Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Sour Cookies

Mary Martha was sick again today, so I was back on the 19th floor. One good thing about this floor is that the relief receptionist is Tina, who, unlike Joan, is a permanent employee and has a computer login. She logs me in when she goes on her breaks so that I can have a few minutes to check my favorite blogs and email with my man. The bad thing about 19 is that being there gives me a general feeling of incompetence.

This morning a partner called from his cell phone asking if his secretary was in yet because she hadn’t picked up her extension when he'd called. First I had to ask who he was (was I supposed to know from the sound of his voice?) and he seemed genuinely annoyed about having to tell me. I looked him up on the phone list and found his secretary. Unfortunately, even with Mary Martha’s handy pictures on the phone list I still wasn’t sure if I’d seen his secretary. There are a whole bunch of them on this floor that kind of look the same; to me the morning rush is just a parade of nondescript, older white ladies. The only secretary whose face I have registered in my brain is Diane’s secretary Monica (who appears right next to Diane’s picture on the phone list and who twice yesterday complimented me on my “complexion,” whatever that means). So I told the partner that I was sorry, I wasn’t sure if his secretary was in yet. He sighed and asked to be transferred into her voice mail, at which point I hit the wrong button and dropped the call.

A little later in the morning, a salesman from one of the copy centers stopped by to leave a package for Todd, one of the second year associates. It looked like some kind of give-away and the box wasn’t sealed, so I peeked inside – cookies. Figuring an associate would be too busy to worry about a box of cookies, I called Todd’s secretary and told her (cheerfully, since it was cookies) that Todd had a package. She was silent for a moment. “Ok…can you hang up, call his extension and tell him yourself?” (If receptionists’ pictures appeared on the phone list I guess they would be even smaller than the secretaries’ pictures.) So I called Todd’s extension and after four rings it bounced back to the snotty secretary. “Todd Amstead’s office,” she answered. “Yes, hello, this is the reception desk, Mr. Amstead has a package.” And I hung up.

Maybe I really am just a lousy receptionist. At least I avoided another run-in with Diane today.

5 Comments:

Blogger Lia said...

Good story. Did you eat a cookie? Maybe finish the box, without sharing with the snotty secretary?

June 29, 2005 6:18 AM  
Blogger Mel said...

After all of this, do you still want to be an attorney?! :) LOL

June 29, 2005 12:40 PM  
Blogger JLR said...

Kim--that's hilarious. What's that woman's problem? Is she in fight with her boss and refusing to speak with him? Why couldn't she just tell him? Or better yet, come get the package, because I'm sure he'll make her come get it anyway.

June 29, 2005 12:58 PM  
Blogger Lia said...

Kim, thanks for posting the Anonymous Lawyer link. That kept me busy all day at work yesterday. I really feel for your not having internet access at your own boring job; it's all that makes mine even slightly bearable.

Just curious - why is your own blog on the list of blogs you like by people you don't know? Thanks for the link to mine!

June 30, 2005 5:51 AM  
Blogger Kim Plaintive said...

oops, copy & paste html goof!

June 30, 2005 8:51 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home

.