just WAIT until Santa releases HIS new regulations for Christmas 2008!!!