If I am Called Ma’am One More Time…

I am on a call with a nameless insurance company. They underpaid us by about 637.00. I called to find out if the new amount was in process to be paid. After being transferred twice, I finally get a rep who says she can help me. I have a particular tactic I like to use which is simply to be professional, firm, but nice. The whole addage of “you catch more flies with honey…” works quite well in this situation.

I like to joke a bit and lighten the mood, which allows the rep some breather time and they are more open and willing to help me. This particular rep is… well… odd. “Mary” calls me ma’am in every sentence. Either that, or she uses my name. It’s very disconcerting to hear that in each and every sentence. When I joked with her when her computer went down, saying “Oh, yes, computers are wonderful things,” while chuckling in empathy, she replied in an extremely monotone voice, “At this point, ma’am, I would not agree with you.”

Okay. Here’s the thing. Throughout this call, she sounded exactly like a cop. I am not kidding. No emotion, no relating to me, nothing. When I am on the phone, I like my voice to sound like I am smiling (unless I have to be a hard core bitch). This woman sounded like she just had an enema. Or needed one. Not to mention that she was saying things like: ‘I don’t see what I want to see on this claim, so I am taking ownership of it, if that’s alright with you, ma’am.’ WTF? Ownership? I don’t care who owns this claim, just pay the freakin’ thing. Why are you asking my permission to do your job? Keerriist.

I got off the call and called the insurance company back. I am gonna talk to a new rep. The last one was certifiable. They must be on their second string since it’s a Friday and all their experienced reps probably took a vacation day because of the National Day of Mourning for Reagan.

Speaking of Reagan… Over at Geoffrey’s site, I mentioned my opinion about Reagan. I had simply stated that he was not my favorite president, but he did end the Cold War. He also effectively made the working poor even poorer, put a lot of people out of work and gave big businesses a boost. That was it. The next thing I know, I am being told that, essentially, since I was too young to really remember Reagan, I sounded like an uneducated twit.

I can take the shots with the best of them, but that pissed me off, and I told Rosemary as much.

First of all, I am not uneducated when it comes to politics. Granted, I am not a Reagan expert, I never claimed to be. I don’t believe in studying the stupidity of a man who ruined the economy to make the rich even richer. And I certainly wasn’t the one who made up the term “Reaganomics”. However, being politically active in High School as well as College and actually studying political science, I feel I am reasonably informed about Reagan and his administration. In addition to the fact that I lived in a Union/Democrat household that directly felt the adverse effects of his administration, as well as having a Republican grandfather with a business who made a lot of money during this time…

What is your take on Reagan? Am I completely missing the boat here? LEAVE A COMMENT… I’d like to hear from you. I will also post this on Pixie’s site.

Update: was just handed another performance review… another perfect 3.0. Yee-haw!

I forgot to mention all the changes here at work - major overhaul of all the departments, people moving under new managers, etc. I get to move from my bastard-child cubicle on the fourth floor to an office on the third floor. There is good and bad - they are taking me away from my friends up here and making me share an office with "Sparky" the only guy on our team.

Can you see it? White Republican Conservative Mormon dude and White Democrat Liberal non-mormon Lesbian will really fit well together, yes? Um, no. Just as long as I don't hear his conservative talk shows on the radio, I should be okay. It's by a window. I'll be alright.

Breathe.

But, before I go, I would like to share with you a new poem.

Ode to the Juice Box

Lonely,
Sitting in the middle of the road,
Cars whizzing past.
How did you get there, juice box
Still with the straw
Inside the little punch hole?
Where did you come from
And how are you still standing
Upright
Against the wind and the tires
That threaten to squash you?
Oh, juice box,
Neglected, unfinished and solitary,
I drive past you and think
You are brave.
Brave little juice box
In a cold cruel world.

Drink of the day: Cafe Mocha x espresso
CD on the Playa: Favorite Country Love Songs...