here we go again!

ooh nelly! front page story today: South Jersey braces for snow! aaarrrggghh. Did i wake up in Canada? Enough is enough already. i hear we are in for yet another snow this weekend. Great news on a Monday morning. There isn't anything that can be done about it so i guess i should just buck up and get my pink uggs ready.. well this weekend marked the end of kids in the house for a while. Dave and i have finished our rotation of playing parents to neices and nephews until shorts season. We had a lot of fun with everyone, but are even more steadfast in our decision to not reproduce. The only "kids" in our future would be an addional shelter hound. Even that is a long way off, considering the attention our present adorable mutt requires. It is our fault for spoiling him and making him need so much attention. There was a story in today's paper about a couple who the police are searching for after seizing 33 dogs from their abandoned home. Stories like this really break my heart. From what i've read though, people like this usally start out meaning well, but lose control and get overwhelmed. There usually are also some phychological issues that lend themselves to this type of behavior. I'm glad i only purchase pencils in excess (why by the way i love-yes i know i am weird). Another story i read today was about "urfi marriages". I would like to try this with Dave. (honey im only joking :) Apparently, as a way to have pre-marital relations and avoid having to spend a lot of money on weddings, Egyptians have adopted this practice. Basically, urfi marriages have no official contract and are usually secret. It involves signing an unofficial document in front of a witness. The marriage can be broken simply by destroying the signed paper. The article was about a woman named El-Hinnawy, who bore a child of a prominent Egyptian man. She is being scorned for keeping the child, and he denies the urfi marriage ever existed. The poor man, El-Fishawy, is being defended as PIOUS, because he hosted RELIGIOUS shows. Poor guy has had his shows pulled. Without getting carried away, suffice it to state that i am a former NOW member. feel free to deduce my opinion on the matter.... Todays website headache is rollover image attributes. i have written it using my web program and in the preview mode it works. When published however there is a script error...oh the joy of writing a web page. It is really so much to ask for my doggie to bark when clicked on? I may try inserting the wav file directly into some html script instead. I am, however, in o.c.d. mode with this now...it will happen! have a delightful day....

that's it?

As in most cases, I was worked up over a non-event. The snow wasn't as bad as i thought it would be. Granted, it twas a mess to drive home in last night. I had the distinct pleasure of the frozen wiper smear right in front of my face. Why is it always in the direct line of vision? Of course, this meant pulling over and banging my wipers, which i can't stand having to do. I did not want to emerge from my warm little coccoon. Although probably unneccesary, i'll admit to trying out my four wheel drive. It was pretty cool. Funny sidenote: ended up using a cd case to clean my windows, because i never put the snow broom back in the truck... Work wasn't that bad either. I spent the night being frustrated with the inner workings of the company rather than bad customers. I love when i'm trying to help a customer and get bounced between 4 departments who all have a different answer. Of course none offer a solution either. They just say they can't help me, after having me on hold for 20 minutes, and tell me to call someone else. Who suffers? The customer... Most people understand missed appointments during a blizzard, so i didnt get cussed at too much. Today, however, I am not on the "Supervisor Line", so i will surely get yelled at. This is the point at which i get to transfer the call to someone who is working the line. ha ha. The funniest part is being told, "get me someone who, unlike you, because you are useless, who can do something", by a customer who doesn't know i was that person yesterday. Whatever... Today, i have in my hot little hands, Whitehead's "Top 100 Simplified HTML Tips & Tricks". i cant wait to use the codes to improve my web page. I am smuggling my laptop into work. I just hope it is slow enough around 9pm to sneak in some time in on it... In closing, i wish everyone a wonderful day!

anticipation.....

This morning finds me bracing for two events. The first of which is the 4-7 inches of snow NJ is expecting this afternoon. I really despise snow. Let me clarify: I really despise snow if I have to drive to work in it. Were I presented with the opportunity to observe it from inside in a pair of sweats, I would thoroughly enjoy it. Unfortunately, I work for a “vital service” and am required, even amidst a “State of Emergency” to go to work. Usually this is followed by “forced” overtime (a contract stipulation), to make up for increased work flow and co-workers who are unable to physically make it in to work. My only comfort this year, is that I finally have a four wheel drive vehicle. Here is where I interject the fact that I love my Honda Element! The second happening is that I will be manning the “Supervisor Line” today. This means along with valid customer concerns, I am to be dealing with “the squeaky wheels”. This group of calls deals with people who have no reason to complain other than having a miserable life and needing someone to suffer their lamentation. The entire time the second group of customers is droning on, all I can think about is the first group who has real problems, for which I am happy to do all in my power to resolve. I often imagine myself telling them something along the lines of, “you think you have a dilemma?, I have a customer with severe medical conditions that I’m working with, who actually has a reason to be upset!” This is the basis for me calling my job a paycheck. Okay one of several reasons. In general I do like helping people, so when the bureaucracy I am employed by allows me to do so, I thoroughly enjoy my job. The rest of the time, however, I am continually disappointed by people in general. I won’t even go into the “rules & regulations” of my job that make me hate it (I have to be careful because I’m sure “paycheck” had me sign something a couple of years a go which prohibits me from doing so) I am sure that anybody who has a job in customer service will agree with what I am saying. I won't even get into people who talk with food in their mouth or yell across the room at someone withouth moving the phone away. I do get some wonderful, polite, genuinely nice customers. On the other hand, I honestly cannot believe how mean and rude some people are. I have been called names by customers I would not accept from a close friend. I guess like people who tend to be more aggressive when they are driving because of the steel barrier, these particular individuals possess a certain amount of bravado because they aren’t facing me. I hate to generalize but doctors’ offices and reverends are the worst. This floors me. I will admit here that I really enjoy addressing an MD as Mr. or Mrs. just to tick them off. They always insist you use Doctor. At some later time I will submit a list of things not to do when speaking to a customer service representative, if you require assistance. This will suffice for now, as I think my espresso is making me follow a tangent which it is too early to let mandate my mood for the day. After all, I am working from 1-9pm and it is only 9am. Were I a productive individual, I would embrace the aforementioned thoughts and facilitate them as a catalyst to get some homework done. I must be a small individual. Alas, Alas! I am apparently no better than my worst customers. I will post later tonight with an update…I know, you can hardly wait.

hello!

welcome to andrealee.com

Good morning and welcome to my site. Just waking up..usually work 2:30P shift, so i start my mornings a little later than most. currently trudging my way through newsweek and the paper. I guess i should start with a little about me.. 36 yrs young, live in new jersey, freezing my butt off, work in a call center (oh yes, def just a paycheck while i figure out what i want to do with my life , tend to have a short attention span, love school (life student), crosswords, hobbies, baking, making jewelry (hopefully selling soon on ebay-will keep you posted), sewing, cooking-i am a foodie!, and having a wonderful life with my sweetie dave and our shelter doggie, davinci. I would def say i am an upbeat person. i do have an o.c.d. always worried about everyone side, but im working on that! ..have no idea where this is going or even why i'm doing it! on the bonus side i have now learned how to do something new and fostered another way to hate my laptop! LOL

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