» Public Transport Trauma

On the Reading to Waterloo line
a couple of years ago, the carriage we were in stank. We chalked it up to the toilet nearby as it was hot summer and so we assumed that a messy one had simply been stewing in there for a bit.
However, people kept going for the corner seat in the section next to us, and then moving quickly away.
As the carriage got a bit emptier, one of us went over to have a look and found that someone had pulled up the cushion, taken a huge shit on the plastic base, and then carefully replaced the cushion, smooshing it around.

All of the good deeds I have seen since cannot change my mind about humanity, ever.
(Sat 31st May 2008, 1:34, More)

» Customers from Hell

Call centres
I worked in a call centre for a major online advertiser for a 6 month temp contract this year as a gap year. Earned some money, got some CV-worthy experience. It was complaints (outgoing calls fortunately) and it wasn't immense fun.

Half the b3tards here appear to be phone monkeys, but for the other half who think they are big and clever for screaming down the phone at said monkeys, you aren't. Most of the people you are speaking to are temps who don't give a fuck either way, but shouting will upset them. Being nice will make them happy, and will probably get you your way, but personally attacking them does not help, and doesn't make you any less angry, does it.

And for the record, you won't see me in court.

/rant (apologies to all those who are nice to the poor call centre people. You really are appreciated)
(Tue 9th Sep 2008, 11:43, More)

» Public Transport Trauma

Not my journey,
but it did spoil my evening. I went to Wales a couple of months ago with 2 friends. One came with me in the car, but the other was taking the train down later that day.
London to Swansea isn't hard and usually takes around 2 hours. We were going to pick him up from Swansea station at 6pm. His train got later and later and eventually trundled in at 11pm.
It turned out that between London and Bristol someone got run over, so they all waited for ages at Bristol Temple Meads for a replacement train, which then promptly ran someone else over.
So 2 fatalities, 1 train trip. In the end the few days we spent down by the sea were very pleasant, despite the cursed trip down.
(Thu 5th Jun 2008, 1:30, More)

» Advice from Old People

According to my lovely gran,
gays get their "bums sewn up"

I can drink as much beer as I want, but only by the half-pint, never by the full pint, because "that's too much beer"

and all the "wogs go home" stuff too. She reads the Daily Heil, so...
(Thu 19th Jun 2008, 16:30, More)

» Pet Peeves

everyone agrees
that the most irritating thing in the world is when the cocking hand rail on escalators goes slower than the rest of it.

and also what really, really fucking gets me is when pissed people try and talk to me. they usually are trying to be funny and make some offensive comment that is okay because they are only taking the piss innit. if i wanted to fucking talk to them i would... well, i wouldn't. so why don't they fuck off? oh and they are always really scary looking too, so you have to make some kind of positive reply otherwise they will give you a shoeing. i know i am a lanky, speccy goon, but seriously.

but my number one irritation (which pretty much everyone, including/especially me, is guilty of) is people not looking at both sides of a situation. it's hard to blame someone for not taking the time to think 'what if it were me', but it's still annoying. having worked in a call centre, more exactly on the complaints and technical team, i can say as a fact that being nice to the customer service people WILL get you further, and being horrible WILL make them hate you. and also if they say 'that just isn't possible', they are not shitting you. unless you have already been a twat during that call.

thanks, cartharsis and all that.
(Wed 7th May 2008, 0:55, More)