For those newly following my writing, this was something I posted a while back on FB. Just to start I'm adding this, and a few others, here also. For those who are on FB with me, you don't have to read this, most likely you've see it already and therefore you will fall asleep once you've read the first sentence.
Note: This blog does not really reflect the new turn that my blogs will be taking, a more desi prospective of living in the USA. Then again, not all my future blogs will do that consistantly. Anyhow, enjoy : )
October 10, 2012
A good dose of embarrassment is just the right way to kick start hump day I’m thinking. No not really. *sigh* So…I get into the office this morning and shoot off a message a girlfriend of mine via messenger complaining about something. She of course, being a woman and sane, would understand and show me the right amount of sympathy. But instead, and to my horror, the message was sent to a male friend who I am not that close to, would certainly never share personal information with and who would probably have a heart attack upon reading my message (which sort of blows since I have no interest in causing someone’s death and that too on a random Wednesday morning).
Mortified I thought of how to rectify (heh I said rectify) this and realized that there was no recall button on YM. Darn it. So I quickly sent two following messages apologizing and telling him that he was not the intended recipient. I assure you that I shall be avoiding him from here on out for a bit at least.
But this actually led me to think about how truly dangerous these multiple modes of instant communication be, particularly when you’re multitasking. Its not like I haven’t learned this lesson before in equally humiliating and painful ways which is why before hitting ‘send’ on any email I double, tripe, quadruple check the ‘to’ people to make sure that I wont have to do a lot of apologizing later for it. Still sometimes I glance over something and off it goes to someone who most assuredly won’t appreciate what it is I’m sending. I mean if they wanted it, they’d be on the initial distribution list, right?
Anyhow, as usual I have a ridiculous story that of course will highlight most of the thoughts I have, so here we go:
When I moved back to the east coast from California, I was able to score a job as a contractor at the DOJ. Happy to just have something that paid me enough (barely enough) to rent an apartment and pay a few bills, I snatched it up and realized fairly quickly that…well the job sucked. I hated it and was ready to get out as quick as humanly possible. I mean I had my damn sneakers on at all times and revving my engines (okay now don’t take me literally). Still being the hard dedicated worker that I have always been, I put my all into it and was glad that for the most part my manager seemed to like and trust me along with the group I was working with. However my managers boss, notsomuch. The guy disliked me from the get go and I wasn’t sure why. I mean I stayed out of his way, I worked hard and yea I was (and am) sort of a smart butt and have this habit of letting you know if I think what you’re saying (or doing) is stupid through my facial expressions but still…I don’t think I ever did that to him. I made a conscious decision to stay out of his way.
Then one day I was forwarded an email. You know one of those random ‘animal facts’ emails? Come on you know what I mean, it’s like, how long is a buffalo preggers for and a lobster mates for life, yada yada (naturally there are a few more shocking information on there that I really don’t have to nor shall repeat here). I’m not big into spamming my friends but the email was funny enough and coupled with the fact that I was bored witless, well off it went. I go back to being bored quickly thereafter.
A day later though, I look up and horror of horrors my managers sucky boss with his smirky smile and his oversized suit (I mean seriously, stop wearing your daddy’s clothes dude) comes swaggering over to me with a “I got you good” look. He asks me to follow him because HIS boss (talk about a tier system) wants to see me. Realizing that this isn’t good in the least I walk into a very sophisticated yet stern looking mans office (whose suit is perfectly tailored) and sit down trying not to twitch. He hands to me a piece of paper and I recognize the email (yea, the animal one) and my eyes widen and this brown girl completely paled. I did a mental ‘oh s***’ and prepared myself for unemployment. After a beat, I looked up at him and said in a smallish voice, ‘I’m sorry but…I mean it was sort of funny.’ Then added brazenly ‘how did you get this?’
That’s when he told me that it was forwarded by me to someone of the same last name as someone I must have meant to send it to. Yea confusing but whatever, basically the right person did NOT get it and in fact the person who did was someone pretty high up on the DOJ food chain. Right, really time to pack my bags and go. But clearly the dude I was talking to, no matter that he resembled my old elementary school principal, had a sense of humor. He said to me, ‘next time just check the recipients more carefully.’ You would think I would jump up and zoom out of there? Nope, my dumba** said in a confused voice ‘so I’m not fired?’ And he said with a rather pleasant low chuckle, ‘no, you’re still employed so don’t run off looking for a new job.’ That’s when I did jump up, thanked him profusely and was about to leave but came face to face with a very self-satisfied jerk of a boss who thought I would be in hand with a pink slip. That look though was quickly wiped clean when the big guy said ‘oh and I forwarded this on to my friends, they thought it was hilarious too…who knew about that pig tidbit?’
Ahem. Right, seriously attention to detail Rubina, attention to detail!
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