{My Hologram[Phoekuss]} Disoriented eye/Blurred ewe

Cloudy mind-fog

Hazy, dotted figures pulse and freeze like an over-burdened computer screen.

Still. Lost still. Frantic Filtered Fading Figures seem so well grounded. The shock will be so life-threatening and so life opening. Or am I blind? Or just in slo-mo. Perhaps slow. Not about to assume that I am on top of my game. Am I my own abuser? Perhaps I am malfunctioning. Mind-Fog and fractured mirrors in a not-so-fun house. I want out sometimes. No escape route. Never received the floor plans in the orientation. Pushed from behind by ghostly images of more flickering souls causes an overwhelming panic. Withdrawn, I see less than before. Flashes of light in the black of my mind. Impulses in my swimming mindfull of half-drawn ideas in my world of incomplete projects and hidden agendas. I ache for solid ground as my feet are swinging whilst I hang by my teeth. Peace. Why take this anymore? Needed is soft sweet peace and still surroundings. No more flashes. No more haze.

My Confirmation was indeed confusing.

Confirming my confusion is a confusing process.

it happened

okay i didn't know that i can change dates on the blog here, so upon finding out, i have done so. this was a life altering day. this is the day that i left t-mobile for the last time. jennifer was working 3rd shift at the time and was pretty miserable at her job too and so her sleep was always fitful, even if it was the only escape from her sadness. any time i came home early for lunch i would inevitably startle her awake. i saved the text message i sent her upon leaving t-mobile and have been reminded of it every time that i look in my phone. it's just there. locked. one of those little subtle reminders of my inability to meet minimum business expectations. not any more. i am deleting the message after i post it here:

Baby it happened. I am so sorry. I am coming home. Let me know when you get this. I don't want to startle you awake and then tell you this. I am so embarrassed.

i originally posted about this way later and therefore not in chronological order, so i have now copied the original post here as well. no wait. i deleted it and just pasted it here for you to enjoy:


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My relationship with T-mobile has come to an end. Happened in September of 2011. October was a blast. Found a job working for a blood bank. Best job I have ever had. PROBLEM: I make half the money I did at T-mo. SOLUTION: Room-mate. Funny how the universe helps you out. No more fake nice. No more job aids. No more "coachings". No more "How may I help-ee-oh?". I rarely hear the word "Actually". No more upselling. No more crash course on what I am expected to know without time to even ask questions. No more ranking. No more realignment. No more small talk. No more "I understand that you are upset...". I could go on. Why no posts since then? I have been happy.



Is AT&T going to take over T-Mobile? I can honestly say that I don't give a...

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we are both happy to say that at the time that i actually wrote this, we are both fairly happy with our jobs. i'll let you guess when that was. thanks for reading!

time to seriously think about what?

The new "QUICK TOOL" is supposed to make my job easy enough for a chicken to do it aparently. it analyzes the customer's account for me and tells me what i can sell them. that is what it has come down to. I have never been good at keeping my calls brief, so once I learned how to sell shit to people, I had that going for me. Some days I have a lot of sales and some days I don't. Part of it is luck of the draw, even if they say it isn't. They are liars. Big fat stupid lie-ing liars. Anyway, the QT tells me what to offer the customer and most of the time, the customer has a data feature so all it tells me is that I can offer "Callertunes" or some shit like that. I don't because when I do, the call gets another 30 seconds longer at least and then I am not selling AND my calls are long. Can't win. Well today I was taken off the phone and to a meeting room in HR. Love those people. As completely genuinely nice as anyone could ever be. I was told to make a decision regarding my future with T-Mobile. We went over and over and over my stats and they narrowed it down for me to this:

I am not using my tools.

What they did for me is they went ahead and told me to go home and think about all this and make a decision if will start using my tools or not. If I can not use my tools then our relationship would have to come to an end. I signed a sheet of paper saying I agreed to use my tools. They gave me an extra day off and told me to come in next Sunday. BONUS! I finally got one!

YouTube - The Darkness - I Believe In A Thing Called Love

hopeful future

My new team is going to be good, I think. The coach is one I had before and she seemed to like me. The weird thing is that I was warned about her. She seemed fine before. She is pretty down to earth and laid back. She is a perfectionist, but I explained to her my issues with the same thing and she seemed to completely understand me and didn't have any concerns with me at all. I may just make it. Then again, using QT is really becoming a strain on me as I find it difficult to hit every customer with a "hey, looks like we got you all taken care of... and so I'd like to take the opportunity to tell you about a new data service we are offering...". They don't want to hear it, I don't want to say it. CRT has more weight than sales anyway so I don't know why they would fuck around with me (mr high CRT) when I have finally gotten it sorta under control. Jeezuzz! Anyway. I am looking forward to NOT taking phone calls unless they are angry customers demanding to speak with a supervisor if that tells you anything about this stupid place!

Something's Going On

Found out my old coach is leaving T-mobile now. I couldn't possibly imagine why since things are getting WORSE. As if they couldn't be harder on us. Talk of a merger seems to be their justification in being rutheless, heartless and cutthroat. The management people (anyone that doesn't take calls) are being squirrelly and everyone acts like they know something. People are being "layed off" left and right and I am seeing new people every day. No coach now. Only a senior rep and she is doing good, but I can sense something going on behind the scenes. If my old coach is leaving... should I? I think I'll stick it out till they fire me. I have put in enough time. I don't know how much longer I will last though. They are exceedingly hard on me now. I have lost the ability to give a fuck about T-mobile. I am completely numb to their bullshit. It still hurts, but I don't care anymore. I do what I do and that is all. Peace!

I mean, actually, like, um, we've got, you know, right?

MEME (I didn't write this...it was the wikipede)

A meme is an idea, behavior or style that spreads from person to person within a culture. While genes transmit biological information, memes are said to transmit ideas and belief information. The term meme was coined by Richard Dawkins in his book, The Selfish Gene.

A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ideas, symbols or practices, which can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals or other imitable phenomena. Supporters of the concept regard memes as cultural analogues to genes in that they self-replicate, mutate and respond to selective pressures.

The word "meme" is a shortening (modeled on "gene") of mimeme (from Ancient Greek μίμημα Greek pronunciation: [míːmɛːma] mimēma, "something imitated", from μιμεῖσθαι mimeisthai, "to imitate", from μῖμος mimos "mime") and it was coined by the British evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in The Selfish Gene (1976) as a concept for discussion of evolutionary principles in explaining the spread of ideas and cultural phenomena. Examples of memes given in the book included melodies, catch-phrases, fashion and the technology of building arches.

Advocates of the meme idea say that memes may evolve by natural selection in a manner analogous to that of biological evolution. Memes do this through the processes of variation, mutation, competition and inheritance, each of which influence a meme's reproductive success.

Memes spread through the behaviors that they generate in their hosts. Memes that propagate less prolifically may become extinct, while others may survive, spread and (for better or for worse) mutate. Memes that replicate most effectively enjoy more success. Some memes may replicate effectively even when they prove to be detrimental to the welfare of their hosts.

A field of study called memetics arose in the 1990s to explore the concepts and transmission of memes in terms of an evolutionary model. Criticism from a variety of fronts has challenged the notion that scholarship can examine memes empirically. Developments in neuroimaging may however make empirical study possible. Some commentators question the idea that one can meaningfully categorize culture in terms of discrete units.

doin' alright

My Coach at work is great. It's nice working for someone that is a good coach. This guy is encouraging and not condescending or belittling. I have gotten my CRT to be lower than ever because of this guy. If you are reading this (probably not) you know who you are! Thanks! On top of that, I am actually making sales too. I have a long way to go, but I know I can do it. I don't know what the future holds, but I actually don't mind going in to work now. Things are seeming to get better for me and if I actually do meet minimum business expectations, I might try out for a job like Senior Rep so I don't even have to take calls! Wish me luck! Thanks for reading!

Some lyrics I'm working on

I play loud music

when I drive in the streets

I turn the wheel with my hands

I mash the gas with my feets

and drive my car thru the lands

I nod my hed to the beets

and make my car really go

with my friends in the seets

Head cheese - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

From Wikipedia article

Head Cheese

Head cheese or brawn is a cold cut originating in Europe. Another version pickled with vinegar is known as souse. Head cheese is not a cheese but a terrine or meat jelly (emphasis mine) made with flesh from the head of a calf or pig (sometimes a sheep or cow), and often set in aspic. While the parts used can vary, the brain, eyes and ears are often removed. The tongue, and sometimes even the feet and heart may be included. Head cheese may be flavored with onion, black pepper, allspice, bay leaf, salt, and vinegar. It is usually eaten cold or at room temperature as a luncheon meat. It can also be made from quality trimmings from pork and veal, adding gelatin to the stock as a binder.

Historically meat jellies were made of the cleaned (all organs removed) head of the animal, which was simmered to produce stock, a peasant food made since the Middle Ages. When cooled, the stock congeals because of the natural gelatin found in the skull. The aspic may need additional gelatin in order to set properly.

Precisely half as disgusting as Blood Tounge.


Blood Tongue or Zungenwurst is a variety of German head cheese with blood. It is a large head cheese that is made with pig's blood, suet, bread crumbs and oatmeal with chunks of pickled ox's tongue added. Has a slight resemblance to blood sausage. It is commonly sliced and browned in butter or bacon fat prior to consumption. It is sold in markets pre-cooked and its appearance is maroon to black in color.

Trigeminal Neuralgia (I was diagnosed with this)

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN), tic douloureux (also known as prosopalgia, the Suicide Disease or Fothergill’s disease) is a neuropathic disorder characterized by episodes of intense pain in the face, originating from the trigeminal nerve. One, two, or all three branches of the nerve may be affected. It is, "one of the most painful conditions known to humans, yet remains an enigma to many health professionals."This pain may be felt in the ear, eye, lips, nose, scalp, forehead, cheeks, teeth, and/or jaw and side of the face; some patients also experience pain in their left index finger. Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is not easily controlled but can be managed with a variety of treatment options. It is estimated that 1 in 15,000 people suffer from trigeminal neuralgia, although the actual figure may be significantly higher due to frequent misdiagnosis. In a majority of cases, TN symptoms begin appearing after the age of 50, although there have been cases with patients being as young as three years of age. It is more common in females than males.



SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

The disorder is characterized by episodes of intense facial pain that last from a few seconds to several minutes or hours. The episodes of intense pain may occur paroxysmally. To describe the pain sensation, patients may describe a trigger area on the face so sensitive that touching or even air currents can trigger an episode; however, in many patients the pain is generated spontaneously without any apparent stimulation. It affects lifestyle as it can be triggered by common activities such as eating, talking, shaving and brushing teeth. Wind, high pitched sounds, loud noises such as concerts or crowds, chewing, and talking can aggravate the condition in many patients. The attacks are said by those affected to feel like stabbing electric shocks, burning, pressing, crushing, exploding or shooting pain that becomes intractable.



Individual attacks usually affect one side of the face at a time, lasting from several seconds to a few minutes and repeat up to hundreds of times throughout the day. The pain also tends to occur in cycles with remissions lasting months or even years. 10-12% of cases are bilateral, or occurring on both sides. This normally indicates problems with both trigeminal nerves since one serves strictly the left side of the face and the other serves the right side. Pain attacks are known to worsen in frequency or severity over time, in some patients. Many patients develop the pain in one branch, then over years the pain will travel through the other nerve branches.



It may slowly spread to involve more extensive portions of the trigeminal nerve. The spread may even affect all divisions of the nerve, and sometimes simultaneously. Cases with bilateral involvement have not indicated simultaneous activity. The following suggest a systemic development: rapid spreading, bilateral involvement or simultaneous participation with other major nerve trunks. Examples of systemic involvement include multiple sclerosis or expanding cranial tumor. Examples of simultaneous involvement include tic convulsive (of the fifth and seventh cranial nerves) and occurrence of symptoms in the fifth and ninth cranial nerve areas.



Outwardly visible signs of TN can sometimes be seen in males who may deliberately miss an area of their face when shaving, in order to avoid triggering an episode. Successive recurrences are incapacitating and the dread of provoking an attack may make sufferers unable to engage in normal daily activities.



Some patients report continuous pain or continuous pain during waking hours; for reasons that are not yet known, TN sufferers rarely have pain attacks or are awoken due to pain while they are sleeping. In fact, most patients have a very brief window of reprieve upon awakening from sleep, though that window can sometimes last only minutes. The mechanisms as to why one feels no pain while they are asleep, or in a slumber state, even though a pillow may be in contact with a "trigger point" on one's face, remains a mystery to physicians and dentists.



There is also a variant of trigeminal neuralgia called atypical trigeminal neuralgia. This variant is also called "trigeminal neuralgia, type 2", based on a recent classification of facial pain. In some cases of atypical trigeminal neuralgia the sufferer experiences a severe, relentless underlying pain similar to a migraine in addition to the stabbing shock-like pains. In other cases, the pain is stabbing and intense but may feel like burning or prickling, rather than a shock. Sometimes the pain is a combination of shock-like sensations, migraine-like pain and burning or prickling pain. It can also manifest as an unrelenting, a boring piercing pain.



CAUSE

The trigeminal nerve is the fifth cranial nerve, a mixed cranial nerve responsible for sensory data such as tactition (pressure), thermoception (temperature), and nociception (pain) originating from the face above the jawline; it is also responsible for the motor function of the muscles of mastication, the muscles involved in chewing but not facial expression.



Several theories exist to explain the possible causes of this pain syndrome. It was once believed that the nerve was compressed in the opening from the inside to the outside of the skull; but newer leading research indicates that it is an enlarged blood vessel - possibly the superior cerebellar artery - compressing or throbbing against the microvasculature of the trigeminal nerve near its connection with the pons. Such a compression can injure the nerve's protective myelin sheath and cause erratic and hyperactive functioning of the nerve. This can lead to pain attacks at the slightest stimulation of any area served by the nerve as well as hinder the nerve's ability to shut off the pain signals after the stimulation ends. This type of injury may rarely be caused by an aneurysm (an outpouching of a blood vessel); by a tumor; by an arachnoid cyst in the cerebellopontine angle; or by a traumatic event such as a car accident or even a tongue piercing.



Short-term peripheral compression is often painless, with pain attacks lasting no more than a few seconds. Persistent compression results in local demyelination with no loss of axon potential continuity. Chronic nerve entrapment results in demyelination primarily, with progressive axonal degeneration subsequently. It is, "therefore widely accepted that trigeminal neuralgia is associated with demyelination of axons in the gasserion ganglion, the dorsal root, or both." It has been suggested that this compression may be related to an aberrant branch of the superior cerebellar artery that lies on the trigeminal nerve. Further causes, besides an aneurysm, multiple sclerosis or cerebellopontine angle tumor, include: a posterior fossa tumor, any other expanding lesion or even brainstem diseases from strokes.



A large portion of multiple sclerosis patients have TN, but not everyone with TN has MS. Only two to four percent of patients with TN, usually younger, have evidence of multiple sclerosis, which may damage either the trigeminal nerve or other related parts of the brain. It has been theorized that this is due to damage to the spinal trigeminal complex. Trigeminal pain has a similar presentation in patients with and without MS.



Postherpetic Neuralgia, which occurs after shingles, may cause similar symptoms if the trigeminal nerve is damaged.



When there is no apparent structural cause, the syndrome is called idiopathic.



TREATMENT

As with many conditions without clear physical or laboratory diagnosis, TN is unfortunately sometimes misdiagnosed. A TN sufferer will sometimes seek the help of numerous clinicians before a firm diagnosis is made.



There is evidence that points towards the need to quickly treat and diagnose trigeminal neuralgia (TN). It is thought that the longer a patient suffers from TN, the harder it may be to reverse the neural pathways associated with the pain.



The dentist must ensure a correct diagnosis does not mistake TN as a temporomandibular disorder. Since triggering may be caused by movements of the tongue or facial muscles, TN must be differentiated from masticatory pain that has the clinical characteristics of deep somatic rather than neuropathic pain. Masticatory pain will not be arrested by a conventional mandibular local anesthetic block.



Dentists who suspect TN should proceed in the most conservative manner possible and should ensure that all tooth structures are "truly" compromised before performing extractions or other procedures.



MEDICATIONS

Anticonvulsants are a common treatment strategy for trigeminal neuralgia. Carbamazepine is the first line drug; second line drugs include baclofen, lamotrigine, oxcarbazepine, phenytoin, gabapentin, and sodium valproate. Uncontrolled trials have suggested that clonazepam and lidocaine may be effective.



Low doses of some antidepressants such as amytriptiline are thought to be effective in treating neuropathic pain, but a tremendous amount of controversy exists on this topic, and their use is often limited to treating the depression that is associated with chronic pain, rather than the actual sensation of pain from the trigeminal nerve. Antidepressants are also used due to counter acting a medication side effect.



Botox can be injected into the nerve by a physician, and has been found helpful using the "migraine" pattern adapted to the patient's facial pains or special needs.



Patients may also find relief by having their neurologist implant a neuro-stimulator.



Many patients cannot tolerate medications for years, and an alternative treatment is to take a drug such as gabapentin and apply it externally. Depending on your location this preparation is prepared extemporaneously by pharmacists. If in remission your doctor may cease your medication. Medications are usually started or ceased in a slow manner so not to cause unnecessary side effects such as seizures.



Rotating and/or a combination of medications may be needed if one becomes ineffective.



Opiates such as morphine and oxycodone can be prescribed, and there is evidence of their effectiveness on neuropathic pain, especially if combined with gabapentin.



A case report found sumatriptan effective in the management of drug-resistant Trigeminal Neuralgia



Benzodiazepines, mainly Clonazepam (Klonopin) are also prescribed off-label for this condition.



SURGERY

Surgery may be recommended, either to relieve the pressure on the nerve or to selectively damage it in such a way as to disrupt pain signals from getting through to the brain. In trained hands, surgery has been reported to have an initial success rate approaching 90 percent. However, some patients require follow-up procedures if a recurrence of the pain begins.



Of the five surgical options, the microvascular decompression, also known as the Janetta procedure, is the only one aimed at fixing the presumed cause of the pain. In this procedure, the surgeon enters the skull through a 25-millimetre (1 in) hole behind the ear. The nerve is then explored for an offending blood vessel, and when one is found, the vessel and nerve are separated or "decompressed" with a small pad, usually made from an inert surgical material such as Teflon. When successful, MVD procedures can give permanent pain relief with little to no facial numbness.



Three other procedures use needles or catheters that enter through the face into the opening where the nerve first splits into its three divisions. Some have excellent success rates using a cost-effective percutaneous surgical procedure known as balloon compression have been reported. This technique has been helpful in treating the elderly for whom surgery may not be an option due to coexisting health conditions. Balloon compression is also the best choice for patients who have ophthalmic nerve pain or have experienced recurrent pain after microvascular decompression.



Similar success rates have been reported with glycerol injections and radiofrequency rhizotomies. Glycerol injections involve injecting an alcohol-like substance into the cavern that bathes the nerve near its junction. This liquid is corrosive to the nerve fibers and can mildly injure the nerve enough to hinder the errant pain signals. In a radiofrequency rhizotomy, the surgeon uses an electrode to heat the selected division or divisions of the nerve. Done well, this procedure can target the exact regions of the errant pain triggers and disable them with minimal numbness.



Stereotactic radiation therapy



The nerve can also be damaged to prevent pain signal transmission using Gamma Knife or a linear accelerator-based radiation therapy (e.g. Trilogy, Novalis, CyberKnife). No incisions are involved in this procedure. It uses very precisely targeted radiation to bombard the nerve. This option is used especially for those people who are medically unfit for a long general anaesthetic, or who are taking medications for prevention of blood clotting (e.g., warfarin, heparin, aspirin). It also may be used for those who may need to have a less invasive procedure. A prospective Phase I trial performed at Marseille, France, showed that 83% of patients were pain-free at 12 months, with 58% pain-free and off all medications. Side effects were mild, with 6% experiencing mild tingling and 4% experiencing mild numbness. However, there is no guarantee for a permanent success.



There has only been one prospective clinical trial for surgical therapy for trigeminal neuralgia. In a prospective cohort trial, microvascular decompression was found to be significantly superior to stereotactic radiosurgery in achieving and maintaining a pain-free status in patients with trigeminal neuralgia and provided similar early and superior longer-term patient satisfaction rates compared with those treated with stereotactic radiosurgery.



SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES OF TRIGEMINAL NEURALGIA

Depending on the stage of TN, many sufferers may not present with any outwardly noticeable symptoms, though some will exhibit brief facial spasms during an attack. Some physicians will seek a psychological root cause rather than a physiological abnormality. This is especially true of those suffering from atypical TN, who may not have any compression of the TN and in whom the sole criterion of the diagnosis may be the complaint of severe pain (constant electric-like shocks, constant crushing or pressure sensations, or a constant severe ache) and in this case trigeminal neuralgia still exists but is not visible to physicians because it was caused by the nerve being damaged during a dental procedure such as root canals, extractions, gum surgeries or it may be a condition secondary to multiple sclerosis. Yet others may show sharp electrical pains that are intense and somewhat brief.



Many TN sufferers are confined to their homes or are unable to work because of the frequency of their attacks and side effects from medications. It is important for friends and family to educate themselves on the intense severity of TN pain and to be understanding of limitations that TN places upon the sufferer. At the same time, the TN patient must be extremely proactive in furthering his or her rehabilitative efforts. Enrolling in a chronic pain support group, or seeking one-on-one counseling can help to teach a TN patient how to adapt to the new-found affliction.



As with any chronic pain syndrome, clinical depression has the potential to set in, especially in younger patients who often are under-treated for chronic pain. Friends and family, as well as clinicians along with physicians and neurologists, should be alert to the signs of a rapid change in behavior and should take appropriate measures when necessary. It must be constantly reinforced to the sufferer of TN that treatment options do exist.



OTHER

Cases of trigeminal neuralgia associated with tongue or facial piercing might be resolved after the jewelry was removed.



Some patients have reported a correlation between dental work and the onset of their trigeminal nerve pain.



Recently, some researchers have investigated the link between neuropathic pain, such as TN, and coeliac disease.



NOTABLE CASES

Australian author Colleen McCullough has trigeminal neuralgia and has undergone surgical treatment in Jan 2010.



High profile entrepreneur and author Melissa Seymour was diagnosed with Trigeminal Neuralgia in 2009 and underwent Microvascular Decompression Surgery in a well documented case covered by magazines and newspapers which helped to raise public awareness of the illness in Australia. Seymour was subsequently made a Patron of the Trigeminal Neuralgia Association of Australia.



Jim Fitzpatrick, the British Member of Parliament for Poplar and Limehouse disclosed that he was a sufferer from the condition when launching a Parliamentary debate on it on 27 July 2010.

Taken from Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trigeminal_neuralgia

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Proper Telephone Etiquette

From Neurosurgeons to truck drivers... You should all follow these simple steps to reduce stress at work for yourself and those who happen to be there to help you on the other end of the line:



0. Be ready when the other person says "Hello". Don't make them wait while you do something else or talk to someone else. If you are busy or have something else to do that is more important than the call, do it first then call. Calls to companies can take a long time on hold. Is the information you seek more easily accessible on the companies website?

1. Speak directly into the microphone with the earpiece on your ear, not using the speakerphone function. If you call someone from your cellphone while driving with your windows down and mumbling while using the speakerphone function, definitely expect someone to have to ask you to repeat yourself. When they do, and I can assure you they will, don't also use your sarcastic slow-mo replay function.

2. Project your voice as much as possible so as to be heard. If you cannot do this or there is too much background noise, don't call. Write a letter.

3. Enunciate your words and numbers clearly: 0 (zee-roe), 1 (wuh-nuh), 2 (too), 3 (ther-ee), 4 (foe-er), 5 (fie-vuh), 6 (sick-suh), 7 (seh-ven), 8 (aye-tuh) & 9 (nie-nuh). You know if your name is difficult for people to understand if they ask you to repeat it or to spell it several times. If you happen to have a name like that, enunciate it clearly at the beginning of the call when names are usually exchanged. Don't spell it to someone after you say it, instead wait until you are prompted to spell it. The pronunciation of a difficult name is not going to be aided by the spelling of it. If you have any accent at all, just understand that you may not be understood by someone else and that you will need to put some effort into your communication in order for it to be effective.

4. Use the proper telephone number rhythm. XXX (Area code)-XXX (Prefix)-XXXX (Subscriber number). If you don't know what that means, just listen to other people give their phone number to someone else and you will hear blah, blah, blah...blah, blah, blah...blah, blah...blah, blah. You can see how sometimes numbers like 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, etc. do not always translate over the phone well and only increase the difficulty of the call for the rep you are talking to. This is worse if you are in a hurry when you call. Just give the numbers out slowly and individually and not in a group and you won't go wrong. If referring to a dollar value, sometimes you have to say "seven-teen", or "eleven". Just make sure to enunciate properly and phonetically. Say "Seh-Ven-Teen" or "Ee-Lev-In" and not "sem-tee..." or "'lem".

5. Be AT LEAST as nice as the person you are talking to.

6. Identify yourself as many times as you asked without any push back. Your account needs to be secure and if you are asked more than once, it is because the representative forgot your name and needs to verify the account, there is some problem with your name's spelling and pronunciation that the representative is being posed or account verification requires it. In any of these cases, it is your name and be proud of it enough to say it any time someone asks for it. Let it make you feel special.

7. Don't start the call with a list of demands. One thing at a time. Better yet, don't wait to call until you have a huge list of things to do, you will not feel they are resolved even if they are and you will have to call back to check the previous reps work anyway. Address as many things as possible immediately.

8. If the person is unable to assist you don't dispute, don't be rude and don't call back immediately. If they can't do it, they can't do it. Ask them if there is someone you can write to about it.

9. Don't make an attempt at sarcasm, you are not funny and no one cares. The calls are recorded and someone will hear your comments and laugh or shake their head. It's just a fact.

10. Don't say that you are going to call your lawyer. You probably won't, even if you have one. It's not worth it. If it is a big company, what they did or are doing is probably legal. If a contract is involved, just know that the contract is very wordy and you probably did not read it.

11. Don't ask for a supervisor. You just blew your chances of getting what you want. Especially don't demand a supervisor. This is not going to get you much at all, especially if you are rude about it. You will lose a lot of time from your day talking, waiting and you will not get what you want. Maybe, if you are lucky you will get 10% of what you want. The representative you bypassed was capable of doing more, but you did not have a case. Think of how many people call in and demand satisfaction. If reps didn't have the authority to give you what you want, they would not be answering the calls, the supervisors would. Supervisors would be taking as many calls as reps would and could not effectively supervise for sure. Considering all this, when you ask for the supervisor, you are really just saying that your demands are not reasonable to the company and you know it. Don't ask to complain to the supervisor, they are busy supervising. Instead, just ask for an address to write a formal complaint. You will get more out of it, I promise you.

12. Don't ever demand satisfaction.

13. Don't ever expect instant gratification without a big cost.

14. Don't ever expect monetary compensation for your "inconveniences". You don't get compensation for your inconveniences when your arm is cut off. If you have insurance, you may have part of your medical bill paid for, but you will not be paid money because you lost an arm. Stand on a corner with a bucket and a sign and you will get more money that way.

15. Don't ever think that the person you are talking to likes their job. Even if they are friendly and helpful. Don't say "you people" when you talk to the rep, because, in all probability, the rep did nothing accept show up for work and get your call. Even if something happens and you are inconvenienced by the company for whatever reason, the person you are talking to didn't do it and probably doesn't like telling you why whatever it was that happened happened.

16. Don't ever think that the person you are talking to actually cares about your situation. Even if they show empathy. Unless it is a help line you are calling, don't tell them a dozen reasons why it shouldn't have happened to you.

17. Don't ever think that the person you are chatting up is actually enjoying your conversation. Usually, calls are timed and reps are graded in some way on how many calls they take per hour etc., so don't waste your time talking to someone that may or may not enjoy your conversation, even if it is to tell them how good a job they did. Don't ask to speak to their supervisor to tell them how good a job the rep did. Ask for an address to write to.

18. Don't assume that the person that you are talking to is not taking your name and number for their own personal reasons. This is a fact. If you are angry at a company for doing you wrong and you are then rude to one of the employees because of it, how can you trust that that person in charge of your account with your CPNI (customer proprietary network information), contact number, address, SSN, last four of SSN, MSISDN, SIM, IMEI, IMSI and more?

19. Be polite. Say please and thank you. Remember to keep things civil. If a rep is rude to you as a customer, don't use that as a reason to be rude back. If you say something like "I am going to have to ask you to please speak with me in a more polite and courteous manner." If you get push back, try "I understand that this is a complicated problem [for example], and I am grateful for what you have done for me so far, but I am needing help with this. If you are not capable of helping me in a polite manner, please let me know who I can contact to get this problem resolved". If you are then told that no one will be able to help you, mark the time & date, ask for an address to write a formal complaint, get the reps name and number if possible and write a letter.

20. Don't just hang up when you get the information you need or the transaction is over. Say "Bye", "Have a good day", or whatever and don't be rude as you are hanging up by saying something hateful!

21. Consider who you are dealing with. Is this a reputable business? Is it something new? Should you just cut your losses and learn from your mistake?

22. Don't say "thank god I got you, the last person I talked to was a foreigner!" or anything like that. If that is your feelings, keep them to yourself. You have the right to free speech, not the right to insult some one's nationality or to vocalize to a stranger your feelings on how another nationality is inferior to yours.

TIPS & TRICKS

Keep your kids quiet as possible.

Roll up your car windows. (Better yet, don't call while driving.)

Off with speakerphone

Speak up

Provide your FIRST AND LAST NAME when asked, not your first name only.

If you are asked for your first and last name, 9 times out of 10 it's not going to be "My name is on the account".

Be ready to go when you call.

Don't call about your bill while you are driving and fussing at kids and ordering lunch at the drivethru. Or doughnuts.

Don't eat while on the phone.

Don't call from the toilet or the bathtub.

Be prepared, have pencil and paper ready if you are calling for information. If your phone is not working, don't call from it. If it's not your phone that is not working, at least have the phone that is not working with you.

Don't say "Hello" after every sentence as if you think the other person is just sitting there or the call has dropped.

Don't expect to get paid for being on call 3rd shift while sleeping and NOT get a call.

Don't tell people your life story.

Be sweet.

Be polite.

Be courteous.

Be helpful.

Make momma proud.

Big changes are coming. Change is good, right?

Hyper-tension. Not exactly how I wanted to start out the year. I am not proud to write about this here, but the time has come for me to really step up and make changes in my life. Dieting, Exercise, Organization, Self Discipline, College and Time Management are to be my new goals. I think that the Time Management is going to be the toughest one for me because it requires self discipline to follow it and it the time is to be spend dieting, exercising and studying. Not the fun stuff like eating and wasting time. Well, when I put it like that, it doesn't sound fun anyway. Well, anyway; here goes!

Happy new year!!!

Happy new year!!!