Hi darling Pea,
Please enjoy this SPECIAL VIDEO.
My favorite line: "time is moving really really really really slow."
Yours,
P-
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Thursday, June 28, 2007
A communication lesson
Dear P,
Passive Agression is a favorite topic of mine (and a favorite strategy), given my upbringing. I think we all, however, can learn new strategies from wise and seasoned communicators.
Exhibit A: A Sweet Potato Incident
Love and love,
P-
Passive Agression is a favorite topic of mine (and a favorite strategy), given my upbringing. I think we all, however, can learn new strategies from wise and seasoned communicators.
Exhibit A: A Sweet Potato Incident
Love and love,
P-
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Passive Aggressive
P,
Just when I think I've seen the height of passive aggressive behavior, it comes blasting back at me in a new, more elegant form. As you know, PA behavior is my favorite thing to point out (especially to the passive aggressor, who always loves when I open my big mouth about it). It's especially fun to call people on it who don't really know what it means, just that it's jerky. A thing that I have been raging about lately is Dell, Inc., a company that should have a slogan involving their beautiful talent for passive aggressive customer service. Today I will share a bit of Dell's wisdom. I'll preface this gem by saying that, for WEEKS, TD and I have been gently, kindly, fairly pushing Dell to fix crap they've screwed up and then asking them to please reimburse us for our time and hassle. Not only have we received no apology for things like, say, sending me a computer without a working hard drive, but at least one Dell representative told TD that he couldn't possibly understand how "these things work" because he's from Utah. You can imagine the head explosion that happened after that. Subsequently, I sent a little note to Dell (one in a series of about ten little notes):
Mark,
I'm not particularly pleased that my husband was contacted to get information about when I'd be available by phone. According to him, the person who spoke to him was rude and unaccommodating. Please just resolve this situation with me and I will stop bothering you. Dell is a big company that really should be able to be more pleasant and efficient than this. I can't imagine that, if Dell's computers are such good machines, that a warranty would cost the company much of anything. Warranties are expensive to the customer, but not to the company-- that's elementary.
Please keep all communication on this matter directed to me and not my husband.
Thank you,
Kate
Response:
Miss Rosenberg I apologize that your husband thought I was being rude. I was stern in my decision on this issue but ,I was not rude. Again I do apologize if he felt I was rude. As I told your husband Dell is not going to extend your warranty. We have made an offer for a 100.00 coupon which is more the adequate for this issue. If you would like to speak to me in person please just let me know when you will be available and I will make arrangements to explain this issue in detail.
Hmmmm... Nothing warms my heart more than a sincere apology. And it's even more precious that though I've been the one communicating w/ Dell, they decided to call TD. Women are scary and irrational. I filed a complaint with the BBB which will probably be trashed, but whatever. It's EVERYTHING I can do not to correct the grammar, spelling and format of all the letters I've gotten and send them back.
Okay, so maybe Dell sucks, but I suck too. This week my friend, Amanda, passed her Social Worker's licensing exam (which I would love to do but would requite a million more years of grad school). I was so happy for her until I realized that Pat was also so thrilled-- thrilled enough to have a bunch of quiet conversations about her moving into a therapist position with our company. And so, because I am who I am, I had to lock myself into an empty office to cry and pout and stomp around. None of my friends are allowed to like each other as much as they like me (sound familiar???). AND how dare they accomplish something fancy? Damn them! I practice the classic passive aggressive maneuver with them: no eye contact and "what's wrong kate?" "nothing" "Are you sure?" "yes, I'm sure. I'm just trying to do 15 things at once" (which = why the fuck are you standing around basking in your wonderfulness, bitch?)
I fixed it by fessing up and apologizing. Dell could do the same, no?
revelling/fuming in the thick stench of rude,
your p.
p.s. I love you. Would you care to rewrite some of Dell's notes? It's reeeeeeally satisfying.
p.p.s. Thank you so so much for my new friend. He lives in my tote bag now for photo ops.
Just when I think I've seen the height of passive aggressive behavior, it comes blasting back at me in a new, more elegant form. As you know, PA behavior is my favorite thing to point out (especially to the passive aggressor, who always loves when I open my big mouth about it). It's especially fun to call people on it who don't really know what it means, just that it's jerky. A thing that I have been raging about lately is Dell, Inc., a company that should have a slogan involving their beautiful talent for passive aggressive customer service. Today I will share a bit of Dell's wisdom. I'll preface this gem by saying that, for WEEKS, TD and I have been gently, kindly, fairly pushing Dell to fix crap they've screwed up and then asking them to please reimburse us for our time and hassle. Not only have we received no apology for things like, say, sending me a computer without a working hard drive, but at least one Dell representative told TD that he couldn't possibly understand how "these things work" because he's from Utah. You can imagine the head explosion that happened after that. Subsequently, I sent a little note to Dell (one in a series of about ten little notes):
Mark,
I'm not particularly pleased that my husband was contacted to get information about when I'd be available by phone. According to him, the person who spoke to him was rude and unaccommodating. Please just resolve this situation with me and I will stop bothering you. Dell is a big company that really should be able to be more pleasant and efficient than this. I can't imagine that, if Dell's computers are such good machines, that a warranty would cost the company much of anything. Warranties are expensive to the customer, but not to the company-- that's elementary.
Please keep all communication on this matter directed to me and not my husband.
Thank you,
Kate
Response:
Miss Rosenberg I apologize that your husband thought I was being rude. I was stern in my decision on this issue but ,I was not rude. Again I do apologize if he felt I was rude. As I told your husband Dell is not going to extend your warranty. We have made an offer for a 100.00 coupon which is more the adequate for this issue. If you would like to speak to me in person please just let me know when you will be available and I will make arrangements to explain this issue in detail.
Hmmmm... Nothing warms my heart more than a sincere apology. And it's even more precious that though I've been the one communicating w/ Dell, they decided to call TD. Women are scary and irrational. I filed a complaint with the BBB which will probably be trashed, but whatever. It's EVERYTHING I can do not to correct the grammar, spelling and format of all the letters I've gotten and send them back.
Okay, so maybe Dell sucks, but I suck too. This week my friend, Amanda, passed her Social Worker's licensing exam (which I would love to do but would requite a million more years of grad school). I was so happy for her until I realized that Pat was also so thrilled-- thrilled enough to have a bunch of quiet conversations about her moving into a therapist position with our company. And so, because I am who I am, I had to lock myself into an empty office to cry and pout and stomp around. None of my friends are allowed to like each other as much as they like me (sound familiar???). AND how dare they accomplish something fancy? Damn them! I practice the classic passive aggressive maneuver with them: no eye contact and "what's wrong kate?" "nothing" "Are you sure?" "yes, I'm sure. I'm just trying to do 15 things at once" (which = why the fuck are you standing around basking in your wonderfulness, bitch?)
I fixed it by fessing up and apologizing. Dell could do the same, no?
revelling/fuming in the thick stench of rude,
your p.
p.s. I love you. Would you care to rewrite some of Dell's notes? It's reeeeeeally satisfying.
p.p.s. Thank you so so much for my new friend. He lives in my tote bag now for photo ops.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Monday, June 18, 2007
like that game from a few weeks ago...
from McSweeney's Internet Tendencies #2 (Lists):
No. 82:Movie Spoofs—Sample Dialogue (Nonporn Category).
From "Comedy by the Numbers" by Eric Hoffman and Gary Rudoren
- - - -
"The first rule of Polite Club: Don't talk about Polite Club. Please."
"I'm bald as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore!"
"You talkin' to pee?"
"Forget it, Jake—it's Funkytown."
"Ron Livingston, I presume."
"I'm out of quarters? You're out of quarters! This entire courtroom is out of quarters!"
"Gattaca! Gattaca! Gattaca!"
"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a fuck."
Enjoy, my sweet pea. I only wish I had written them myself. I love you like mad and miss hearing from you. Please see flickr for pics of the new member of our family who arrived from NYC today...
love you love you,
p
No. 82:Movie Spoofs—Sample Dialogue (Nonporn Category).
From "Comedy by the Numbers" by Eric Hoffman and Gary Rudoren
- - - -
"The first rule of Polite Club: Don't talk about Polite Club. Please."
"I'm bald as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore!"
"You talkin' to pee?"
"Forget it, Jake—it's Funkytown."
"Ron Livingston, I presume."
"I'm out of quarters? You're out of quarters! This entire courtroom is out of quarters!"
"Gattaca! Gattaca! Gattaca!"
"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a fuck."
Enjoy, my sweet pea. I only wish I had written them myself. I love you like mad and miss hearing from you. Please see flickr for pics of the new member of our family who arrived from NYC today...
love you love you,
p
Friday, June 15, 2007
The Replacement Diet
It's a BACON PLACEMAT. It also seems to be a suitable way for me to get over the loss of refined sugar. Maybe my insulin levels are more stable, but I think my cholesterol would enjoy a little jolt-- you think?Wednesday, June 13, 2007
the other conspiracy(s)
P and S,
- A half bottle of wine is a bad way to cope. WRONG. Such a big lie. Of course, drowning things all the time may not be helpful in the end, but really, I'd rather be hammered than hammering someone. Also, I'm just not going to buy that a nice little, reasonable, completely unnecessary purchase is a bad way to fix things. Whatever works, I'll do it and screw you, credit card companies. Oh, no wait, credit card debt sucks. Damn.
- I think it's perfectly normal and reasonable for one to be furious and then not all in the space of an hour. Wide range of feelings can't be wrong. I'll take that before I'll be robotic. And, if you want to get all feminist about it, it's always women who are crazed when they express a range or a fluctuation, even.
I know that a giant pregnant therapist may not be amusing to you, p, but the image is hilarious to me (I'm not laughing at the other stuff). All I can see is a sort of New York-ified Buddha. What an interesting dynamic. There's not two people in your sessions, there's three! Weird.
So much love and stabilized blood sugar,
p.
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