The "PRIVATE" caller

Two incidences took place today that made me think about my blog title, again.

There are some people that I jive with from the get-go. I talk fluently (for the most part) or can make sense after a bad jumpstart. But then there are other people who, no matter how hard I try, I just don't communicate effectively with.

Point of insecurity: considering that SLP is my future profession, I really better work on communicating effectively and being superbly articulate. I swear the older I get, the worse my communication skills are. I used to write much better than the crap I've been posting since I began this blog.

So, during work hours, MP's wife calls a lot. Come to think of it, a lotta attys' wives call a lot. Some are insecure, some are housewives, some are *codependent,* some have reason to be insecure (I won't get into that just yet). I've come to hesitate answering his line whenever caller ID says "PRIVATE" b/c more than 1/2 of the time, that "PRIVATE" caller is his wife. So, out of all the times that I've answered, she's realized maybe 1/3 of the time, that it's me. Sometimes, it's after she calls me the prior secty (who supposedly flaunts how she married a rich partner and doesn't really need to work, but does p/t anyways) who left this assignment 3 months ago. Or am I (c), who's been MP's secty for 10+ years now? No, wait, it's Cheryl. So, past the "Cheryl?" we're able to have a decent chat about 1/4 of the time, but it usually gets awkward really quick -- not sure how/why -- and then she'll ask if (c) is there, since her hubby is obviously busy (or else he would have picked up his line).

Anywho, so it's gotten to the point where about 1/2 the time a "PRIVATE" caller calls, s/he hangs up. Too bad for MP's wife, I've come to suspect that it's her. After 3 months of this, I finally had enough today. So, when this "PRIVATE" caller called twice -- and hung up twice -- in literally 2 minutes, I decided to pull a Sherlock Holmes. I scrolled through my fancy Cisco phone to Placed Calls (b/c I noticed MP's line was suddenly lit up, after I told him somebody called and hung up twice)...sure enough, he had dialed 310-***-****. OooooOoooOOO!

Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions. Maybe I'm not. The pro/con about knowing you're quitting your job is that you tend to be indifferent. Sometimes, you get a little bolder, too, b/c "what are they gonna do, fire me? I'm already quitting." The firm culture just isn't for me. It's just not fun to be working w/ so many women. My poor "sister" is going through the same thought, but on another floor. It's too much drama and unnecessary stress.

Today, another secty got christened with the name of Rooster b/c whenever she walks by my bay, she looks and walks like a rooster. Poor old lady. Anyways, she's the type that will keep you on the phone for 10 minutes when she could have said what she wanted to say in 2 minutes, and I end up taking the 11th minute figuring out wth she was trying to say. Talk about "what do you mean what do I mean?" syndrome. She got me really frustrated b/c all I did was ask her some simple questions which she should have completed on the NMM in the first place.

"For the above-referenced NMM, please provide the following 411: contact's phone and fax number, what dept NMM is assigned to, and billing arrangement. Yet, she was on the brink of yelling at me as if it was my fault that the NMM was incomplete, and she was telling moi to get the 411. As if I keep copies of everyone's NMM. I even explained to her, I cannot have MP sign these until all the required 411 is provided. Then she interrogated me and looked me up in the Facebook and asked where I was located. Unfortunately, I'm on the same floor and she passes by me every time she goes to the Lady's Room. Ugh. Finally, she hung up with me.

I straight marched to (c) and explained in a nice way, what Rooster had told me. (c) immediately called Rooster up and said in the most tactful way that she needs to provide us with the 411. Actually, if I've learned anything today, it's to always use the atty to your advantage. "I know it's a hassle, but that's how [the atty] wants it done."

I'm just tired of sectys pawning their work onto the next person. That's what's great about (c). She may pawn her work on me, but at least we're a team. Once anybody else tries to pawn their work on me, she's the first to step up and say, I don't think so, homie. You better back away. So much for the "World-Class Service" that HR is trying to promote among the sectys...