One of my co-workers was putting together a book display yesterday, and to spice it up she retrieved this big box of Barbie dolls from, I think she said, the science department. Why there would be Barbies in the science department, I have no idea. They are certainly not an accurate representation of human anatomy. (Maybe that's the reason.)
Anyway, among the Barbie dolls we found...
...G.I. Joe (or someone like G.I. Joe) in a princess gown and a fur-trimmed duster. I swear I did not dress him this way, though I did have him lift his hemline to show us his shapely camo-painted calves.
As I was taking this photo, my boss kept saying, "Steve's going to put this online and get us fired." So let me just make it perfectly clear that I am not in any way being transphobic or discriminatory. On the contrary, I firmly believe all people, including G.I. Joe, should be able to determine their own path in life and that includes gender identity and expression and/or sartorial preferences, and they deserve our support.
Otherwise, yesterday was pretty stressful. I was having no luck with the management company on getting the sewer drain fixed -- I called, I e-mailed -- until finally I kept going up the chain of command and the assistant to a regional director solved my problem. She contacted the landlord and learned that the landlord has coverage for drain blockages through British Gas (don't ask me what drains and gas have to do with each other, because I don't know). So I called British Gas and they sent someone yesterday evening and now the drain works fine and the neighbors will no longer be repulsed. And we didn't even have to pay anything.
My question is, why did it take TEN DAYS for someone at the management company to tell me how to handle that problem?
I also came home once again at lunch to let the dog out. We only have to live through one more workday without a dog walker -- today. Olga is scheduled to get her stitches out tomorrow and then resume her dog walks on Monday. I could not be happier!
Perhaps you need some special science lessons yourself Steve! Sewer = effluent = methane = gas! Hence the connection that baffled you.
ReplyDeleteYP: No, I get THAT connection. But British Gas supplies natural gas for energy. Why does that have any bearing or connection to methane in the sewer?
ReplyDeleteThe clue is in the name - British "Gas"!
ReplyDeleteP.S. I am being uncharacteristically facetious. Perhaps that is what confused you a second time.
The connection between British Gas and the repairs to your sewage problems is this: British Gas doesn't just supply natural gas, they also have an insurance company which offers cover on things such as electrical & plumbing problems. You were told your landlord has cover; that cover, ie. insurance policy is why it didn't cost you a penny.
ReplyDeleteAny questions?
Alphie
Forget the gas situation. Let's discuss GI Joe! He is FABULOUS!
ReplyDeleteYP: Facetious? Is that a pun? LOL -- I am often confused.
ReplyDeleteAlphie: I did not know that British Gas ran an insurance company! Well, that explains it.
Ms Moon: ISN'T HE?! I kind of want to keep him on my desk all the time.
I don't understand why the management company didn't just handle the situation on day one. It's a simple phone call to the appropriate place. They seem very incompetent. Great news about Olga, and that GI Joe doll is the best!
ReplyDeletelove the GI Joe no matter who dressed him. and your landlord needs a new management company. I'd be pissed to learn the people I hired to take care of my property didn't jump on fixing a sewage problem.
ReplyDeleteI would think the reason it took ten days to solve this problem is that you kept getting call centers and they have no idea what they're doing.
ReplyDeleteI immediately thought of Corporal Klinger when I saw that doll. I'm glad the drain got fixed. It really is frustrating when the management company can't get things done in a timely manner.
ReplyDeleteKen is awesome! I can't think of a single reason why those dolls would be in the science area. I'm glad your drainage/leakage/ issue is fixed, and that Olga is raring to go :)
ReplyDeleteA sewage problem that takes ten days is wrong anyway you look at it but on a brighter note GIJoe never looked better lol our daughter used to dress our sons GI Joe in her Barbie clothes , it maybe just a child playing with her toys, no message involved at all, but it did make me think of Klinger on the American tv show Mash lol I liked that character so much,
ReplyDeleteFound at 48 Doughty Street, the former home of Dickens from 1837 to 1839. It is said that he wrote 2 of his most famous stories whilst living here, Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby. The building is the writer’s only surviving London house and visitors can get an insight to what life in the household would have been like.
ReplyDeleteErik dressed his GI Joe's like that. They were fancy and did fancy battle!
It may not be that it took ten days; rather, ten days of complaining finally paid off. Congratz! I'm sure Olga will be happy to resume her walks.
ReplyDeleteRobin: Exactly! Or tell US who to call. I would have been happy to handle it if I'd simply been told how.
ReplyDeleteEllen: I hope the managers forwarded her my e-mail showing the pictures I sent of the drain on Sept. 17!
Red: I couldn't even get a call center! I couldn't get a HUMAN BEING! I kept being shunted to voice mail and I'd leave messages that I'm sure no one ever heard.
Sharon: Ha! Klinger! I'd forgotten about him! He IS very Klingeresque.
Jenny-O: That's not Ken, is it? Ken is more of a surfer guy, as I recall. Unless it's "Vietnam Ken," which would be in very bad taste.
Laurie: Ha! Do you have pictures of some of your daughter's cross-dressed GI Joes? :)
Linda Sue: OK, I know where that house is. I've walked past it before!
Catalyst: I will be so happy to get this dog moving again.
Until recently I had the responsibility for managing three houses on behalf of a charity who received the rents as revenue for their work.
ReplyDeleteI had contracts with British Gas covering gas, electrical and all plumbing issues [such as yours]
It is very expensive, but saved so much hassle for the tenants [and me!!!] as I gave them the details of the cover, emergency number and the reference number for their property. So it was up to them to contact BG as soon as possible.
Things usually got sorted on the same day or certainly within 24 hours and as the tenants did everything directly they could arrange to be in if needed at a time that suited them.
All they had to do in addition was to keep me posted.
You would think that common sense would prevail with your landlord/management company.
Oops! Neither Ken nor Joe were part of my doll collection! That's my story and I'm sticking to it :)
ReplyDeleteUnknown: See, that's VERY smart. The missing piece here is that no one gave us information about any British Gas coverage. We've had plumbing issues in the past and no one ever said anything -- including issues with our side-yard drain last spring, which the management company eventually (after much haranguing on my part) fixed. Maybe our landlord just bought the policy after that. Who knows?! Anyway, now I know to call BG, at least for the drains. I'll have to find out what else that policy covers.
ReplyDeleteJenny-O: Ha!