As usual rabbit is scarily reading my mind (and i’m beginning to feel like a link-stalker). Today she answers the age old question, Why didn’t he call? This is a question i was asking myself all weekend. She has three unhappy answers but forgot one last one which i’m happy to post here.
Why Didn’t He Call? Addendum
4. You signed up for a new local service plan which includes voice mail. You specifically asked the company to not activate voice mail because you prefer your old school out-loud answering machine for various reasons which are personal and don’t really matter. They say yes of course we can do that for you ma’am. Said (incompetent and just-filed-for-bankruptcy-i-wonder-why) company activates voice mail anyway which conveniently picks up before your old school out-loud answering machine, taking messages that you will never hear because you’d never think to check it because you asked specifically, twice, and they agreed specifically, twice, that it NOT BE ACTIVATED.
Days later, you’ve accepted one of rabbit’s answers cause you’re a with it girl and you know how things play out :
1) He didn’t like you.
2) He liked you but thought you might get weird about everything.
3) He forgot you existed.
But then, in a twist of events, involving e-mail (a seemingly far more reliable method of communication to me now), you have an ah-ha moment and things become clear. And there they are: all your little nuggets of reassurance in the form of, “Hey it’s me.” He did call. And left a sweet message. In fact, a bunch of people you thought were blowing you off called and left messages. In fact, you realize, it is you who is now blowing off a bunch of people, him included.
Naturally i headed straight to the phone and immediately channeled my anger toward a customer representative by the name of Harold. In the course of my channeled anger Harold said (and yes he actually said this) “You should really have more of a sense of humor about things.” Ordinarily this would piss me off even more, but for some reason started me cracking up.
“See that’s better right?”
“I guess.”
“It’ll be even better with the month free coupon that i’m sending you today. Right?”
“Yes.”
“Now haven’t i given you some great customer service today?”
Laughing again, ‘Yes you have, Harold.”
If this had gone on any longer i just know Harold would’ve asked me, “And who’s your daddy?”
Moral: Sometimes you think half the world is blowing you off, when in reality you are blowing off half the world. Moral b) Don’t trust my answering machine until i get this all sorted out which should be in a few days.
And not related to this story at all is that i am working like crazy on my new portfolio site and haven’t had time for anything except for one trip the coffee shop and a couple of hours of tennis. And frankly my computer is sick of looking at me all damn day.
New Angeles Monthly, June 2008
Weekend America, March 30, 2008
Los Angeles Times, March 13, 2008
Los Angeles Times, March 6, 2008
Nil by Mouth is written by Neille Ilel. Neille is a writer, reporter and user interface specialist in Los Angeles. If you think that's a lot, she's also got a host of meandering sidelines including improv comedy, tennis, cooking, drawing and thinking about learning to play the guitar.
Nil is her given name. It's a long story.
E-mail her here:
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