"Yeah?"

I've been out of the world of work for a while now, so things may have changed in my absence, but I am unconvinced that the above is an appropriate way for a receptionist to answer the phone at a law firm.

Furthermore, the following conversation just seems lacking a certain... je ne sais quoi.

"Hello... is this Smith, Jones and Adams?"
"Yeah. Who are you?"
"[My Name]"
"What do you want?"
"I was hoping to speak to Ms Smith."
"She's not here."
"Could I leave a message? Asking her to call me back?"
"Sure, yeah. What's your name again?"


Technically there's nothing wrong with this; she wasn't rude, didn't swear at me, and gave me the information I needed. And yet...

Blast from the past

Came across some old floppy disks and am going through them seeing what's still viewable and what's been too digitally degraded to save. Stumbled across my "*&%$ you and your little dog too" letter to a couple of my Chilean relatives from eleven years ago. Wow, was I pissed. I suddenly remember why I've never gone back to Chile, despite having many other kind and wonderful relatives there, whom I would dearly love to see.


I always thought I'd raise my boys to be proud of - or at least aware of - their Chilean heritage. Lost heart after our one visit with Daniel back in 1998; stopped speaking to him in Spanish, played far less Chilean music, and didn't bother to give Justin a Spanish-friendly name, or register him as a Chilean citizen. I've taught both kids some Spanish, but on the whole they have almost no connection to that part of their heritage at all. Which I now figure is not all that weird; I left the country when I was four, and only went back for brief visits every few years. My mother didn't raise me "Chilean," whatever that means in terms of culture/religion/child rearing practices/morals. I don't even understand the slang or cultural references spoken by my generation. So really, except for a few of my relatives and friends and some childhood memories, I don't have much of a connection to the place either.