Who's on First?


You call the doctor’s office and tell the receptionist that you need an appointment and that any appointment will do. The receptionist looks at the calendar and says “Ok, we’ll put you down for Monday at 11am”
You: Well, Mondays don’t usually work. Is there another time?
Receptionist: Of course! How’s Tuesday at 3pm?
You: Tuesday afternoons are busy for me. What about Wednesday, anytime on Wednesday.
Receptionist: We only have a few spots available on Wednesday, is 10:30am ok?
You: No, I have another appointment from 9am to noon. I’m sorry about that. Do you have anything available on Thursday?
Receptionist: Yes, but the doctor only works a half day on Thursday, and then spends time at the hospital. How does 8:30am look for you?
You: Well I have a lot of appointments on Thursday, especially in the morning. I guess Thursday won’t work. Friday I don’t come into work, so I think it would be hard to schedule an appointment with you. Can we go back to Monday?

The above is kind of like an Abbott and Costello routine… who’s on first? It comes down to poor communication. Who is actually on first base, and you don’t actually have an open schedule for any appointment time. While the example may be a bit of an exaggeration (just a tiny bit though) it feels like this happens all day some days in my office.

I say exactly what I mean “Who is on first”. Excellent. No confusion, I’m saying what needs to be communicated. However, it sometimes feels like the person listening hears “I-Don’t-Know is on third”, which can really throw a wrench in the conversation. And then there are the days where I get responses similar to “I do not like green eggs and ham”. Looking back on these days, it can be pretty amusing. I could tell pretty funny stories about how many conversations take me on a rollercoaster ride. But living through them can just build frustration. I try most days to shake it off mainly because I know that this is just a small part of my life, and when I go home Daisy will always be wagging her tail. Sometimes though, it feels like the stupid is contagious and I hope to just make it through the day without catching some myself.

On a good note I have been invited to sit on a committee that plans a campus-wide event, which is chaired by a member of the President’s council! 

PS -- I apologize for a late-ish post, or a non-Sunday post. I wasn't inspired to write anything positive or amusing after last week, so you get a story from today!

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