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Caught twice, bonebrain

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  • Caught twice, bonebrain

    One of my responsibilities at the paper is that four or five times a week, I upload the news stories and classifieds onto our website. A tedious job but easy enough once you know what to do (for instance, "news" icons go in the folder named "news", "photo" goes into "photo", etc. Real brainiac stuff ).

    Now, as reference, on the weekends, we run on a skeleton crew. In the morning, there's a couple ladies downstairs in classifieds just to help coordinate deliveries, they're usually gone by 1 and the machine is on so people can call and report if they don't get their papers, and the problem will be fixed the next day. Upstairs in the newsroom, there's an obit clerk (me or the other one) for three hours, one reporter (just in case another train explodes), and one photographer (same reason as the reporter). This is because our offices are CLOSED on the weekends. We don't need a dozen extra people running around because Monday-Friday is spent getting everything together for the weekends. Unless there's some big huge breaking news (train exploding), all the stuff going into the paper is already prepared by Friday night.

    To that effect, our IT guys are off on the weekends too, simply because there's only five people working and there are very small odds of anything going wrong. We have their numbers for emergencies (like a couple of weeks ago when we got struck by lightning and our server had an enormous smoking crater in it), but for the most part, we don't need them, and we're not calling them unless something vital is on fire because they work like dogs all week and deserve the rest. I'm SURE not calling them in on stupidity.

    Today has been extremely busy for a Sunday so I only just got to the website a few minutes ago, around 2:45. Our website specifically states that the site will be uploaded by 4 at the latest on weekends, so I've got some time.

    Of course, brilliance of brilliance, this dingleberry calls while I'm smack-dab in the middle of uploading everything. He fussed at the innocent bystander photographer "A" first, apparently unable to understand that A's entire job description involves taking a picture, putting it into the computer, rinse, repeat. He knows NOTHING. Finally, though, A sends it to me.

    Me: "Newsroom."
    Man: *already sounding pissy* "Who is this?"
    Great, this already sounds like a winner. Me: *reluctantly* "This is Mysty."
    Man: "WHAT do you do there?"
    Me: *managing not to sound as rageful as I'd like* "I type the obituaries."
    Man: "Is there anyone there who can help me out so far as some problems with YOUR website?"
    It's MY website now, is it? Me: "Sir, the man who could help you with that is off on the weekends, but I'll see what I can do. What-?"
    Man: "WHY isn't he there?"
    Me: "...he's OFF on the WEEKENDS." I can emphasize MY words TOO.
    Man: "I'm trying to look at Sunday's paper and there's something wrong with it."
    Ding ding, buttmunch. Me: "Sir, today's paper hasn't been uploaded yet-,"
    Man: "THAT'S NOT RIGHT! I'M LOOKING AT IT RIGHT HERE AND SOMETHING'S NOT RIGHT!!"
    Me: "Sir, I can assure you that the website has not been updated since one o'clock yesterday-,"
    Man: "Is there ANYONE there who knows ANYTHING about this?!"
    Me: "*name* will be in on Monday, just like I told you. But the website hasn't-,"
    Man: "Why isn't anyone there?!"
    Me: "Our offices are closed on-,"
    Man: *click*

    I hang up, irritated, while A apologizes for sending that guy to me and I reassure him that I enjoy shutting people down, when the phone rings again. I look A dead in the eyes and say "How much you wanna bet me that's him again?"
    A: "That's a sucker bet."

    Me: "Newsroom."
    Man: "Yes, I just got done getting NO help at all from somebody. They sent me to someone who types the obituaries who has NO idea about how things work!!"
    Me: "Did they?"
    Man: "...was that you?"
    Me: "Yes, it was, sir."
    Man: *now REALLY P.O.ed* "WHO ALL IS THERE!? I NEED HELP!!"
    Yes. Yes, you do. Me: "Me and the photographer, sir."
    Man: *SLAMS phone into receiver*

    Now the irony is that I don't have all my files to upload the web, and the tech guy in question who is coming in LATE tonight for a quick fix on some machines, will have to upload the web manually straight from the system. So sucker won't be getting his web-paper until sometime in the A.M., provided the stroke hasn't gotten him before then.

    Karma bites back.
    "Maybe the problem just went away...maybe it was the magical sniper fairy that comes and gives silenced hollow point rounds to people who don't eat their vegetables."

  • #2
    Man, what is wrong with these ppl? Their incessant whining is maddening & the rageful screaming doesn't help their cause...not that they realize it. You handled it quite well. I hope he doesn't call back.
    The universe is mostly empty space, and so is your job. ~Dilbert

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    • #3
      You know, because if he screams and whines loudly enough, the website person who is suppose to help him is going to form magically in thin air?

      And, if he wanted the paper that bad, he couldn't go to a local store and buy a copy? Granted sometimes the Sunday papers usually run a little more, but if he can afford the internet, then certainly he can afford a buck or two . . .?
      This area is left blank for a reason.

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      • #4
        He needs one of these: Geek in a Can
        "I am quite confident that I do exist."
        "Excuse me, I'm making perfect sense. You're just not keeping up." The Doctor

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        • #5
          How some people are even still alive is puzzling.

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