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A little background: My Signifigant Other (MSO) happens to be the sports writer for the same paper I work for. This is a small paper so:
1. He IS the sports department, we have no interns or anything, so he has to cover and photograph everything himself.
2. His section usually consists of ONE (1) page, maybe 2 on mondays during football (the american kind). So space is at a bit of a premium.
3. We live in Smalltown USA, and he covers 5 schools in the area for sports. He has to prioritize. (this will be important later.)
On to the spotting, well, listening in this case... Today he got a complaint from one of the area parents that he hadn't run the story for the junior high (middle school) football game:
SC: Why haven't you been covering the middle school? You put in the scores last week.
MSO: Sorry, but last week I had room to run them, this week I had too many varsity games, and just couldn't fit them in.(See "prioritizing" above)
SC: But you ran them last week! (cue bargaining) You know, you'd sell a lot more papers if you covered the middle school.
MSO:
That may be true, but I can't run them if I don't have space, and the college and varsity games take priority over the middle school.
SC: But... but... *rinse and repeat because you aren't telling me what I want to hear*
He spent 15 minutes putting up with this ON DEADLINE. As in, he was writing the stories for that day's paper NOW. I belive he told his boss he's going to be "out of the office" for the next week in the mornings if he gets anymore phone calls.
Another story pertaining to MSO:
His job predisposes him to EW parents (thankfully they are very few and far between where we live) and some like to call and bitch him out. One lady called in complaining that he hadn't run ANY photos of her pweshus speshul angel who was on the football team and why wasn't he in the paper? A) BECAUSE HE WAS A FRESHMAN. On a very productive, senior-driven team. B) HE DID NOTHING DURING THE GAME. Nothing, didn't score a point, didn't touch the ball. Despite what you may have brought junior up to believe, you really don't get recognition for not doing a damn thing. No gold stars for you. *smacks hand*
On this same note, he had an amusing "correction" from a parent (he believes it to be the same one as above)
EW Parent: Yes, I'm **trying to cover up that she's the parent and saying she's a "friend of the family"** calling about an article you ran last week? You got something wrong... *Insert Name of Highschooler* didn't run for 90 yards last week, it was only 70, something.
MSO:
I'm sorry? *He then realised what she had done* Oh! No, I was referencing last year in that particular article.
EW Parent: NO! I have the article right here- (riffles through papers)
MSO:
*wait for it... wait for it*
EW Parent: Here! "*Insert name of highschooler* ran for 90 yards last year...."
...........
...oh, I guess it was last year. Ok, bye. *quickly hangs up*
MSO:
I also had a run in this weekend.
We live just up the street from a gas station/convenience store, and they happen to make fresh food there, which is awesome if you can't figure out what you want for lunch. They only have a cook in monday through saturday, and Sundays they put out refrigerated food items (chicken fingers, frog legs (yum), chili dogs, tenderloins etc.) out in the coolers.
I was in getting some pop to go with our lunch, and there was a young couple and an old lady in the store. The old lady was very loud, and seemed to be following the couple around, complaining about there not being any food out at the counter. At first I thought she was related to the couple, but as bewildered as they looked, I think not. They grabbed what they wanted out of the coolers and made a bee line for the registers. The girl had a box of chicken fingers and the guy had a burrito or something.
Girl: I don't think they put food out on sunday. All they have is stuff to heat up in the microwave.
Crazy Old Bitch: WHAT!? You have to heat them up yourself? Why don't they have food? I want some chicken!
(this is all taking place while the COB is pacing in front of the coolers, and the couple are waiting in line)
Girl: Sorry, but I this *holds up her box* was the last of the chicken they had in the cooler.
COB: WHAT A RIPOFF!! I can't belive they don't have any food! I'm hungry! Now what am I supposed to eat?
By this time, the couple had paid and left, and I was at the counter, the clerk was just shaking her head. The old lady continued to mill around and bitch about there not being any food. THERE'S FOOD ALL ARROUND YOU! YOU ARE PACING IN FRONT OF A COOLER FULL OF FRIGGIN FOOD! I'm also curious how them not having hot food on sundays is a ripoff. YOU haven't paid anything, because there is nothing to pay for. How are you getting ripped off?? Then again, I am trying to apply logic to an individual clearly devoid of it. There must be some shred of humanity my soul-sucking job hasn't ripped away from me yet.
I should start a dead-pool on how long it'll last.
1. He IS the sports department, we have no interns or anything, so he has to cover and photograph everything himself.
2. His section usually consists of ONE (1) page, maybe 2 on mondays during football (the american kind). So space is at a bit of a premium.
3. We live in Smalltown USA, and he covers 5 schools in the area for sports. He has to prioritize. (this will be important later.)
On to the spotting, well, listening in this case... Today he got a complaint from one of the area parents that he hadn't run the story for the junior high (middle school) football game:
SC: Why haven't you been covering the middle school? You put in the scores last week.
MSO: Sorry, but last week I had room to run them, this week I had too many varsity games, and just couldn't fit them in.(See "prioritizing" above)
SC: But you ran them last week! (cue bargaining) You know, you'd sell a lot more papers if you covered the middle school.
MSO:
That may be true, but I can't run them if I don't have space, and the college and varsity games take priority over the middle school.SC: But... but... *rinse and repeat because you aren't telling me what I want to hear*
He spent 15 minutes putting up with this ON DEADLINE. As in, he was writing the stories for that day's paper NOW. I belive he told his boss he's going to be "out of the office" for the next week in the mornings if he gets anymore phone calls.
Another story pertaining to MSO:
His job predisposes him to EW parents (thankfully they are very few and far between where we live) and some like to call and bitch him out. One lady called in complaining that he hadn't run ANY photos of her pweshus speshul angel who was on the football team and why wasn't he in the paper? A) BECAUSE HE WAS A FRESHMAN. On a very productive, senior-driven team. B) HE DID NOTHING DURING THE GAME. Nothing, didn't score a point, didn't touch the ball. Despite what you may have brought junior up to believe, you really don't get recognition for not doing a damn thing. No gold stars for you. *smacks hand*
On this same note, he had an amusing "correction" from a parent (he believes it to be the same one as above
)EW Parent: Yes, I'm **trying to cover up that she's the parent and saying she's a "friend of the family"** calling about an article you ran last week? You got something wrong... *Insert Name of Highschooler* didn't run for 90 yards last week, it was only 70, something.
MSO:
I'm sorry? *He then realised what she had done* Oh! No, I was referencing last year in that particular article. EW Parent: NO! I have the article right here- (riffles through papers)
MSO:
*wait for it... wait for it*EW Parent: Here! "*Insert name of highschooler* ran for 90 yards last year...."
...........
...oh, I guess it was last year. Ok, bye. *quickly hangs up*
MSO:
I also had a run in this weekend.
We live just up the street from a gas station/convenience store, and they happen to make fresh food there, which is awesome if you can't figure out what you want for lunch. They only have a cook in monday through saturday, and Sundays they put out refrigerated food items (chicken fingers, frog legs (yum), chili dogs, tenderloins etc.) out in the coolers.
I was in getting some pop to go with our lunch, and there was a young couple and an old lady in the store. The old lady was very loud, and seemed to be following the couple around, complaining about there not being any food out at the counter. At first I thought she was related to the couple, but as bewildered as they looked, I think not. They grabbed what they wanted out of the coolers and made a bee line for the registers. The girl had a box of chicken fingers and the guy had a burrito or something.
Girl: I don't think they put food out on sunday. All they have is stuff to heat up in the microwave.
Crazy Old Bitch: WHAT!? You have to heat them up yourself? Why don't they have food? I want some chicken!
(this is all taking place while the COB is pacing in front of the coolers, and the couple are waiting in line)
Girl: Sorry, but I this *holds up her box* was the last of the chicken they had in the cooler.
COB: WHAT A RIPOFF!! I can't belive they don't have any food! I'm hungry! Now what am I supposed to eat?
By this time, the couple had paid and left, and I was at the counter, the clerk was just shaking her head. The old lady continued to mill around and bitch about there not being any food. THERE'S FOOD ALL ARROUND YOU! YOU ARE PACING IN FRONT OF A COOLER FULL OF FRIGGIN FOOD! I'm also curious how them not having hot food on sundays is a ripoff. YOU haven't paid anything, because there is nothing to pay for. How are you getting ripped off?? Then again, I am trying to apply logic to an individual clearly devoid of it. There must be some shred of humanity my soul-sucking job hasn't ripped away from me yet.
I should start a dead-pool on how long it'll last.
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