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smushy corporate chains of command
Monday, September 25 2000
I learned a few things while fighting my way up the various hierarchies on my personal mission to fix my $480 phone bill. The main thing I learned was that calm, pleasant determination (what all my correspondents have been recommending) works considerably better than the example given me by my parents (and suggested by my congenital urges): cursing and shouting. This isn't to say that I was actually effective at getting what I sought, but I managed to bounce around fairly nicely between the various departments, especially at my long distance provider. Most gratifying was when I felt myself getting "lift" - rising up the chain of command - with every transfer. For a moment I thought I had it totally in the bag - I had both a representative from Verizon and another from my long distance provider on the same line - but then I ended up with a schoolmarmish woman who lectured me about why this was AOL's fault. So I ended up getting nowhere at all. But I'll try again tomorrow, using some new suggestions I've received.
This situation has me so bummed out that it's difficult to focus on other things. And even when I try to focus on something else, it's equally depressing, like (for example) the fact that the meathead George W. Bush is rising in the poles again. The only place where justice seems imminent is Big Brother. At least I have something mindless and big to do at work to distract me from my angst: the documentation of the inner-workings of my messageboard system. The only things that are capable of lifting my spirits are masturbation (when I can manage to get my mind off the phone bill) and alcohol.
The problem with alcohol is that it's only fun when you have more left to drink. Even between sips it's a bore. The act of drinking is the fun part. There's no such thing as drinking a drink and then having fun with the buzz. You have to keep drinking.
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