unbelievable.

a few days ago, i found that i was having trouble with the electricity in my place. after a multimeter purchase and some circuit breaker and switch checking, i decided the problem was out of my league and called for an electrician. i called a company who took down my info and had the technician call me back. the tech asked me if i wanted him to come out that same day for an extra $60 (since it was a weekend and thus an "emergency service") or if i would prefer monday. i decided to save my $60 and request service monday.

the appointment window on monday came and went without so much as a peep from the technician, so i called the company. the girl apologized and said that she would page the technician to call me. one hour passed and still no call, so i called the girl again. once again, she apologized profusely and said that she would ask the technician to call me as soon as possible.

the next day, after having heard nothing from the technician, i decided to call a different company since that company sucked. so i went to a different online source to look up a different electrician. i found one reasonably close to where i lived and picked it based on the feeling that the name of the company sounded friendly and somewhat familiar. when i called them up, much to my chagrin, it turned out to be the same damn girl at the same damn company. there wasn't much i could do but complain again that the technician never called me and she assured me that he would. needless to say, the tech never called.

so i said "screw that company, i'm not doing business with them!" for the second time and found a real different company to call. i made an appointment for friday and thought that was that. this time, the electrician did show up, and he even showed up early! unfortunately, he was a bit too early and i had not gotten back to my house yet. i guess electricians get to show up anytime and expect you to be there. instead of waiting for me at the appointed time, he decided to leave a business card and go off to some other job many many miles away, leaving me electricianless for the day.

and thus concludes my electrician story. i hope.

work talk

someone is clipping her nails at work right now. in spite of the fact that i work at a company primarily comprised of guys, i can only surmise that it is a girl. this is because no real man would dare bring a nail clipper into a place of work. and to actually use one is an even worse offence.

somewhat related, i believe that all work related discussions should be confined to work spaces. in the case of company 'i', this extends from cubicles and meeting rooms to hallways and cafeterias. however, i refuse to do any business inside the restroom--excepting my own business of course. it's okay to talk about the weather, or about the game last night while you are in the restroom. however, it is not okay to expect someone to follow you into the restroom while you two are talking about work. furthermore, it is not acceptable to hold the door open for several minutes while discussing work issues with a person who declines to follow you into the restroom. in the case where you find an unwilling participant in the bathroom-work-talk tango, it would be best to leave the restroom entirely and complete all work related discussions in the hallway.

just my opinion of course.