sundries

[rm]

So I just called the management office to make sure they got the lease renewal, especially since I haven't even see the rent bill come under the door this month (new lease doesn't take affect until next month, but it still freaked me out).

It went something like this:

Them: "Hello, management company."
Me: "Hi, I'm just calling to make sure you got my lease renewal."
Them: "Hang on."
*transfer noises*
Them: "Hello."
Me: "Hi, I'm just calling to make sure you got my lease renewal."
Them: "First of all, 'good morning?' and who are you?"
Me: *taken aback* "I'm sorry, hi, how are you?" *introduces myself*
Them: "Where do you live?"
Me: *gives address*
Them: "That you signed it or that you didn't sign it?"
Me: "That I signed it -- I just wanted to make sure that you got it."
Them: "Yes."

Okay, now I wasn't super-suave, but that's weird right? And I know that pro-tenant laws in NYC are too strict for them to do anything to use because they thought I was rude on the phone, but that was seriously odd, ne?

I was so rattled, I didn't even ask them about the missing rent bill; I know what it is and will just drop it in the mail today.

Also a bit of gender-presentation weirdness at work. But, I pretended it wasn't happening and just said now that it's fall, I like to wear my nice clothes. The nice part was that this was then met with "ah, so no concert this evening then?" and I just thought to myself, hey, polite society functioning well. Not too bad.

I made clout ten on Associated Content (public profile still says nine, but my account says 10). This means that the amount I get paid per 1,000 page views on my articles (in addition to upfront payments) has gone up. So that's nice.

From the department of eye-rolling: apparently CNN feels the need to offer us an article on why women have sex.

Comments

[louiseroho.livejournal.com]

You gave a greeting of "hi" someone hadn't had enough coffee and was taking it out on you.

Relax and move on.

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

Like this.

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

I always felt, when I was in the US, that the culture of forced politeness belied a very real hostility towards people in general.

That being said, I agree with the above; too early in the morning, not enough coffee and needing to handle people all day.

It makes people cranky.

[rm.livejournal.com]

I was as boggled by the "that you signed it or that you didn't" question -- why would I be calling if i I hadn't signed it?

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

Definite sign of caffeine deprivation.

I've asked that sort of question far too often, when I was holding the relevant page, for it to be anything else.

Unless you fell on someone extremely dim, which is also a possibility.

[rm.livejournal.com]

Okay, as long as I'm not on a little list now. Apartment stuff is a particular anxiety both to me and for all New Yorkers in general.

[gina-r-snape.livejournal.com]

:shudder: Few things rattle me as much as uncertainty over lease renewals. In this case, it sounds like the other person simply didn't have enough coffee this morning. Or, is just a weird person.

People were weird at work about your gender presentation? I thought they were just weird because you dress better than they do? Well it does sound more polite than the first conversation you had.

Merc retro, to my understanding, has a holdover btw. It's over, but not over until things get moving from standstill to forward.

[tdanaher.livejournal.com]

I had a lease renewal issue yesterday, also odd. Called the management company to find out if they'd received it. I figured they'd want to know our lease/customer number, so I had last month's rent bill in hand ready to answer. Instead, the woman who answered the phone wanted to know what the name of our building was. Guh? It used to have a name on the glass entryway, but that was removed quite some time ago. I gave her the old name, and she said that they had no building by that name. It just got worse when I asked her if it would help if I gave her *our address* to look up. Her answer was "No." So, um, we apparently have a landlord who doesn't track their own buildings by the address? We eventually sorted it out when for some reason she was able to track our tenancy by the apartment number.

[therealycats.livejournal.com]

Having worked customer service and dealt with some real ASSHOLES who have given me death threats, your end of the conversation wasn't remotely rude. This part?

Them: "First of all, 'good morning?' and who are you?"

That's rude. What happened to phone etiquette? I've been dealing with a lot of wrong numbers lately, usually with children being the ones dialing the number, and instead of accepting the fact that they have a wrong number, they keep calling back and harassing me, in addition to being downright nasty when I tell them they have the wrong number. Last time I shouted something about virgin sacrifices to the air while I put them on speaker phone.

[weirdquark]

Them: "First of all, 'good morning?' and who are you?"

That's rude.

Yes. While they do need to know who you are, the correct response to someone asking a question like this without first identifying themselves is "may I have your name please?" not "who are you?"

[rm.livejournal.com]

That was how it felt, but I was as nice and apologetic as possible because as a tenant, I can't afford for those people not to like me.

[laurashapiro.livejournal.com]

Definitely weird. In fact, it prompts a "WTF???" from me. I think they were the rude one, in point of fact. They said hello, you said hi, then you got to the point. That's how business calls work! You weren't just phoning up for a friendly chat! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWP_rEWG2xk)

[coraa.livejournal.com]

Very, very weird. "Hi" is a perfectly acceptable telephone greeting -- besides which, expecting someone to go through pleasantries several times when they're being telephone-forwarded around is ridiculous. It sounds like someone having a bad day and taking it out on you.

[brewsternorth.livejournal.com]

apparently CNN feels the need to offer us an article on why women have sex.

If that's in any way connected with the whole media circus over Polanski (no, I'm not about to click) I may throw something.

[darthhellokitty.livejournal.com]

So probably 90% of the people who call her are all angsty about their apartments! That explains a lot.

[alterjess.livejournal.com]

"Some sexual experiences that women in our study reported just had devastating effects and long-lasting negative effects on their feelings of self-worth," he said. "But then for others, their sexual experiences provided the soaring height of euphoria and made them feel alive and vibrant."

I think CNN is trying to win a bet with the NYT for Least Relevant News-source On Women's Issues EVAR.

[pantryslut.livejournal.com]

Maybe they get a lot of calls from people who are worried that they forgot to sign it before they sent it in?

[argentla.livejournal.com]

# From the department of eye-rolling: apparently CNN feels the need to offer us an article on why women have sex.

This is right up there with the recent, ludicrous New Scientist article suggesting that the existence of the G-spot is somehow controversial or in dispute. And if this article weren't already a loser, as soon as it gets into theories of evolutionary advantage, it would have revealed itself as Made of Fail.

Also, the Google ads on that page included one advertising "Accused of a Sex Crime? We Can Help!" Eek.

[argentla.livejournal.com]

It thankfully is not, although one of its ads says, "Accused of a Sex Crime? We Can Help!"

[rm.livejournal.com]

People were weird at work about your gender presentation? I thought they were just weird because you dress better than they do?

Yeah, normally. But we have people from another office in, and normally I spend time trying to be very conscious of not doing these things when it might become a topic, but it slipped my mind this morning.

[sethg]

"Figleaf's Real Adult Sex" has some commentary on that "why women have sex" non-news.

[genmaicha.livejournal.com]

That study on women having sex sounds like a study of some weird exotic species. Awesome.

[redstapler.livejournal.com]

Guillermo del Toro signed it.

I think that almost hurts more than Tilda Swindon.

[drunkandinlove.livejournal.com]

I've been seeing that headline on cnn.com for a couple days now, and though I haven't read it yet, I've been wondering if you would see it and mention something about it. not to say you're predictable or anything ;-)

[better-late24.livejournal.com]

Ugh, property management companies. It's apparently their job to be rude. It's completely legit to say what you're calling about prior to saying who you are. Also, "hi" is just as good as "good morning."

And I saw that article on CNN early. It was very WTF-inducing.

[bodlon.livejournal.com]

Woot for clout ten! I'm still only a five, but I don't AC very much. So.

Meh at the difficult lease person. Hello? Roof over your head? Kind of important.

I so do not know what to make of that CNN article. *blink, boggle*

[kel-reiley.livejournal.com]

i know i've often wondered why i, as a woman, would have sex...

[virginhuntress.livejournal.com]

How unprofessional. At the end of the day, common courtesy should still be employed. ::sigh::

Congrats on making Clout 10!

Also, we have sex because sex is awesome. Oh look, I just recapped an entire article without FUCKING READING IT.