Putting On My Phone Voice

Good morning, HIT Entertainment...
Good afternoon, Hit Entertainment...oh Im sorry they are away from their desk at the moment, would you like to go through to their voicemail?
Please hold.

This is what I utter all day for 8 hours a day whilst I am at this job. I have been a receptionist before, I did it for 2 years and I've forgotten how dull it is. Its even more so when you don't really know anyone you work with. On top of it being dull I sometimes need to ask the people on the other end of the line to repeat themselves b/c I dont understand who they are asking for or where they are calling from. I must sound like a total ass.  My favorite is I literally have to think about where I am before I say hello. I don't really know what I am thinking about when I actually answer the phone...thats a lie, I am thinking, is it 6pm yet? But I put on my "professional" voice and I answer that phone!  Also, you should hear the people hesitate when they hear an American on the other end of the line. You know they are saying, "shit did I call the wrong number!" No, no you did not!

I know some of you have had the pleasure of listening to my "phone voice" at all the millions of places I've worked.  There was the one where my father never knew it was me on the other end...I was that good!"Good Afternoon, Titan Outdoor" or  "CHD, this is Jean, how can I help you?" And then there is Barrie's favorite "Its a great day at Aveda, South Shore Plaza. This is Jean, how can I help you?" I couldn't even get half way through that one before she would burst into a fit of laughter.  So...here I am again, professionally answering a phone for another week.  When do I get to be a burlesque dancer...(see here)

God I need to figure out what I am doing with my life :)

I Am The Worst

Jesus, I haven't blogged in ages...sorry for that, but I am sure you are not morning my loss :)  Sadly I can't say I have been up to too much lately. I have been job hunting like it's my...well job.  To no avail has anything come up other than some temp work. Right now I am temping as the receptionist at Hit Entertainment and have been surrounded by Thomas the Train and Bob the Builder as this is what the company produces.  Its really cute.  However, I damn near had a nervous breakdown on the 1st day alone b/c I am learning a phone system full of people who dont all have faces either.  I am pretty sure in the 1st half hour of this job I dropped at least 5 calls. Luckily I was talked down off the ledge by a few friends and feel a little less helpless and kind of am falling into a groove.  Of course I still worry about people coming in thinking I am an idiot b/c I am figuring it out. I will be here for 2 weeks...as long as they don't kick me out for being incompetent.

Last weekend I went back to the countryside with Tom to see a county show called Newbury Show, which was a lot of livestock showings and tons of tents set up to shop for food, clothing, shoes...you name it. It somewhat reminded me of going to the 4H aread of the Marshfield Fair but on a MUCH grander scale.  We also saw a really contemporized (is that a word) version of Twelfth Night that was really interesting.  It was done with really not set or props. They did use the text but it was abridged quite a bit, music was added to it and there were only 8 actors.  I enjoyed it, I might not have had so much of an appreciation of it if I hadn't been give a heads up on how this production was done.  Sometimes when you think your seeing a show that is done in a traditional setting and its not done that way it can throw you. All is all it was great.  I also really enjoy going home with Tom b/c I can really enjoy my gluttonous side. Tom's mother really does treat me and my stomach very well!

Other than that, I haven't really had much to much else happening.  I booked my tickets home for Christmas, I will be arriving on 20 December at 1pm and I leave on 27 December at 9am. I know its not a long period of time b/c I want to spend New Years here in London and I couldn't really book for an earlier time b/c I dont know if and where I will be working and dont want to abuse my time off.  I#m trying to think if I have anything else exciting happening...oh yeah! I signed up to run a 5K next month. I think I am crazy  for doing it but it should be interesting. It will also be a great challenge, now I need to get my ass training!

Thanks all folks! Sorry I've been so MIA. I hope to have more to tell you about.

New Places, New Hair, New Friends

It's been a while since I've last updated you on my life...what can I say, it's been a busy week!  Where do I begin, I'm still on the job hunt, which leaves my moods up and down.  Sometimes I am really confident that I will get something really soon and other times I just feel defeated.  However, I am trying to pull myself out of the job rut and have a better outlook on what is to come.

This past weekend was a bank holiday weekend and Tom invited me to come to his family's house in the English Countryside.  I can't even begin to describe how beautiful and movie-like his home is.  The house was this gorgeous countryhouse that I was sure I was going to get lost in with all the rooms, doors and staircases.  There was a garden and lots of farmland, a horse, sheep, 2 wonderful dogs, a pool...it was absolutely amazing!  We saw a show, "Copacabana" by Barry Manilow, at this fabulous theatre called The Watermill the first night we got there. The second day Tom showed me around the town of Hungerford, which was adorable and so quaint, full of antique shops and little boutique stores.  I could definitely see myself living there in the later years. We had lunch with his mom, 2 friends he grew up with and one of his mothers friends and then after lunch headed off to a town carnival.  It was a really small provincial town where not much goes on and the carnival was a parade with 5 floats and then a fun fair.  We tore that fun fair up!  Tom, Michael, Bex and I played games, drove bumper cars and the octopus.  We also played in the nearby playground, which I have to say was way cooler than most playgrounds I've been to...there was a trampoline-y kind of thing!  Our last day there pretty much consisted of puttering around.  Bex, Tom and I played croquet, which I am terrible at, and tennis, which I am also terrible at. Then Tom took a swim while I relaxed in the sun. Later Michael came and Tom, Michael and I took the dogs for a walk around the farm and in the woods.  I later watched the boys play croquet...I didn't want to show off my skills anymore.  We had a late dinner before heading back to London after an amazing weekend.  I have to say though, country living certainly isn't for the faint of heart.  Within being there for a hour one of the dogs came around the corner with a dead rabbit in her mouth, then on the walks the other dog found a multitude of animal carcasses. The 1st night I went to be and there were a ton of months flying around my room which freaked me out a little and Tom told me "its an old house, just roll with it." Oh...and then there was the fish gutting.  Dinner the last night was fish, that when Tom took it out of the fridge it was still bleeding and staring at me. Tom took that fish into the house and gutted that bad boy right in front of me...I was scarred, but I ate the fish and it was good! All in all it was a good weekend!

What I did instead of croquet

Then after the weekend I decided that my hair needed a change. The strawberry blond wasn't doing it for me anymore and I wanted my red hair back.  So with the number and recommendation of a salon in London by the lovely Laetitia I headed up to Wedge get my hair did!  I love it.  It's still very red, but I am enjoying it!

Lastly, yesterday I met up with Naomi who is finally back from her 2 months in Wisconsin.  Naomi and I have been meaning to meet up for quite some time since the Spring, but it has not been able to happen...until yesterday!  She introduced me to this really cute vegetarian cafe but more importantly she introduced me to Scoop where we indulged in some of the most delicious gelato ever!  I had a scoop of the caramel and a scoop of the milk chocolate.  Nom nom nom!  We ate our gelato, walked around St. James Park and watched the pelicans.  Naomi is also unemployed so we wallowed in our "unemploymentness" together.  It was a nice day out in the nice weather.

So that's what I've been up to recently...