Feeling: silly and tiny and somewhat deaf
Listening to: Taking Back Sunday - Timberwolves at New Jersey
Reading/Watching: Time of the Twins

In my lovely new job working for 411 Information, we took the computer-system practice test on Saturday, no review, and I aced it. Then we took the official test today, and my instructor actually laughed and waved me away when I asked what my grade was, saying "You honestly think you did worse than last time?"

So I'm thinking I'm all special, naturally, because I'm egotistical like that. Check the diary rings... "erudite" is in there.

And then. We get on the callroom floor for the first time. A whole hour, entirely on our own. The call-time goal is to average forty-six seconds by the end of training, which I'm thinking will be no problem, because in the nice sterile classroom, practicing with my classmates, I average around twenty seconds.

So I'm taking calls, all cool and professional, "What city, please?" and suddenly everyone in America has forgotten how to speak.

"I need Hamnamnaptdshgmsmoo in Dijimonkey, the Warshnaptufr Store in Grishwibble."

"I'm... sorry? How are you spelling that, please?"

"H-A-M-N-A-M-N... where are you from, that you don't know how to spell Hamnamnaptdshgmsmoo?"

Obviously, I am from StupidDeafPeopleVille. I am slightly fearful that my hearing defecit could cause some real problems, if this is representative of how it will always be. Four or five people were getting rather irritated with me, because they're from North Carolina or love to call from windy tunnels and I am hindered by my tendency to speak in ENGLISH (my apology to any North Carolinians out there, but when you call me on a cell-phone I cannot understand you).

Plus some old lady kept changing the spelling of the name of the person she needed, and took three minutes to write down the number I finally tried to give her. I repeated myself eight times (seriously, no exaggeration - EIGHT TIMES). I closed the call with the distinct impression that she'd still get it wrong.

Our training instructor estimated that we would average our call time at 1:20 and need at least four or five transfers to a supervisor on our first night. I averaged 0:59 (despite the old lady, whose call was over three minutes long) and only transferred once, so I'm not a completely hopeless case.

But that was the longest hour of my life.

::shrinks down into teensytinyhumiliatedKatiebits::

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