tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post7533959715269048738..comments2024-03-27T01:07:03.944-04:00Comments on The Roses of Prose: The Good, Bad and Ugly of working with the public ~ Leah St. JamesAlison Hendersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12725250883303287946noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-35589103031709212812014-05-28T06:02:14.977-04:002014-05-28T06:02:14.977-04:00Diane (sorry for the late response), my son's ...Diane (sorry for the late response), my son's girlfriend is a 6th-grade teacher, and I'm shocked at the amount of backstabbing among the teaching staff. Considering that most of them are protected by tenure (and she's not), it's really hard to understand.Leah St. Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11004006100786260893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-71835839910428682882014-05-24T22:29:09.526-04:002014-05-24T22:29:09.526-04:00Leah, you've really had the GBU of your job. I...Leah, you've really had the GBU of your job. I could say the same about teaching. So much good. Yet the bad and the ugly are there, too.Diane Burtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03754105332297068271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-57640252711381295582014-05-24T12:18:14.474-04:002014-05-24T12:18:14.474-04:00Wow, Margo...now that's something I probably w...Wow, Margo...now that's something I probably won't hear. :-) That would have made me a nervous wreck.Leah St. Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11004006100786260893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-27899801927210271142014-05-23T09:31:57.618-04:002014-05-23T09:31:57.618-04:00Late getting here, sorry. My phone job was physici...Late getting here, sorry. My phone job was physician referral for a medical organization. One lady called saying she was pregnant. Ready to refer her to an OB doctor, it soon became apparent she was in labor and didn't know what to do. Told her to get to the ER then crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.Margo Hoornstrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00036077481652050799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-45022103583364043442014-05-23T05:35:56.156-04:002014-05-23T05:35:56.156-04:00I didn't handle it well in the beginning, Alli...I didn't handle it well in the beginning, Allison. That first woman (who called me pathetic) almost made me cry! I think it's like anything else - you get desensitized after a while! Although I'd rather get through a day without "ugly caller"!Leah St. Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11004006100786260893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-58742343395272204752014-05-23T05:33:24.853-04:002014-05-23T05:33:24.853-04:00I used to work in a small law firm, too, Alicia. Y...I used to work in a small law firm, too, Alicia. You're right, another perfect environment for the highest of emotions. One of our attorneys handled pro bono cases for the public defender. One time a woman called to complain that a woman was making threats against her son (the defendant). Turns out the guy had allegedly killed a two-year-old, and the threatening woman was the baby's mother. (Talk about sadly ironic!) I guess it proves the mother's urge to protect doesn't go away, even if your kid is the monster.Leah St. Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11004006100786260893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-90695119236787862012014-05-23T05:24:34.947-04:002014-05-23T05:24:34.947-04:00Oh, Jannine, adding beer/alcohol to the mix certai...Oh, Jannine, adding beer/alcohol to the mix certainly does make things more interesting! I used to volunteer at the concession stand at an outdoor amphitheater (around 15,000 attendance). (It was a fund-raiser for the high school's marching band...they told me it would be fun!) For certain shows (determined by the venue), we had to check the ID of every single person buying beer, even if it was obvious the person was well over the age. Even that 10-second imposition would send people into a rage. (I'm so glad my son is out of high school!)Leah St. Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11004006100786260893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-14519568239073125132014-05-23T05:21:08.187-04:002014-05-23T05:21:08.187-04:00Liz, I'm sure you've seen it all, too! (Th...Liz, I'm sure you've seen it all, too! (The phrase "going postal" comes to mind!) I think we just see service workers as the extension of the company. We don't see the person behind the company (especially on the phone). So it's okay to treat a company like that. But yikes, just the thought of that guy behind the wheel makes me want to run for the hills!Leah St. Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11004006100786260893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-3045427529547271892014-05-22T16:17:46.351-04:002014-05-22T16:17:46.351-04:00I really admire you, Leah. I don't know how yo...I really admire you, Leah. I don't know how you manage to keep your cool when faced with callers like that man. I'm usually the epitome of cool, calm, and collected, but he would make me lose it in seconds!Alison Hendersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12725250883303287946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-8705254309509039602014-05-22T12:50:08.295-04:002014-05-22T12:50:08.295-04:00Well said! Very interesting peek into what you dea...Well said! Very interesting peek into what you deal with. I am an assistant in a family law firm. You talk about emotions running high, when you are dealing with people going through divorce, custody, paternity, etc, it can get insane. In many cases, these people feel that there is a threat to their time with their children and/or a threat to their finances (and more often than not, this is exactly what's happening). Two hot buttons for sure. I also think of all kinds of fodder for stories and characters based on some of these situations.<br /><br />By the way, it's good to know I can call you at the newspaper when I have a random question and you'll google it for me. Handy! ;)Alicia Deanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12003539473772776004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-49445355635520588892014-05-22T10:56:57.933-04:002014-05-22T10:56:57.933-04:00I work at a boat ramp. If people haven't been ...I work at a boat ramp. If people haven't been properly inspected and banded (we're trying to keep invasive species out of Lake Tahoe) they can't launch. Imagine a boat load of people and beer being turned around on a Sat. afternoon. Yep, ugly. Calm, polite and firm is my mantra! Sounds like you handle them well, Leah!Jannine Gallanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17692098634695675967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-50785771902700517452014-05-22T07:40:59.143-04:002014-05-22T07:40:59.143-04:00I worked in the P. O. for 30 years--much opportuni...I worked in the P. O. for 30 years--much opportunity for the good, bad, and ugly! I still wonder, three years after retiring, what makes people WANT to treat others that way. Perhaps they can't drive and are denied the chance at road rage!Liz Flahertyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794565644883272260noreply@blogger.com