MetaChat - In the office.

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24 November 2009

In the office. →[More:]

Today one of the recent starters in another team phoned me to say he had a new case from someone I'd dealt with in the past and "I think you need to take this case because these people are being rather difficult." He had the poshest voice I've heard this side of Brian Sewell and as he was, er, giving orders to me I looked him up on the intranet. He looks about 23, a brunette version of Prince William, but not as chavvy.

I took great delight in telling him that, sadly, his job actually involves dealing with difficult people, and that, anyway, I'm in a different area of the business from him, so he can't just throw a case at me if he doesn't like it.

This came as quite a shock to him poor dear, he's obviously not used to people saying 'No' to him, especially plebs like me with horrid northern accents.

A while later I was up on his floor to see someone else and took a detour past his desk. In our office we have a casual dress code - everyone wears jeans, chinos, t-shirts, sweaters. He was in a three-piece suit.

Then this afternoon a woman in my team said that she refuses to touch second-hand books in case someone has read them in the toilet and the pages have absorbed poo bacteria.

Sometimes I feel quite normal.

post by: essexjan at: 13:11 | 16 comments

These are the things I miss working from home. But I do take comfort in knowing that none of officemates/cats read in the litter box.

posted by Slack-a-gogo 24 November | 13:37

I had tuna for lunch. I know it's an office faux-pas, but I eat alone and I sit in my office alone, so how bad could it be? It was delicious. Then I put the new water jug on the cooler. It went very well except that I had my hand near the top, and when I flipped it over, I didn't pull my hand out in time and I pinched my thumb a little. That'll bruise, I guess.

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 24 November | 13:47

Today I forwarded a client's email to a superior, as it was regarding her case. She wrote back to me and asked me what the forwarded email said. No, really. And I had to write back and explain what the client wanted rather than the superior just scrolling down and reading it herself.

posted by amro 24 November | 13:55

I've been emailing with the woman who pulled me into the building plan project at work with my questions as I come across things (and random archives tidbits I think about) and I mentioned the acetate films we have (which are deteroirating, even in the stacks) and she was all 'OH YOU'RE THAT PERSON'.

Nice to be known for something other than my spreadsheets, I guess. I'm that asshole who is riling up other departments and being an asshole. (Fix my films, damnit!) What makes this more entertaining is the fact that I'm getting ready to send out another email about them (since everyone has ignored me on the other ones) telling them that we've been doing visual inspections only, since *someone* won't order the strips. (I'll be damned if that's coming out of our budget, when it's not our fuckup.)

We also have the funness of getting requests from a librarian at another library who can't be bothered to fucking look up requests in the catalog for herself and see that they're available online. Whatever, it pads our stats.

posted by sperose 24 November | 14:41

haha! Poo bacteria! That's the oldest excuse in the book!

you know who else didn't read books because of the poo bacteria? No? Me neither. I think it's pretty much just her.

posted by taz 24 November | 15:42

I had tuna for lunch today too. I had no idea it was an office faux pas.

posted by chrismear 24 November | 17:45

I had tuna also. A can of tongol tuna, some garlic mayo, with some capers and sundried tomatoes on some very chewy whole grain bread.

But I ate it in the privacy of my home.

posted by danf 24 November | 17:47

I had tuna too! With celery, grape tomatoes, tarter sauce, cucumber, privacy of own home.

posted by Obscure Reference 24 November | 18:07

I used to go to work completely buck-ass naked on Wednesdays, and one day I was walking into a meeting and sat down, when all of a sudden this new temp looks over and sees my sapphire-encrusted nipple ring and says, "WOAH - YOU'RE THAT GUY!!!"

posted by Lipstick Thespian 24 November | 18:22

I had sushi at lunch today. Sushi! SUSHI! and an Odwalla C Monster.

posted by special-k 24 November | 18:54

My current temp job's going well so far.

Of course, this being a NYC office, there's a coworker who has to assault my eardrums with a blow-by-blow account of her family drama.

"And then I said to her -- You know what I said to her? -- I told her . . . "

I was tempted to retaliate with an equally boring account of online drama

"And then you know what I typed? I typed WHAT.THE.FUCK.SO-AND-SO? with, like, a period between each word. 'Cause that's how they do it on that website. I really showed that asshole."

posted by jason's_planet 24 November | 19:27

I spent the last two days working with a client in Detroit. I stayed across the street from the client at the MGM Grand, a hotel/casino that is one of the more recent attempts to rejuvenate the city. The hotel was fine, but at least in my book there is isn't much that is more depressing than a casino.

On a brighter, or at least more interesting, note, we went to lunch at a restaurant that is literally a stone's throw from Michigan Central Station. We drove right by it,going underneath the tracks on the south side. It's an impressive building; it stands pretty much by itself, away from the downtown skyscrapers. I wish I could have spent some time walking around it and seeing it a little better.

posted by deadcowdan 24 November | 20:04

I thought fish was a no-no only if you cooked/nuked it at work?

I am thankful that I don't have to go to an office any more.

posted by deborah 24 November | 20:59

I don't have an office, but I have classrooms, of course. One, primarily. It's a nice classroom, spacious and sunny. (Except for the overenthusiastic heat and sealed windows.) I am free to eat tuna anytime I like.

(ej: I love saying no to overassumptive people, especially bosses who seem to forget that there is a contract in place. It feels sooooo good.)

posted by Pips 24 November | 21:08

Damn, deadcowdan we could have met for lunch.

posted by arse_hat 24 November | 21:34

Arse_hat, its' not inconceivable that I'll be back with that customer at some point in the next few months. If I am, I'll give you a shout. It would be cool to meet up with Metachat's arse_hat.

posted by deadcowdan 25 November | 08:16

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