F You Mr. Customer
Okay, I have a loan renewal that needs to be signed before the end of the month and I keep leaving messages for this customer to PLEASE call me back so that we can get this take care of before he loses the rate he was locked in for and so on and so on. My messages are pretty simple..
"Hi Mr. Customer, It's Loren, I have your renewal paperwork ready, if you can give me a call so we can schedule a time to sign that would be great!"
He never called me back, ever!
Finally, just minutes ago I get a hold of him. Very sweetly I told him that I have his renewal paperwork ready and if he could pop by today or tomorrow to sign. He rips in to me, transcript follows.
Him: Do you know how many you've called me?
Me: Yes, I'm sorry, but I haven't heard back from you and you requested the loan to be renewed and I can't close it until you come in and sign.
Him: Well, I always call back after at least 48 hours.
Me: Well, I'm sorry if you called me and I didn't receive the message, but I need you to come in.
Him: Why should I call back if I can only call when it's after hours and you're not there?
Me: (I have voicemail asshole, we all do, you could have left a message AND you're retired, you can call any freaking time!) Okay, well can you come in today?
Him: If it means you'll stop calling.
Me: I'll see you this afternoon.
Click.Nine out of ten customers are never like this to me, but the one that's left over usually makes up for all of them and this one isn't so bad compared to customers who have thrown things at me and threatened my life (when my office was in the hood). This is why I will encourage my children to never go in to banking. It's to late for me.
Damn You Steak!
So, Jeff and I survived Lent. No red meat for a total of 46 days and 46 nights.
I promised Jeff I would make rib eyes for dinner. I picked up two thick cut, perfectly marbled rib eye steaks. Seasoned them lightly with salt and pepper, seared them on both sides and finished them in the broiler (we were out of propane for the grill).
Jeff's mouth was watering. We sat down at the table and for some reason, looking at my steak just didn't sit well and I was nervous about eating it. Jeff took his first bite and was giddy from head to toe. I took a bite of mine and before I knew it, I was in the bathroom sick. Jeff finished off my steak.
Sick all night with my stomach in knots and the room spinning, I felt like I was dying. The thought of eating any kind of meat just made me want to gag. I woke up this morning to Jeff sick from dinner, feeling the same way.
So now at work, I'm at my desk with a box of Immodium, bottle of Emetrol and some Sprite. I feel like crap and so did Jeff when I checked in on him.
To much to fast? I only had a bite and I'm miserable. I don't think I can have steak for a while.
The Ocean Isn't Just Fun and Games
Woman Dies After Ray Strikes HerMIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- A woman on a boat died after a spotted eagle ray leaped from the water off the Florida Keys Thursday and struck her, officials said.
The force of the blow pushed the woman backward and she died when she hit her head on the boat deck, officials said. "It's just as freakish of an accident as I have heard," said Jorge Pino of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. "The chances of this occurring are so remote that most of us are completely astonished that this happened." The commission identified the woman as Judy Kay Zagorski, 57, of Pigeon, Michigan.
The woman was seated or standing in the front of the boat as her husband piloted the vessel at about 25 mph out of a channel, Pino said. "The ray just actually popped up in front of the vessel," he said. "The father had not even a second to react. It was too late. It happened instantly and the woman fell backwards and, unfortunately, died as a result of the collision."This is just so sad, you are having a wonderful time with your family on vacation and then this happens. Even though it was an accident and the ray wasn't what really killed her, but the reaction and collision, it's just terrible and sad.
I think that people need to realize that the ocean is full of dangers that could hurt or kill you, even with such rare instances such as as this, but people who don't visit the ocean or don't live by one full time really wouldn't know. And of course, resorts would never tell you the dangers because lack of fun in the water means lack of revenue for them.
I grew up on the gulf coast, minutes from the beach and even as a little kid my parents would always caution me about what lurks beneath. Not as a scare tactic, but because it was reality. There were always stories of tourists being hurt by rays, small sharks or jellyfish especially when digging for sand dollars or star fish, and it was because they just didn't know.
When I was 3 I was hospitalized for several days after a Man-of War washed over me from playing in the waves in Fort Lauderdale and then the family having a police escort across Alligator Alley on the way home and I also remember my foot being torn apart from a sting ray barb. It's not that I'm afraid of the water, but because of that I have always been very cautious and with friends from out of town that would visit and want to go to the beach, I would give them the 411 on what could be in the water.
The ocean is like an open zoo of animals and you are in their territory. People should take responsibility, but also the places that attract them there. Resorts will herd tourists in and out telling them the beauty of the Florida coast, to come swim and enjoy, deep sea fish and jet ski all day long, but with out a little heads up on sea life and even though it's rare, an accident can happen.
R.I.P. Trona
Oh Trona, the years have hardened you.
For Christmas of 1999, I bought Jeff a DVD player. Back then, DVD players were a little pricey. I was 23, working part time for a bank and I remembered having to save and save and save. I was so excited when I bought it and even more excited to give it to him for our first Christmas.
We nicknamed the DVD player Trona (the maker was Oritron) and we used her almost every day (with the exceptions of vacations) for at least 2-3 DVD's and even more when we would have our weekend movie marathons. Trona worked her heart out for us, even after I was told by someone, who shall remain nameless, and it wasn't Jeff, that the DVD player was a piece of crap and wouldn't even last a year, lasted for nine.
Around October she was getting tired and wouldn't play certain movies, especially ones with animated menus. I came to terms with Trona's fate, it was time to retire her. I thought about just moving the DVD player from the bedroom to the family room, but that would only solve half the problems.
For Christmas I got Jeff two DVD players. One for American DVD's and one for British (sometimes the DVD's that come from England won't play and I found out your DVD player needs to be programmed to play British DVD's, so I bought two). This weekend we finally moved the entertainment center out and made the switch. The new player works great!
We can't throw Trona away just yet, it doesn't feel right. she needs a proper send off. Maybe cremation in our fire bowl?
Babies Update
Okay, after a three day stay at the vet and a mortgage payment later, the kids are doing fine.
Doris- She apparently ate something on one of her walks that almost killed her. It could have been a poisonous plant, pesticide or bug/rodent bait, who knows. She was on IV's and medication all weekend and will still need some time to get her system back in order, but she is doing much better. This is one of the reasons I don't use things like poison peanuts in my yard and the elephant ear tree is getting pulled out of the backyard this weekend as a precaution.
George- Surgery was done to remove the nubbin. It was a ball of infection that grew (literally overnight) over a bad reaction to a bug bite. He is wearing a lamp shade and will get his gazillion stitches out in two weeks. Not to poke fun, but he crashes in to everything with his lamp shade on and at bedtime it's a riot with him trying to get under the covers, whacking in to all of us. He is a good boy when we take it off for meal time and walks and especially when we have to put it back on. He just sits so still and is such a good boy. It also helps that he knows he gets peanut butter after.
Larry- as usual, causes me no heartache.
Happy (after) Birthday Jeff!
Yesterday Jeff turned 39 and because a world of stupid fell on me, I couldn't post his birthday message.
We had a nice evening with his family, Jeff scored all the Best Buy gift cards he could handle.
Happy Birthday Honey Bunny!!!!
My Poor Babies
They're both sick!
Doris wasn't herself on Friday, she wouldn't eat and she slept all day. I called the vet to make an appointment to bring her in Saturday morning. She started to have "shivers" Friday evening and Saturday morning, so of course I was freaking out.
I was playing with George and noticed some kind of nubbin on his back paw. So while I packed Doris up, I got him ready as well.
We get to the vet and it's decided both will have to stay. Doris had a 103.8 temp and George would need surgery for his foot to remove the mystery nubbin.
I called this morning, they are both doing very well, but I missed them so much! The house was to quiet.
This Is Driving Me Crazy
At work we have satellite radio. We usually play around with the channels until we find something we can all agree on and not get tired of to quickly.
Now we are listening to 80's Greatest.
I WAS in Heaven until a coworker of mine started hearing the songs so much that now she hums along to them, or try and sing along, but doesn't know the words.
THIS IS DRIVING ME CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I JUST WANT TO HEAR THE F-ING SONG IN PEACE!!!!!!!!!!
The channel will rotate the same 50 or songs over and over again, so if you didn't know them from before, you would know them in a day or so. The choices are great, Duran Duran, The Police, Ramones, The Cure, The Cars, Madonna, etc.... But they suck when you hear humming over them.
I want to change the channel, but I'm really loving the 80's, I want to tell her stop, but that will make me sound like a bitch. I just cannot stand humming. Bad humming at that.
Now, if she starts whistling, you might see me on the evening news, going bezerker and being hauled away in a squad car. Humming might make me snap, whistling will guarantee it.
