This may be more appropriate as a facebook share, but it's really sweet. No need to watch if you don't love dogs.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
People I Deal with at Work, Part 1: The Residents
Despite plenty of evidence to the contrary (me having time to write this blog while at work), my job is not boring. I admit I spend a lot of time complaining about it, but it does provide me with plenty of interesting stories. Many of these I don't share for fear of annoying people who won't find them funny because you weren't there. No offense to the teachers out there...I love you all, but you know how teachers are always telling you stories about the kids in their class?? This is what I'm trying to avoid. In small doses, that is fine, but I just really don't care that much about the kids in their class. If I'm going to hear kid stories I'd like them to at least be YOUR kids. I can deal with that. I digress, and I really mean no offense and I'm going to feel bad if people stop telling me "kid at school" stories because I'll think you read this and were offended so keep them coming! Back to me. While my job is similar to many other jobs in a lot of ways - I work in an office, I sit at a desk and play on the computer all day - it is also unique in the fact that many of the people I'm working with from day to day live here. This is what differentiates selling apartments from any other sales job. You work hard and kiss ass to make the sale, but then instead of taking your product and leaving never to be heard from again, they move in! This means anything you promised them better be true because they will call you on it because they live here! Now that you get it, I will be profiling a few of the residents that I get to deal with.
1. The Buddy - This guy thinks he's my buddy. He pops in all the time just to say hi because we're buddies. He comments on my outfits - "All black today, huh?" Uh, yeah, apparently. And when he has a service request, he's cool about it. No big deal, but my tub's clogged so just whenever. Or I need a new furnace filter, but don't worry about installing it tell the guys they can just drop it off and I'll do it. This is all well and good until something doesn't get done or they get a letter that they owe money. Then it's all "I've been really understanding, but..." Just be straight up with me. Nobody asked you to put your own filter in. It doesn't make a difference to me. The worst is if something really bad happens in their apartment (ex. mold, break-in, etc) because then they never leave. They're here all day every day. But for the most part, this guy's not so bad. Moving on...
2. The Contractor - This guy is a contractor or works for a contractor or used to be a contractor or his brother's a contractor or her dad's a contractor or they just think they're a contractor. This person does a couple of different things. First, they want to see the apartment before they move in, which is fine if it's ready, but sometimes its not ready until they want to move in because they needed it right away and still want to be picky. But they don't care if it's not ready. At least that's what they think until they get in there and it's dirty and smells like cooking grease because everything looks worse when it smells like cooking grease. Trust me. So before they move in they already have a list of stuff they expect done before they move in. Most of which would have been done and the rest they wouldn't have noticed if it weren't for the stupid grease. This, by the way, is why we don't show apartments before they're officially ready. (These people sometimes sneak in when they're laying carpet or something) Then the worst is if something breaks in their apartment because no matter how we fix it or who fixes it, they know somebody who would have done a better job. Or they were watching the people work and they didn't do this right or that. These people can be nice in person, but have the potential to be completely annoying if anything ever goes wrong in their apartment. Oh, and they also know all the building codes, OSHA laws, health department numbers and can and will tell us what we are doing wrong and threaten to call and report us if it is not corrected.
3. The Screamer - These people yell about anything and everything. They yell at me, they yell at their kids, they yell at their husband, or their neighbor. It doesn't matter what the issue is, but it can be resolved through screaming. These are the same people who post their complaints on apartmentratings.com. That's like virtual screaming. Most of these people hate me, but some of them come in and apologize after the screaming only to turn around and do it again the next day. They also pass this along to their children. As I was leaving the complex last night for dinner, I passed four teenagers yelling at each other while a police officer sorted it out. While I probably should have stopped to be sure everything was OK...I just kept driving. The worst thing about these people is that they are perfectly pleasant when they lease the apartment. The screaming doesn't start until after they move in.
4. The Partyer - This one's not as bad as it sounds. These guys know what they're doing. They throw parties every weekend and nobody complains because they invite everyone. It's genius, really. Everyone loves these guys. They're just so cool. The police occasionally get called, probably by the new guy who hasn't gotten his invite yet, but these guys sweet talk the cops and the party rages on. These guys don't complain, they pay their rent on time and generally spend all the time they aren't partying being careful to stay under the radar. I like these guys. I can sleep through anything so as long as I'm not getting phone calls (which I'm not - it's still amazing to me because these parties get loud and can encompass the entire street), I don't care.
5. The Ghost - This is the last type of resident I'm going to talk about and definitely my favorite. This is the resident you never see and never hear from. Their rent is always magically in the drop box on the 1st, but they never call the office, never stop by, aren't loud, don't get complaints, don't even come out to walk their dog until nobody else is around. It's as if they don't exist.
This is part one of a four part series on the people I deal with at work.
1. The Buddy - This guy thinks he's my buddy. He pops in all the time just to say hi because we're buddies. He comments on my outfits - "All black today, huh?" Uh, yeah, apparently. And when he has a service request, he's cool about it. No big deal, but my tub's clogged so just whenever. Or I need a new furnace filter, but don't worry about installing it tell the guys they can just drop it off and I'll do it. This is all well and good until something doesn't get done or they get a letter that they owe money. Then it's all "I've been really understanding, but..." Just be straight up with me. Nobody asked you to put your own filter in. It doesn't make a difference to me. The worst is if something really bad happens in their apartment (ex. mold, break-in, etc) because then they never leave. They're here all day every day. But for the most part, this guy's not so bad. Moving on...
2. The Contractor - This guy is a contractor or works for a contractor or used to be a contractor or his brother's a contractor or her dad's a contractor or they just think they're a contractor. This person does a couple of different things. First, they want to see the apartment before they move in, which is fine if it's ready, but sometimes its not ready until they want to move in because they needed it right away and still want to be picky. But they don't care if it's not ready. At least that's what they think until they get in there and it's dirty and smells like cooking grease because everything looks worse when it smells like cooking grease. Trust me. So before they move in they already have a list of stuff they expect done before they move in. Most of which would have been done and the rest they wouldn't have noticed if it weren't for the stupid grease. This, by the way, is why we don't show apartments before they're officially ready. (These people sometimes sneak in when they're laying carpet or something) Then the worst is if something breaks in their apartment because no matter how we fix it or who fixes it, they know somebody who would have done a better job. Or they were watching the people work and they didn't do this right or that. These people can be nice in person, but have the potential to be completely annoying if anything ever goes wrong in their apartment. Oh, and they also know all the building codes, OSHA laws, health department numbers and can and will tell us what we are doing wrong and threaten to call and report us if it is not corrected.
3. The Screamer - These people yell about anything and everything. They yell at me, they yell at their kids, they yell at their husband, or their neighbor. It doesn't matter what the issue is, but it can be resolved through screaming. These are the same people who post their complaints on apartmentratings.com. That's like virtual screaming. Most of these people hate me, but some of them come in and apologize after the screaming only to turn around and do it again the next day. They also pass this along to their children. As I was leaving the complex last night for dinner, I passed four teenagers yelling at each other while a police officer sorted it out. While I probably should have stopped to be sure everything was OK...I just kept driving. The worst thing about these people is that they are perfectly pleasant when they lease the apartment. The screaming doesn't start until after they move in.
4. The Partyer - This one's not as bad as it sounds. These guys know what they're doing. They throw parties every weekend and nobody complains because they invite everyone. It's genius, really. Everyone loves these guys. They're just so cool. The police occasionally get called, probably by the new guy who hasn't gotten his invite yet, but these guys sweet talk the cops and the party rages on. These guys don't complain, they pay their rent on time and generally spend all the time they aren't partying being careful to stay under the radar. I like these guys. I can sleep through anything so as long as I'm not getting phone calls (which I'm not - it's still amazing to me because these parties get loud and can encompass the entire street), I don't care.
5. The Ghost - This is the last type of resident I'm going to talk about and definitely my favorite. This is the resident you never see and never hear from. Their rent is always magically in the drop box on the 1st, but they never call the office, never stop by, aren't loud, don't get complaints, don't even come out to walk their dog until nobody else is around. It's as if they don't exist.
This is part one of a four part series on the people I deal with at work.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Tuesdays...
I would like to apologize for the error in communication. When I said I would write at least every Tuesday, my intention was to have at least one new post a week so if you checked once a week you would always have at least one new something to read. Going forward, I will be sure that there is something new posted on Tuesday even if I post three new things in the week prior. I hope this clears things up, Soups and Pooh!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Discipline
Dating: It's a numbers game and I suck at it. I expect every guy I meet to fall head over heels for me. What's that about?!? The fact that I haven't completely failed means that if I were playing the game like I'm supposed to I think I'd actually be pretty good at it. Numbers game. Numbers game. I just have to keep reminding myself of that. I need a few more coals in the fire and I think they'd all do better. Coals? I don't think it's coals. What do I need in the fire here? What's the expression? Anyway, I think you get what I'm trying to say here. (EDITOR'S NOTE: It's irons in the fire, not coals. It just came to me.)
Anyway, here's what I've learned so far about dating boys. 1. Nobody's gonna buy the cow if they can get the milk for free. 2. They always want what they can't have.
Sounds simple enough. So why is it so hard? To successfully navigate this... I hate to call it a game but that's what it is, I need to do a lot of things different. I need to stop worrying so much for one. I spend half my time analyzing the other half of it and being angry. I need to stop being so angry. And I need to start doing. Eating healthier, working out, getting out, organizing my life, enjoying myself. I think if I do this, everything else will fall into place. I was just watching Mercy [It's another new show. I think I'm going to do a recap of all the fall TV that I've been watching. That way it wasn't for nothing. I'm just waiting on the week to finish out. There are some good shows on tomorrow night.] and there was a nurse who everybody wanted. She kept ignoring calls from this hot lawyer guy and everyone kept asking her why and she just replied, "Discipline". I need the discipline to not get caught up in every little thing. I've got to spread it out....share the love and I'm hoping once I stop worrying about it, I won't need to worry about it quite so much.
Anyway, here's what I've learned so far about dating boys. 1. Nobody's gonna buy the cow if they can get the milk for free. 2. They always want what they can't have.
Sounds simple enough. So why is it so hard? To successfully navigate this... I hate to call it a game but that's what it is, I need to do a lot of things different. I need to stop worrying so much for one. I spend half my time analyzing the other half of it and being angry. I need to stop being so angry. And I need to start doing. Eating healthier, working out, getting out, organizing my life, enjoying myself. I think if I do this, everything else will fall into place. I was just watching Mercy [It's another new show. I think I'm going to do a recap of all the fall TV that I've been watching. That way it wasn't for nothing. I'm just waiting on the week to finish out. There are some good shows on tomorrow night.] and there was a nurse who everybody wanted. She kept ignoring calls from this hot lawyer guy and everyone kept asking her why and she just replied, "Discipline". I need the discipline to not get caught up in every little thing. I've got to spread it out....share the love and I'm hoping once I stop worrying about it, I won't need to worry about it quite so much.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Managing Expectations
I'm watching Eastwick from last night (it's a new show about witches and rather entertaining), at least the first 20 minutes of it so I can fast forward through the commercials on Grey's. In the last 10 minutes, I've decided two things. One is that I like the name Roxanne. The other is that I think I would seem much less crazy if I were more eccentric. It's all about managing expectations. If I start reading tarroh cards, wearing scarves and buying Buddha statues, people won't expect me to be sane.
As it is now, I come off a little too normal at first glance. This is deceiving and sets unrealistic expectations. I'm going to work on changing that.
As it is now, I come off a little too normal at first glance. This is deceiving and sets unrealistic expectations. I'm going to work on changing that.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Just a goof...
I should be on a commercial for match.com. You know, I'm just a goof looking for my ball?? That girl is lame! I on the other hand am what match.com is all about. So I paid for a 6 month membership six months ago under the ruse that "if you don't find a match in 6 months, the next 6 months is free"....Well it turns out there are a lot of stipulations to that rule and I got lazy and tired of stupid match so I don't qualify because I didn't send enough e-mails. On top of that the stupid thing auto-renewed my account at the end of the six months even though i never get on there anymore. I still get e-mails daily from guys writing or winking or whatever, and today I got an e-mail from a guy saying that he joined Match just to e-mail me. Now that I say that out loud it sounds like it could be a line, and a good one at that, but I didn't think that when I read it so obviously it worked. Apparently, I have something that gives people hope. OK, that's an overstatement, but this guy was checking out match.com after seeing the goofball girl on the commercial with moderate to low expectations and then saw me and thought, "hey, maybe there is somebody on here for me". Turns out he was wrong because I won't be writing him back, but it's the thought that counts and I appreciate that. Made me feel good.
I have also made a decision that I will be updating this blog every Tuesday. It's possible there will be more frequent updates, but at least every Tuesday so check back next Tuesday for another update!
I have also made a decision that I will be updating this blog every Tuesday. It's possible there will be more frequent updates, but at least every Tuesday so check back next Tuesday for another update!
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