A Note in Sobriety

I apologize immediately to readers seeking humor from this post. I am at the moment rather sickened as I come to the realization of what my employment may have wrought, and I feel as though, as my friends, or even as strangers, you might lend your sympathies not to me, but to an elderly lady in California, her savings and Social Security being vampirized by my employing company.

In the first place, though, in the foreground to what follows, this point is superficial, it is always with great displeasure that I am assigned any collections projects. Such was the case with today, but grudgingly, I set to the work I was assigned. After all, this is for what I'm paid.

Moving down a simple paper list, I called, and called, and called, leaving messages for people to call back and submit themselves again to payment for their contracted services. For some, who signed in the want of said services, I feel little sympathy. In this world, you receive that which you work for, and seldom more. However, as I neared the end, the woman I called answered the phone, and I started to describe to her what was necessary of her.

Quickly, however, the testing of my own soul began. Again, I mean no humor by this. The woman, aged 83, protested that, when the salesman came to her door three years ago, he stated the equipment was free, the service was free, all that ADT might use her residence to advertise. This was, of course, quite false. However, at the time, though her age did strike a nerve in me, I informed her that this salesman was not our employee, and it didn't help that she quickly added to the conversation that our entire company was filled with liars. Still, our employee did go to her home last year and offer to upgrade her system for no charge. This much may or may not have been technically true, as her service would continue, however, there may or may not have been a price difference.

Either way, this woman resisted the man for half an hour, but eventually gave in. I told her, still somewhat indifferent, or as indifferent as I ever am when calling people about their billing, that she was in contract and I had to have her pay the money she owed. But the more and more we struggled to understand each other, the clearer the full picture was to my eyes. This woman, poor soul, had been fooled into this alarm system, most likely by a college student salesman as most of our salesmen at my work. She was 80 at the time, though her mind was hardly dulled, yet she was the kind of woman who, when the Girl Scout's come by her door, cannot not buy their cookies, no matter how difficult her own situation was. And so, this man, seeking riches by selling, thought this woman easy prey. And though she struggled, he won her over with lies. This much, I can't claim any responsibility to, as whatever company sold this to her initially is unknown to me.

My part comes in simply because it was our salesman who ensnared her again, and whether or not with lies seems so terribly trivial right now. And just as her contract with the former company was nearing its end, her system hardly used, she was entered into contract again, all to line the pockets of a college student unable or unwilling to work honestly for his money, at least in this instance.

Why do I feel guilt? I'm here, currently, sitting at my desk in the same building that dispatched this vampire of money, the same building sporting shiny new paint, wide-screen TVs, ping-pong tables, a pool table, a couple couches, a nice rug, etc. How much did this elderly lady pay for? Maybe the ottoman, maybe only a few rows of the rug, maybe a couple tanks of gas for the boss' pickup truck.

But that's still slightly superficial. Perhaps this is merely because of my archaic thinking, or my empathetic nature, or my striving to improve the world one iota, or I know not what. One way or another, my being here may not have caused direct injury to anyone in California, but am I not showing support for these salesmen's crooked principles? Was it not me then, if indirectly, that allowed this poor woman to be snaked into another contract, to suffer hunger, if need be, to satiate the money-gluttony of the salesmen?

I can't give a decent answer, and I am sick.

(This Title Not Parenthetical)

Short post today (relatively). My sister, her friend, and I were talking (arguing) about Twilight, my pet bashing book, at lunch. Whilst gamboling to my car afterwards, I voiced to my sister the following thought process. Many fantasy readers, ranging from hardcore bookworms to the meanest n00b, know that crosses balk vampires rather effectively, or so the myth goes. I figured that this was because something so evil couldn't stand holiness. Duh. But then, as I am reading Bram Stoker's Dracula, I wondered if that wouldn't be the "Holy Symbol" to Twilight gushers.

I mean, I realize this is stretching hope into impossibility, but wouldn't it be perfect if the very aura of- dare I say it? -actually decent writing would cause the Edward-infected to hiss and draw back in fear? Of course, in that sense, one should be able to hold aloft J.K. Rowling, or Stephen King, or Robert Ludlum, or Jennifer Roberson, or....

On another topic entirely, with the economy as it is, those who hoped to gift their significant other with diamond "stars" needn't spend so much for their own piece of the heavens. That's right! For only $54 and a phone call, you can register your loved one in the Star Registry and name a very, very (very very very very very), very distant flaming ball of gasses after him/her. So what are you waiting for?!

(In case it was missed, this blog suffers from sarcasm and over-used parentheses.)

Additionally, 57- No! -only 28 homes can get a GREAT DEAL!!!!!!!! on air-conditioning and heating! For only ~$917, the cost of labor, you can get your house installed with air-plumbing (since the actual term escapes me)! This is so the business owner can eek by in these bitter months of low business and not so he can hose money out of you in the name of a GREAT DEAL!!!!!!!! No, really. But only 57- NO!!- 28 homes can get this! Why are you still reading this?! Go, now! Take the largely-under-baited hook! Call whatever number it was!

Sales people ire me...