Bitchy McBitcherson's Blog

Tag: work

  • Are we speaking the same language?

    Yesterday I was asked to record an outgoing voicemail message for a business. He’d prefer to have a female voice. No big deal, I’ve done it for him before. I tell him to email me a script and tell me the PIN number he uses to access his voicemail.

    He writes back wanting to know how to find his PIN number. I tell him that it’s the number he uses to access his voicemail, maybe he can look it up on his account online. He has Vonage. He doesn’t find it and he gives me his Vonage userid and password.

    Vonage does not show the PIN number in the online account, but it does allow changes online. I change the PIN to a number I know he can remember. I call in, access his voicemail and change the outgoing message. I also email him to tell him that I had to change the PIN and tell him what is (I don’t write out the numbers, I tell him what the numbers are, like “your birth year”)

    Today he calls. He says that outgoing message “sounds great!” He can’t check his voicemail and is wondering if there is a problem. I ask if he means online, but he tells me he means by the phone.

    “I used the same code I always do, but it won’t work.”

    “I had to change the PIN, I sent you an email about it.”

    “Oh yeah. Oh, is THAT the number you meant?”

    “Yeah…” I tell him the new number but I say it by number this time.

    “Oh hey! That’s a great number. It’s (the year I was born) it will be easy to remember!”

    Yay me.

  • Seriously?

    Somebody just forwarded me an email with 3 attachments, a pdf, a pub and a wps.

    Can you open these? I can only open the pdf file. I have no idea what to do with the others.

    I opened the non-pdf ones, created pdfs from them and sent them back. Not a huge deal.

    Here’s the thing. Also included in the forward was the email, a portion of which says:

    If you have any trouble opening any of these let me know and I will see if I can fax it to you or send it in another format.

    Why exactly is the first impulse to send ME an email telling me about the trouble opening them? I can imagine that they might think getting it in another format won’t go smoothly, but I know for a fact that when this person is sending me an email they are sitting right next to a fax machine.

    Also, the original sender is a business, trying to get a new customer. Why are they sending their information out like this? Not only are they sending three different documents (each one page only) in three different formats. They have also named them full sentences with spaces and periods, as in an extra . before the .extension. Surely this creates problems fairly often for the people they send them to. Why don’t they ask somebody what they should do instead? They totally overcharge for their services, they could afford to learn how to do it correctly.

  • The World Didn’t End

    One of my clients just called, and asked me to take on a new client. He has a buddy in the midst of major computer problems who needs lots of help, starting today and ongoing…

    I said NO.

    I did it. I turned him down. Between the hating to turn down money, and the hating to disappoint a client thing, I wasn’t certain what words would actually come out of my mouth as I took a breath and opened it to speak.

    I did give him some advice to pass on about the current problem, but today I am staying home and dealing with stuff that is already in my to do list. I am not going over to beat my head against a wall dealing with whatever fuckup has happened with this guy’s computers and network.

    I am shocked I did it. I also feel very anxious, but… I feel just a tiny bit impressed with myself.

  • Is it time for bed?

    Done

    • uploaded website
    • troubleshot wireless network, bought parts and repaired it
    • went to work on HE system, found problems, fixed things as best I could but they may need to get some warranty repair
    • bought a new bulb to replace the burnt out headlight, but cannot replace it in the dark
    • paid bills, many of them ones that made me angry
    • completed computer back up, on new computer, not settled on it yet
    • cleared a stuffed full small recycling bin worth of papers off my desk
    • fixed a problem on a website, even though somebody else made the error
    • drafted a “code of conduct” for a martial arts school
    • carved out some family time
    • carved out some couple time

    Failed

    • cleaning the kitchen
    • picking up fused glass project
    • installing headlamp
    • website design outline
    • getting the HE system done and off the plate
    • getting to bed at a reasonable time

    To Do Tuesday

    I don’t want to think about it right now.

  • Morning Assessment

    Kid – sick, refuses to get out of bed
    Husband – sick, refuses to stay home and rest
    Self – up and working, some sort of sinus unpleasantness which I will not describe in detail (but think gross)

    To Do Today
    Already forced to push several things to later in the week and cancel others completely due to illness annoyances.

    • upload website
    • do website design outline
    • go troubleshoot a wireless network for somebody (then likely go buy new bits and redo setup)
    • go tweak a home entertainment system setup for somebody
    • get new headlamp for car and replace it
    • clean kitchen
    • pay bills
    • complete computer backup and migration
    • try to pick up fused glass project