Please Be Kind, Don't Be A Behind

Composed by Cat
It's been an insanely busy day at work. More than half the office called in on a Monday morning which just happened to be the first day of Summer session. In case some of you aren't my usual stalkers let me catch you up. I work in student services at a local community college. We operate a call center that answers questions for financial aid, admissions, business office and of course the central switchboard for eight campuses. First day of any session is crazy but with half staff it was almost a nightmare. No, it IS a nightmare. After a 10 hour day and 800 + calls later my  head is pounding and my neck is tighter than Ebeneezer Scrooge but I'll live. This is why I get paid the big bucks. I've done this for over 6 years at the college and I've always worked in customer service in one way or another. I've had just about everything said to me...everything from explicit direction of what I could do to myself,  to attacks on my intelligence or lack thereof, to my personal favorite "I'll drive this car right through the front door." That one was my favorite because in that particular office the front door was the back door and the back door was the front door. I'll let you ponder on that one. 

Since most of my day is dealing with people who are either really excited about starting school or confused or frustrated or mad or just calling because either their child won't tell them what's going on or their parents are making them call, I have a lot of negative energy flowing towards me each and every day. I balance it some how. I have never lost my cool on the phone. I may make fists with  my toes. I might even drop my head onto my hands but I never take any of my frustration out on the person on the other end of the line. I have been told I am good at what I do because of my patience. Here's my confession: I just remember that each call is a new person. They haven't called a million times (well, usually not) and I haven't told them this  information before. Therefore, I treat each caller with respect and try my best to help them. 

This is the point I explain my title... Please be kind. Don't be a behind. When you call anywhere to do any kind of business, remember that while you may have a legit complaint with that particular business, the person who answered the phone did not do anything to personally attack you or cause you any personal harm. They have a job to do and for the most part people who work on the phone try very hard to help you. Remember they are given a certain amount of information to work with so please remember that while you are frustrated at your particular situation attacking their intelligence will not help. It will not get you fast results. It will not make the person on the other end of the phone instantly remove their head from their rump and magically find the perfect answer you want to hear. Remember that the person on the other end of the phone is not incompetent nor are they their to make you hold on the line long enough to put you into a complete tizzy in order to hear all the profanity you have learned since middle school. For the most part those who work on the other end of the phone are your sisters and brothers; your mothers and fathers; your wives and husbands; your sons and daughters; and basically your everyday person trying to work and feed your family. (Even if they are a continent away) Be nice! Remember the rules of the civilized world. Remember your rules you learned in Kindergarten. Treat the person how you would if you were looking them eye to eye in front of  your mother. So from one tired customer service rep to the frustrated public, I leave you with one tidbit of advice:

Please be kind. Don't be a behind!

Thank you & have a nice day! 
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Wet/Dry vote rant

Composed by Cat
I'm going to rant, vent, ramble, whatever you want to call it. I'm doing this here because quiet honestly I don't want to start yet another heated debate. One of many that have been raging for the past month or so in the county where I work. I don't live there but I spend most of my time during the week there with it's citizens. There's a special election in this county. It's actually for one of the cities there. The county seat to be exact. It's a wet/dry vote. Let me give you a little background and clarification if like me when I first moved here you have no idea what a wet/dry anything is. As a matter of fact, when I was first told this was a dry county my response was, "It'll rain soon I'm sure". After the laughter quit, it was explained to me that a dry county is one that prohibits the sale of alcohol. I am a Navy brat. Alcohol has always been sold where ever I've lived. I never really thought about it to be quite honest. 

Back to my rant. This special election has created a verbal civil war for this small town. The Yes people are bashing the Bible thumping No people for stopping progress. While the Bible thumping No people are criticizing the Yes people for creating the downfall for the future of their children. No people are stealing Yes people's signs out of their yard and vice versa. Both sides are spouting off statistics to support their sides. One thing about statistics? When in the proper hands they can be powerfully misleading (on both sides). 

I'm not saying which side is correct or which side is wrong. However, I want to say what I think without getting my dog in this fight and skinned alive for it. I don't think it should pass. Why? Am I Bible thumper? Well, I don't thump my Bible but yes, I'm a Christian (Baptist even wooo). Do I think alcohol is deadly sin? No. I even have a nip here or there. Does that mean I'm going to hell? No, not for having a drink once in a while. The Bible states not to be a DRUNKARD. It doesn't say alcohol is a sin. But this isn't my real objection to it. There is nothing in my faith that is leading me to be against it. It's practicality and the knowledge of how people behave. This community is not ready. It's not mature enough to deal with all the things that come along with alcohol sales. They barely have enough police to deal with the meth problems. The other thing is, the industry and fine eating establishments they think this will bring in will not have enough people to sustain them. 

In the same county, just below the city limits, it's sister city went wet a few years ago. All the same promises of growth and industry were made. As of this past week, no new industry or big name business came. As a matter of fact, the grocery store (the one and only) closed. Several establishments have come and gone trying to keep up their liquor license but losing them to illegal procedures and employees. The town's own Mayor was involved in a police chase through 3 counties while driving under the influence of alcohol. Do I think it was the evils of alcohol that did this? No. I think it was irresponsibility.  So why am I against it? Neither of these two towns are mature enough or rather evolved enough to handle a community with alcohol sales. This county has been dry since prohibition. Most of the residence have never lived in a place that sold alcohol. This is the same town that everyone still knows everyone's business. There isn't even a real mall and they have just recently became a 3G zone. They can't agree on the reasons for the alcohol sales and I truly feel that the town as a town has not yet evolved to the point that they can have alcohol sales and handle it properly. 

Whatever happens, I'll be glad when June 26th comes and goes. The fight of brother against brother, church member against church member, and sign thief against sign thief will be over. I don't like this kind of thing. I know it's our American right to disagree and debate  but I feel that progress will come when we work together. That's not what this community is doing. The vote will come and go. No matter what happens, it's going to take the citizens quite some time to recover and heal from all of this. 
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