Stupid Shit

I work for a large organization. At our main site there are most likely about 5000-8000 employees. With all the satelite facilities there are at least 10,000 employees. So imagine what I am thinking when I retrieve a phone message that says,

"Hi, this is Sarah. I just started working here and I need to find out what training I need to complete. Please get in touch with me as soon as possible."

Sure Sarah, of the 10,000 people who work here I am sure you are the only Sarah. I will just scroll through the names of everyone and once I find a Sarah, I will call you back. No I didn't forget to add the call back information, or not write it for her protection. The above was the message she left, verbatim. No phone number, no e-mail address, no last name, not even the name of her boss. Absolutely no way to track her down and return her call.

Sarah called back two days later, quite irate that no one had gotten back in touch with her. We explained that without any contact information, including her last name, it was rather impossible.

Her reply?

Oh.

One Thing Leads to Another

I wouldn't believe the following story if it had not happened to me. Our latest tragedy started when I decided to start a load of laundry before dinner, while the hubby went outside to get the barbecue ready for dinner. When I walked into the laundry room I heard what sounded like a waterfall. I looked toward the sound of the water and there in the corner what do I see, but a stream of water falling down from the ceiling. I handled the situation quite well I must say. I went back upstairs, took a tranquilizer and then called my husband and told him we had an emergency.

We found the source of the leak pretty quickly. The pipe from the dishwasher broke off the drain. Of course this meant in addition to the flood in the basement, there was a flood under the sink in the kitchen. We started cleaning up in the kitchen. Took everything out of the cabinet, washed it, dried it, put it in a safe place, and washed and dried the cabinet. Then we went down stairs to clean up the basement. We were just finishing when suddenly I started hearing dripping water again. No flood this time. Just the skies opening, cancelling our barbecue.

Two days later, I'm home cleaning up after the plumber fixed the drain and all of a sudden I hear a buzzing. It sounds like it is coming from the door bell. I go to the door, but there is no one there and the bell is not stuck, but the buzzing continues. I called a neighbor and after banging all the paint off the doorbell, which was flying all over the room that had just been cleaned, we found that the doorbell must have shorted out. No matter what we did the buzzing continued. Since we could not stop it, we disconnected it.

A few days later, we finally find the time to get a new doorbell. Of course, this could not go smoothly either. The house is old and some of the electrical wiring has never been upgraded. The wiring to the doorbell is some of that wiring. Although the package said it would take 30 minutes to install, we were at if for over an hour. We finally got it hooked up and as we were cleaning up noticed that all of the cleaning supplies from under the sink, had not been put back yet. So we decide to "finish up the kitchen." We put down new contact paper, and as I lifted the first item off the floor to hand to the hubby to put away... Hmm... What is that brown liquid on the floor? After moving a few more items we found that a can of soda, stored next to where we placed all the cabinet items, must have had a pinhole leak. There is root beer soda everywhere!

With that we start to wash and dry all the items from under the sink again. We now have some of the cleanest cleaning supplies in NY! Then we washed and dried all of the other items that got wet. And of course, we don't want to attract ants, so the floor had to be washed.

Now I recognize that none of this was a major tragedy. And I know I should be happy that nothing of value was ruined. But just once, I would like to have one problem at a time. I would like to start one project and at least finish that project before the next catastrophe hits. I actually hesitate to start any projects for fear of what else we will find, or what else will happen as a result. Yes, I'm sure in the future I will look back on this and find it funny, but right now it just seems like there is always a tragedy waiting to happen.

I Hate When You Treat Me Like A Child

I hate hearing my husband say this, because I know the response I am thinking, "Then stop acting like a child" will not go over well. And the truth of the matter is, I do not treat him like a child. I treat him the way I need to treat him to get something done even reasonably close to correctly.



I know at least half of you out there are thinking that I am just a pain in the ass. That I never think anything is good enough. I swear that is not the case!


So here is a for example.

We are walking home from the train and I say, "Don't forget, tonight you need to (whatever chore he has promised to take care of)." He responds, "I know what I need to do. Don't treat me like a child." The next day on the way home from the train I say, "Honey tonight you really need to remember to..." And he says, "You know how it pisses me off when you keep reminding me of what I need to do. It will get done." So the next night on the way from the train I say, "Maybe tonight, before you sit down and start watching TV..." The response of course is basically the same, "Don't be a wise ass. Just because I forgot yesterday doesn't mean I'm going to forget tonight." I do not say, "Well since you forgot two nights in a row doesn't it seem to be a pattern?" No, instead, the next night on the way home from the train I say nothing. I wait until we are in the house, and our clothes have been changed. Then I say, "Honey why don't you..." "You know I work hard all day. I should have a right to sit and relax and watch a little TV before I start my projects. I hate when you treat me like a child." It's over. I can't hold back. "Well I wish I didn't have to treat you like a child." Clearly, the next night we are not speaking, and after changing my clothes, I set out to do his chore. These are not little things. They are his chores because they are too big and heavy for me to take care of. But since they will not get done if I do not do them, here I am trying my best not to hurt myself. Finally he realizes I'm missing. He comes and sees what I am doing and says, "Honey, what are you doing? Your going to hurt yourself. I can do that. Why are you so stubborn? Why don't you just ask me to do this type of thing?"

Yes, I am sure you are laughing, but in my eyes it would only be funny if it were not so tragic.

Why are easy things so difficult?

I am getting a master's degree in Adult Education. The current class is Technology for Adult Education. Going in I new this would be trouble. I am not tech savvy. I can't tell you how long it took me to learn how to text. As hard as I try, technology just moves faster than I do. I just got a smartphone. Even figured out how to use it. Now everyone has tablets. Smartphones are so yesterday.

So my team has an assignment to use a Web 2.0 technology to submit a report. We decide we will make a blog because everything we have read in the class says they are easy to produce. Easy my ASS!

Okay, I started the blog. I can't find it. Try again. I found it but I can't post. Try again. I can comment but I can't post. time passes I think I need a gmail account. Yes, make a gmail account. I made a gmail account. Okay, I made you an author. I still can't post. I sent you an invite. An invite? Yes, go to your gmail account. OMG, I can post! next team member I can't find the blog...

It is going to take a week just to get us all on the blog! And they wanted me to make a podcast!? Are you kidding me!

I'm sure this would be funny if it weren't so damn tragic! Blah!