The collector

So it has been a while since I posted on here. I will not even go into all the details of how hard it was to figure out how log in. It was a lot of fun though. I felt like I was sneaking into a secret club I am still feeling a little bit of an adrenaline rush. The most fun part was realizing that our group has a Gmail account. Ha! I feel powerful...okay not really but it was a a lot of fun.

I really don't have too many stories to tell. I have so many things happen that it all becomes blurred in my memory. Often people have to tell me about stories that I have told them. I think the best is when someone says something really funny, they remind me that they are quoting me, then I am like when exactly did I say that. I really just need to have some follow me around with some type of recording device. I am sure some of my quotes could make someone rich or famous someday (not both).

So today, I was talking to a customer and she preceded to tell me all about her recent medical history. Now in my customers defense whenever I am filling out a deferment form for someone I do have to ask some personal questions but unfortunately for me the customer usually over-shares just like how I am about to now :) She was talking about how all week she thought she had food poisoning and how she refused to go to the hospital but then the pain was getting too unbearable (here comes the "TMI moment") and how she was not having any bowel movements or throwing up. I wish this was something a little bit more rare but unfortunately it is not.

Last week, I had a customer who wanted me to stay on the phone while they were making a web payment . This is not out of the norm so no complaints. I usually zone out but I asked the customer if they would mind if I put them on hold. They stated that would be fine. I wanted to put them on hold because I needed to get some work done and I had another representative asking me a question. When I got back to the customer I apologized for the hold. The customer was not done entering their web payment and in all seriousness asked me if I had to go to the bathroom. I almost burst out laughing. I have never been asked this by a customer and hopefully never will. Now I have had several customers go to the bathroom while I was on the phone with them (gross!) but never have I been asked something so personal nor have I asked a customer if they were indeed relieving themselves.

Well that is my little update. It was fun. A couple of us will be returning in a couple short months I put forward the idea that when everyone returns we should have a party! What do you think?

Until then...do you mind if I put you on hold?

Waiting

Several of us were going to get together with the physical therapist at her apartment for an evening of relaxation and intense movie watching. We had rented "Despicable Me" and I, the Northerner, had headed over at the appointed time for the relaxation to commence. As I pulled into the carpark I had a sneaking feeling that the others weren't on time. Why? Because of my immense powers of observation, that's why. Alright, honest truth? I noticed none of the other members of the relaxation-league were anywhere in sight. I shrugged thinking that they had just run out quickly for something and left someone at the apartment. This assumption left me sitting in my truck for quite some time.

When I got bored of listening to the radio, lying across the seats, and being cold as ice, I decided to wait inside. As I sat in the hallway outside of the therapist's door a tough looking neighbor walked by with his laundry and out to his car and proceeded to pull away without saying a word. I phoned the therapist, but she left her phone right inside the door. I heard it ring and beep as I phoned, texted, and nearly left a message. I phoned the others, numbers had changed since the last time I'd been in town and I ended up getting the voicemail of a "Rob" mis-texting a "Sarah" and leaving a message on what I hoped and prayed was the Unemployed. I was unsuccessful in all my communication attempts and beginning to wonder at how many Oreos I could eat without anyone noticing any significant dent in the supply.

Approximately 20 minutes later the neighbor waltzed back through the door. On his way by he offered a "warm place to wait" in his apartment and smiled a hopeful smile. I politely declined stating that my friend was "on her way". This was an unsubstantiated statement presented with the best of false confidence. 30-40 minutes had passed and I was about to give up and go home.

After much texting, phoning, messaging, and praying my friends finally arrived with fast food and many apologizes. We laughed, reassured, and got down to the business of relaxing. At least the waiting whet my appetite for relaxation and Oreo cookies.

I Wonder If It's Just Me

Well, this wonderful group of friends is now spread out across the globe. We've made new friends, moved to new places, and found new adventures. Some of us have changed jobs, more than once. Some of us have found jobs and then proceeded to give them up a few months later because our lives have taken a "change in direction". We are still friends. We are still a group, just a little further apart.

This group of friends has shifted and changed directions. Two of us have moved to Asia, one of us has moved to Canada, and two of us have stayed put (although, we've still managed to move around quite a bit). We still keep in contact. We still have crazy stories. Hopefully, we'll still find some time to record a few of those funny things here.

Things Canadians hate:

Well, just one thing, actually. And we've heard about it before, but it's never happened to us. Now we know it to be fact. See, we were celebrating our Ginger friend's last day with us by going to a really rad restaurant (hooray, alliteration!) in Canada. It was a very nice place. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Aside from the water being a bit salty (well...maybe that was just one of us), the food was amazing, the service was great, and the atmosphere was very homey, and when we feel at home, we naturally act like ourselves. Which, apparently, is not a very proper thing in some places. We were laughing very loudly, and we were actually (apparently) so loud, that we annoyed a couple near us enough to make them pick up their junk and leave. All they'd gotten was water.
Now, comparatively to how we normally are, we were actually being very quiet. We were rather shocked and even embarrassed, and we did our best to keep our laughter to a lower level. It was quite difficult.

So...Canadians hate loud people.

The more you know...

FUMBLE!!!

So the collections officer and a friend went to a wonderful little restaurant to pick up a pizza on Sunday, february 7th. When they got there, they both noticed the place was packed, as many other people wanted pizzas on Sunday, february 7th. The collections officer said, in front of the other people in the restaurant, "Hey, maybe there's a sports game on tonight!" His friend thought he was joking at first, but the serious look on his face forced his friend to whisper to him frantically, "(Name omitted for his protection), the superbowl!" To which he exclaimed, "Oooohhhh." A man watching them who probably works with the local news agency stared at our collections officer. I'm sure you can imagine THAT facial expression!

Colour and Casm

Well, we had a dyeing party. Sales operator and unemployed student did most of the dyeing. 4 heads in 6 hours. What? We had to take a 2 hour break in between! Anyways, we came out with 4 different hair colours.

The physical therapist got a red chunk in the front. The unemployed student got magenta streaks. Our friend the realtor got 1 shade past his normal colour, to even things up a bit. Last, but certainly not least, the nurse went blonde. Hopefully it doesn't affect her work! Theatre worker and sales operator already had it done so they stayed with their current dos.

In other news, to the shock of the group, we found out that collections agent doesn't get sarcasm as much as we thought. The sensitive material was divulged to a car of sarcastic blogmates, which thence forth started to hold up invisible "sarcasm" signs whenever it was used. We quickly ditched those for crazy straws; because they're a little more durable and portable than carrying around 9x5 poster board signs. Also, because they make about 100 different awesome sounds.

Niagara's Fury!!!

So the nurse, the collections agent and the almost-student were at the Festival of Lights tonight in Canada. We walked along the falls, a picturesque scene of light, water and snow crystals. We laughed and chatted, our words echoing in the cold night. The nurse and the collections agent joked about how the nurse would feel if the collections agent hit her in the face. Understandably, not good. Then the 3 stopped for a look at the falls. Jokingly, the nurse turned around to sudo-punch the collections agent and, alas, her fist came into contact with his nose! After a few seconds of embarrassment, she inquired as to his condition. Luckily his nose was too cold to feel any pain, and there was no blood. As the next sign they walked past was 'Niagara's Fury,' that is what they christened the nurse's fist. :)