Bad day

[Pekka]

Man, I'm having a bad day. Not like a.. really bad day, but I'm a bit pissed off.

First, I went to get my 'tax card', a new one, once again, so I went to the tax office and the service I got was definitely bad. It wasn't just bad, it was rude and incompetent.

The woman got a bit angry with me, she asked how much I'm going to make this year. I said, well, let me see.. me contract is until the end of fall, but it will prolly continue throughout the whole year. "I need to know how much you are going to make during the whole year", with some bonus *sighs*. I was totally like wtf? She said it in a rude manner. So I said, well my salary is X, so it's prolly going to be around Y at the end of the year. Then she said 'Y? Ok.'.. she got it wrong, I gave her the figure, and she counted it wrong in her little head, from my monthly salary to what it accumulates into. I gave her the whole number too. Then she got angry because I said No, it's not that much, it's this much. After she calculated it agian, she was like oh yeah, you're right. But still pissed off.

I said I have raised a bit of that student support this year, so I'll prolly have to take that into account, plus I need to cut it out soon. So she was like 'ok, how many months have oyu taken this year?'. I said well, 3. Then she was like, no no, how many months _have you taken_ during this year?

So I figure she must mean academic year, 4 sememsters, like from fall to the next fall. I said well, how far do you want to go back? Now she is like pissed off even more. NO, how many months this year? I was totally lost. She is speaking Finnish, but I don't understand her at all. Then I got it.. she means how many months I'm GOING to take this year. Not how many I have taken. There's a past meaning to the other and other implies to the future. Don't blame me if you are so ****ing stupid you can't speak what you want to say.

Then "Are you going to have bonuses". How the **** should I know? Maybe, I don't know?! "ok but we have to know". It was like wtf? I said that can't I just come and modify this information when I know in the future? The answer was 'sure'. SO why the **** are you doing this whole dance routine, and gettign pissed off along with it? Makes no sense.

Then, the last question, "so you want A or B". Ok what is A or B? What do they mean? A new series of sighs and getting pissed off. I mean hey listen lady, you are doing a service job OK? If I knew what option A or B is, I would damn well just print out my own tax card and you wouldn't be needed, now would you? I was extremely irritated when I got out. I tried to be nice but when I got out, man I wanted to punch her ugly tired fat face in. Why am I supposed to be the one wiht patience and politeness? SEems to me one of us is the customer and one of us is the service person.

Then I got home and read my e-mails. I had gotten 'feedback' from this lecturer. We did this assignment, and we put out a lot of effort. We did much more than the assignment required, but naturally we didn't send our extra material, because in here you stay within the limits, send more and it's a negative thing. OK so the dude gets back to us and says this and this is missing. We reply that no, it isn't missing, I mean maybe we understood the assignment wrong then, but we did do it.

Then he is like woah, guys, too bad you put all that effort out there and left them out of your paper. He directly implied we LIED to him, that we actually had made a lot more stuff. That ****ing pisses me off. Ok, when you start calling us liars, watch your ****ing mouth. It's stupid, because you can't answer to that stuff, you just want to forget about it, so you won't engage yourself into full battle, because the only thing that will happen is your grades will go down.

Nice one.

[Pekka]

OK this is definitely a problem I have. Little things, these aren't big deal. But this still troubles me. It shouldn't. Mostly I'm troubled by the fact that someone didn't believe me, and thought I lied to them, when I didn't, and I worked for hours only to be told that I didn't work and I'm making it up.

I should let it go. But I can't. I need to learn how to let it go. I don't know how though. If it's my peer, it's cool because I'll just return to favour at some point. Someone below me? I'll just tell them to get effed. But superior to me? I really have difficult time just forgetting.

[LordShiva]

These problems were your fault for not communicating effectively.

[Pekka]

Don't come trolling here. Stay in your office, tiger.

[Asher]

I am, as always, on Pekka's side.

Power to you, brother!

[LordShiva]

Seriously, when she asked you how much you expected to make, she didn't want to hear a soliloquy on the peculiarities of your job or how many days you hope to study vs. work or whether you signed your contract in blue ink or black, etc.

[Pekka]

Asher, thanks man.

There was no communication problem. The service lady was rude, perhaps she was tired. But it's tax stuff, so I don't know all the hoops. That's why she is there, to help me. Like I said, if I knew what option A or B is, she wouldn't have a job. And she was the one calculating my figures wrong, I did it in my head, she couldn't do it even with her computer. That stuff affects my tax percentage, ok? this stuff is important.

And the lecturer, that was plain wrong. He accused me of being a liar in a situation where I wasn't lying. I can even prove it, because I did complete all that extra work, and you can see the date of my last save, way before the deadline, so I can prove I didn't just deny and then work it up later. That's not what happened.

I don't care if someone doubts me in my normal life. That's life. But in a situation where I'm the student and I have a teacher, where I'm graded, and you point blank call me a liar? Ok, that's not professional. That's not proper conduct. I don't like that. I especially don't like it, when the other person is simply wrong. Wrongfully accused, that's not something I just take.

So I don't know how I was unable to communicate this poorly.

[Pekka]

LordShiva, Are you stupid? I was thinking aloud, about my monthly salary, and how much that amounts to. That's it, comprende?

How many days I work and/or study? If I signed the contract with what ink? Dude, I'm serious, get back to work. Someone is having a problem with their Microsoft Office.

[Cort Haus]

Tax is always taxing. Maybe it was her time-of-the-month.

[LordShiva]

Pekka, get back to work. You should complete another assignment that you're not going to turn in.

[Pekka]

Ooo, did I hurt your feelings? What is it? No bonus this year?

I did turn it in, and I did pass it. And, I can show that I did more than enough in the final portfolio, so I'm sorry, you have to come up with something better than that. Besides that's school.

Remember to wear that tie.

[LordShiva]

Originally posted by Pekka
Ooo, did I hurt your feelings?

I was wondering the same thing.

[Gibsie]

but was there toilet paper in the bathrooms

[Pekka]

Gibsie, yes. The bathroom today was especially nice. All towels were clean and in position, the function of the whole facility was at the standard level required.

[LordShiva]

It's not all bad, then.