Odessa

Some people love yapping on their cell phone. Others of us, have it for convenience and to relay important information, such as: "Hey, sorry, gonna be a little late. There is an accident and traffic is crawling." or "I can't find you. Where the hell are you?"

I have given people I need to meet for work issues my PERSONAL cell phone number, just in case we are at opposite ends of Penn Station or something. I try to make it clear that this is MY cell phone (work is too cheap to give us stuff like that) and that it is to be used for urgent issues.

This morning, I am getting ready for another trip. I am still at home. I hear my cell phone ring, I look, it is one of our stupid work numbers. I think it might be important. I answer it. It is a guy that I travelled with last week for a project I am filling in on. He wants to know when he can expect a letter from me. Hello? What part of I'm not in the office does he fail to grasp. This is the first he is mentioning this to me. I have no idea what the fuck he is talking about. I basically tell him this. He says, yeah he's sorry, he should have mentioned it before. THEN, he asks again, when he can expect it. Well, gee, I won't be back into the office until FRIDAY, and I have to pass it by management, so I have no fucking clue!

I tell him to send me an e-mail and finally, he lets me go. Furthermore, even if he HAD mentioned it earlier, nothing would have gotten done. The thing he is looking for is important, but not as important as some other crap I am working on. He also just doesn't get that his little part of the universe just isn't that critical.