Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Top 10 Tuesday


Dear Joey,

It's still Tuesday here, and your own post inspired me, so here's my rant!

I love my job, and I really like most of the people I work with, and most of those who volunteer for us.

But 10% or so really get on my nerves.

Here are the top 10 things I WILL NOT miss hearing while I am on vacation:

1. After asking if my boss is in, and I reply that he isn't, "Well, maybe you can help me..." and then it takes 5 or 10 minutes to get to the fucking question, which I can't answer anyway.

2. "But are you sure?" Yes, I'm sure. I can't answer the question. Which I have already said. Multiple times.

3. "But maybe if..." This is followed by yet another version of the same question. At which point I feel like saying, "Listen up, you clueless fuck! You can ask me 12 different ways, and you'll get the same answer: I DO NOT KNOW!"

4. The question from our education committee chair, who is a nice but sometimes annoying, nitpicky person who always has a bee in her bonnet, and it's always about something unimportant: "Has C (my boss) done X, Y, or Z yet?" Even if he's been out of town for a week on a business trip in another time zone, and X, Y and Z aren't due for two weeks, and they're all relatively unnecessary.

5. From helpline callers: "Well, why doesn't your organization do this?" Hmm. Because we're a mental health nonprofit and not a service provider, a fire department, or a fast food restaurant. And we have a staff of 2.3, 0.3 of which is an accountant. I've been asked for food-related health brochures, copies of ethics laws for psychiatrists, grant information for horse physical therapy nonprofit endeavors (I am not kidding!), etc.

6. "What does (my organization) do?" If you don't know, why the hell are you calling? Oh yes - you're calling about food brochures and horse phsyical therapy grants! Just curious.

7. Hearing a family member ask, of their adult relative, "Well, isn't there a way I can make him/her take his/her medication?" In a word: NO.

8. Hearing volunteers whose chapter of our organization doesn't even have a real budget or any staff tell me we need to be on Twitter, FaceBook, etc. Get a budget first. Hire someone. Until then, be quiet!

9. Taking calls from someone who is nice but rants about the same stuff over and over. I tried to cut this short and make it positive today by asking, "How can I help?" She replied melodramatically, as she almost always does, "Just shoot me." Next time, I am going to reply, "I just might!"

10. Hearing ANYTHING AT ALL from a couple of board members who are just a pain in the ass. My boss, talking to the accountant about one of these members, said, "He is a burr in my saddle at the moment." Then he looked pointedly at me. I said, "Don't look at me! He's a burr in my saddle every morning that I wake up!"

10 comments:

TALON said...

I hope you have a fabulous vacation! There's something therapeutic about ranting, isn't there? (coming to you via Joey's Pad)

I'm laughing - my word verification is "suckha" - lol!

LL Cool Joe said...

Ha, ha I love it when I inspire you to have a rant.

That comment "Just shoot me" cracked me up.

Isn't amazing how easy it is to come up with 10 things that piss us off, but not so easy to come up 10 that make us smile? :D

Oh you've just reminded me of something else that pisses me off! Word Verification! I wonder how many hours I've wasted typing in osiffetu or tfsweit.

Darth Weasel said...

My list has so many virtually identical to yours it is a bit frightening...

Lynn said...

This inspires me to never be a pain in the butt to my volunteer organization. :)

Claire said...

Love it. Stealing it.

Cxx

Fireblossom said...

That's your list? Are you sure?

Is this on Facebook?

Hello?...hello?...

Aliceson said...

10% annoying can turn into 100% in a real hurry!

Have a great vacation!

Scarlet said...

I don't think I could top these, but I should post my own list.

"Just shoot me!" is something I'd never say in this town, but I'll have to remember your response to it. :)

Have a fantastic vacation, Chica!!

BALLET NEWS said...

great post ! A burr in my saddle indeed !!

Maude Lynn said...

Just when I was going to ask you about a horse physical therapy grant . . .