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Let me start off by being completely honest in saying that patience is not one of my strongest virtues. On a scale of 1 to 10, patience lands somewhere around minus 1 when it comes to me. And not only am I impatient, but sometimes intolerant - especially when it comes to people doing their jobs correctly. Or rather, how “I” see them being done correctly.

I am fully aware of WHY I am impatient with others. I am impatient with others because I’m impatient with myself and the high standards I place on my own doing.

However, every so often I will learn a lesson in patience.

-----------------------------------

Last Monday morning, I remembered a saying that my mother told me as a kid.

“You catch more bees with honey than vinegar.”

And the reason I remembered this was because for the THIRD time in the one year that I’ve worked for this particular vendor, the payroll company they use claims that they did not receive my payroll invoice - therefore, couldn’t pay me.

Which made me want to go insane and scream, “YOU STUPID IDIOTS! YOU LOST MY INVOICE AGAIN!”

Allow me to explain….

In order for me to get paid, I have to fill out and fax an invoice to a payroll company with both my hours worked and productivity totals. Once they get the invoice, they cut a check and then direct deposit into my checking account.

However, something in my psyche told me they hadn’t received my invoice from the previous week, so I decided to listen my intuition and call them to double check.

I was right, they hadn’t gotten my invoice. Well…I don’t think it’s because they hadn’t gotten it because this has happened THREE times. I really think it’s because someone in the office misplaced or lost them. I mean come on, I had fax confirmation reports clearly stating that my invoices went through, so I knew ALL three had gotten there.

Let me just add here, that I also work for another vendor who I also fax my invoices to, yet this has never happened with them in SIX years.

Anyway, after calling them very early Monday morning and being told they never got my fax, I began to feel agitated and extremely annoyed. I was told to call them back after 3 p.m. to see if they had found my invoice. So I waited (impatiently) while cleaning my apartment, because that’s what I do when I’m agitated and annoyed. I clean.

At 3:05, I called them back and was told they did NOT find my invoice and that I’d have to fax it again.

SON. OF. A. BITCH.

Well….I wish you all could have seen my body language at that point. I looked liked the Wicked Witch of the West after she discovered that Dorothy possessed the Ruby Red Slippers, and realized there was no way in hell she could get them off her feet unless she KILLED her.

I almost exploded into a ball of FLAMES.

But suddenly, I heard my mothers voice saying…..

“Remember, you catch more bees with honey than vinegar, Ronnie”

So instead of screaming, I decided to change the ‘tone’ of my voice into Shirley Temple, and be very sweet to the lady who was helping me. I BEGGED her to make sure that if I re-faxed my invoice, she would be positive I got paid on Friday. It was then that she said, “I’ll tell you what….just fax your invoice directly to me and I’ll be SURE it gets to the right place as fast as possible.”

I thanked her profusely and told her that I really appreciated her kind efforts.

So, I RAN to Kinko’s and immediately faxed it to the number she gave me because she was leaving her office at 3:30.

Once I got I back from Kinko’s, I called her office to ask if she had received it. Where upon, she said that she had.

YAHOOOO!

And not only did she tell me that she got it, but also said that she would hand deliver it to the proper person so that my paycheck would be direct deposited by Friday. Positive.

I said, “OMG…thank you! You’re a doll and a life-saver. I could KISS you!”

She giggled and said, “You’re very welcome.”

So you see, my mother was right….you DO catch more bees with honey!

However, I’ll have to remember that the next time I get impatient and intolerant.

Which…um…will probably be within the next 24-hours.

56 comments:

  1. You're mother was right! Glad you got it sorted Ron. x

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  2. Sounds like you're dealing with an inept vendor. It would rile me too if I had to deal with something like that. You're mother was soooo right. I wish I'd heard that expression when I was younger and more volatile. Even now, although I'm basically more tolerant, I get steamed up over incompetence. It eats away at me until I want to explode. Thankfully, these days it's not very often. Hope the rest of your week is trouble free.

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  3. Oh, I'm just as bad, Ron. I have zero patience for people who can't do their jobs. I tend to use my passive aggressive techniques on them and go complain via e-mail and the like. In fact, just this weekend I had an irritating experience checking in to a hotel, so I will be making a little visit to TripAdvisor today!!!!

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  4. Well YEAH for the results! And *whew*. Nothing is more frustrating for me than chasing the illusive 'never got it' payroll timesheet.

    I could cc' myself a copy of the fax.
    I could get a confirmation of the fax being received.
    I could call and get a verbal confirmation.

    Invariably there was 'one missing' and could I refax?
    Nope--but I can email on my copy that includes the one that the human on the other end miraculously didn't receive.

    Human error.
    I'm not certain how it is that humans can't simply admit--'missed it', 'lost it', 'misplaced it'. Ego, maybe?
    Heck, I lose things all the time! (mostly my patience with the finance department, truth be told....so if you're lookin' for spare patience.....ummm.....SORRY!!)

    This is why I've made a good working relationship with one particular gal IN finance. And why she gets chocolate and little prezzies....and why my folks don't get errors in their payroll now, I suspect. LOL

    No spare patience, but I DO have a few pots of honey I could send your way. LOL

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  5. ...Oh Ronnie, you're so funny! I too was raised on that same saying and it mostly always rings true too. :o)

    ...I guess patience is my strong suit 'cause I possess oodles of it. I am quiet and reserved by nature so very few things ruffle my feathers but I do have a cut-off point for laziness and incompetence. At some point in the game, I do throw up my hands every now and then and yell, "oh come on now people!"... *giggle*shrug*

    ...I had just that moment this past Saturday evening. My husband and I, who are polar opposites I might add, went to a friend's retirement party. These friends are friends from my husband's past as he was/is very popular and they all are people I only know thru him. My husband is an alcoholic and sadly comes from a long line of alcoholics in his family. He had given up drinking for 15 years and unfortunately fell off the wagon a few years ago and our lives haven't been the same since.

    Well, back to Saturday night. My husband got stumbling drunk which meant I had to drive home 'cause whenever we go out I'm pretty much the designated driver on our ride home. Well, usually, my husband passes out within minutes of hitting the passenger's seat but this time he managed to stay coherent, much to my dismay, at which point he proceeds to tell me which route to take to get home.
    Well. I was having none of that. I had just sat thru an evening of people I hardly knew, watching my husband slam drinks like Prohibition was making a comeback and listening to a honky tonk band and watching bad Line Dancing. *sigh*shudders*

    Anyway, I'm driving towards a stoplite and he tells me to turn left but I wanted to turn right to take a route I knew. Usually I leave well enough alone and just do what he says to save sanity but that nite I guess patience was not my virtue. This lil' spat went on for longer than I liked when I suddenly hit the brakes and slammed my hands on the steering wheel and yelled at my husband to "just shut the hell up and pass the f*ck out already!". And btw, the "f" word is not a regular part of my vocabulary. He was quiet for the next few minutes until we got up to the stoplite and I heard him, in a very low tone, say, "turn left".

    I leaned my head against the truck's driver window, let out a heavy sigh and I, turned left. :o\
    He finally passed out when we hit the interstate and needless to say the next 30 miles homeward were bliss.
    The end. :o)

    ...On a lighter note, just think, that today there is a woman at your payroll company who is gonna mention you in passing to someone about how she received the nicest phone call from one of the sweetest people and when your name pops up every now and then she will smile. Yeah, patience is a good thing. ;o)

    ...Have a wonderful week my dear!

    ...Blessings :o)

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  6. Hi Ronnie,

    Oh man, what do these people do when they receive the faxes? Use them for wallpaper?? Geez! I guess that it would be another story if it were about THEIR payroll! Ha!!

    Bless your Mom :); her bit of advice squashed the beast in you! And it worked!!
    I am sure that lady left her office feeling good having helped the dude on the phone. It's funny how our parent's advice often sticks with us as adults. I can attest to that.

    I seem to have lots of menfolk who are of the impatient type :). Maybe because I am of the opposite nature but... if I can fired up when trod on. Chalk some of your nature up to that 100% hot Latin blood of yours.

    Happy Monday to ya, Italian stallion :) xo

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  7. How frustrating for you.
    Our attitudes are contagious, so your demeanor on the phone with her brought great results...see our mamas did know what they were talking about!

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  8. Wow, Ron, that was great! You fought off the old impulse, listened to your mother, and got the job done without bursting a blood vessel. As a chronically impatient person, I really appreciate the lesson you passed along here--now all I have to do is get in touch with my inner Shirley Temple!

    All together now, "On the good ship Lollipop...."

    Have a great week, buddy!!

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  9. Good morning Akelamalu~

    Thank you. And yes, I DID end up getting paid on Friday - YAY!

    Yup, she certainly was right! She always had these wise sayings that she use to tell us as kids, that ended up being VERY true.

    Like, "Spots never come off a lepard."

    She was right about that one too - HA!

    Thanks for stopping by, m'dear. Have a great Monday and week!

    X

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  10. Good day, Valerie~

    "Sounds like you're dealing with an inept vendor. It would rile me too if I had to deal with something like that."

    Oh boy, and was I ever RILED.

    Grrrrrrrrr!$#&!?

    "I wish I'd heard that expression when I was younger and more volatile. Even now, although I'm basically more tolerant, I get steamed up over incompetence. It eats away at me until I want to explode."

    Yes, I have to say that I've gotten a bit more tolerant with age too. But, (as you can tell from this post) I still get steamed up over incompetence. I can understand something like this happening once, but THREE times in one year?????

    But, my mother WAS right....honey works - HA!

    Thanks so much for stopping by, dear lady. Have a wonderful week!

    X

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  11. Hey there Bijoux~

    "I have zero patience for people who can't do their jobs. I tend to use my passive aggressive techniques on them and go complain via e-mail and the like."

    Actually, I think that's a great idea and don't see it as passive aggressive at all. At least you're taking a stand and making them aware of your complaint through e-mail.

    " In fact, just this weekend I had an irritating experience checking in to a hotel, so I will be making a little visit to TripAdvisor today!!!!"

    HA! You GO, girl!

    Thanks a bunch for stopping by. Have a great Monday and week!

    X

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  12. Mel....I LOVED YOUR COMMENT!

    And BRAVA to you for......

    "This is why I've made a good working relationship with one particular gal IN finance. And why she gets chocolate and little prezzies....and why my folks don't get errors in their payroll now, I suspect. LOL"

    Bwhahahahahahahahahhaha!! You GO, dear lady!!!!

    "Invariably there was 'one missing' and could I refax?
    Nope--but I can email on my copy that includes the one that the human on the other end miraculously didn't receive."

    Exactly! And it's ironic you mentioned EMAILING a copy. Apparently, this must be happening to other people, because at the end of last week I got an email from the payroll company telling us that we can email our invoices, rather than faxing them if we want. And that's exactly what I'm going to do this week!

    "No spare patience, but I DO have a few pots of honey I could send your way. LOL"

    HA! Yeah, patience is not always one of Libras strongest virtues, is it?

    *wink*

    Thanks oodles for stopping by, Mel! Hope you have marvi Monday and week!

    ((((( Mel ))))))

    X

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  13. Good morning SuziCate~

    "Our attitudes are contagious, so your demeanor on the phone with her brought great results...see our mamas did know what they were talking about!"

    You said it! I only wish I had listened to my mama more often because she truly knows what works.

    I ALMOST lost it on this one, but thank god "Shirley Temple" came to the rescue - HA!

    Thanks so much for stopping by, my friend. Have a wonderful week!

    X

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  14. Bonjour Barbara~

    "Oh man, what do these people do when they receive the faxes? Use them for wallpaper?? Geez! I guess that it would be another story if it were about THEIR payroll! Ha!"

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You said it, my friend! I guess it would be another story if it were THEIR payroll!!!!

    "It's funny how our parent's advice often sticks with us as adults. I can attest to that."

    Absolutely! My mother often has bits of wise advice. Sometimes I listen, yet other times not :(

    "I seem to have lots of menfolk who are of the impatient type :). Maybe because I am of the opposite nature but... if I can fired up when trod on. Chalk some of your nature up to that 100% hot Latin blood of yours."

    I agree. It seems that many of us menfolk have been spared the "patience gene." My father was impatient also, and would get fired up very easily.

    Yup...and that hot Latin blood doesn't help either - HA!

    Thanks so much for stopping by, Barb. Hope you're enjoying a wonderful Monday in France! Have a grrrrrrrrrrrrreat week!

    XO

    P.S. I bet you're getting so excited about your upcoming trip!!!

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  15. So true! And while it seems to border on the ridiculous that you have to follow up on the payroll processing firm to make sure they're going to do their job, it's the best tool you have to encourage another human to do their job.

    My beloved Crisybella has, from time to time, been stopped by a patrol officer because he thought she might be speeding. She is not inclined to be nice about these chance encounters and subsequently the last time it happened, she received a speeding ticket.

    Her sister had a similar encounter last Friday, but put on her best smile and offered a most sincere apology. The officer remarked that he wasn't much in the mood for writing a ticket at the moment.

    hmmm.

    good for you, my friendly little beekeeper!! Your mom is so so so wise, isn't she?

    xo, diane

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  16. Good morning dear TJ~

    Yes, isn't that a wise and true saying? I only wish I would put it into practice more often - HA!

    "...I guess patience is my strong suit 'cause I possess oodles of it. I am quiet and reserved by nature so very few things ruffle my feathers but I do have a cut-off point for laziness and incompetence. At some point in the game, I do throw up my hands every now and then and yell, "oh come on now people!"... "

    OMG, I so envy you and your strong suit. I truly admire those cool and collected people who very rarely get their feathers ruffled. I on the other hand

    Well...after reading the story about your incident with your husband, I think ANYONE would have lost it and used the work f*ck. I know I certainly would have. You have AMAZING patience and tolorantce, dear lady.

    And I don't mean to be disrespectful or make light of your experience, but this sentence was BRILLIANT and made me chuckle....

    "watching my husband slam drinks like Prohibition was making a comeback and listening to a honky tonk band and watching bad Line Dancing."

    HA! Great visual!!!!!!

    As always, I so enjoy reading your comments. Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet words. You're a GEM!

    ((((( TJ )))))))

    Have a faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaabulous week!

    XO

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  17. Not that anyone really wants to catch a buncha bees! But ... your mom was right. Sometimes you've got to go against your nature, kiss some ass, swallow your righteous anger to get what you want/need.

    Since you've gotten it, go punch something!

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  18. Hey Rob~

    Thanks, buddy.

    "You fought off the old impulse, listened to your mother, and got the job done without bursting a blood vessel."

    Yeah, but BARELY!!!!! HA!

    " As a chronically impatient person, I really appreciate the lesson you passed along here--now all I have to do is get in touch with my inner Shirley Temple!

    All together now, "On the good ship Lollipop...."

    Bwhahahahahahahhhahahaha! OMG, Rob....that was freakin' FLAWLESS!

    Perhaps our impatience has something to do with being born 'city people' like us. Rush, rush, rush. Hurry, hurry, hurry.

    Thanks so much for stopping by and letting me know that I'm not the ONLY impatient person on this planet.

    Have a spectacular week, buddy!

    X

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  19. Shirley…err…Ronnie, I too get ever so annoyed with people who are utter incompetent nincompoops! WTH! I mean come on! HOW difficult is it to DO YOUR darn job? Oh, gosh, now I’m the nincompoop! It’s apparent, with all the dolts I encounter on an almost daily basis, there are approximately a bazillion nincompoops in the world who actually GET PAID to SCREW everything up! Or NOT do it at all!

    Did you keep the sweet-efficient lady’s phone # so when the inefficient-department-dolts decide to not do their job again, you can give her a call? Also, maybe get her address so you can send her a fruit basket. ;-)

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  20. Good morning Diane~

    " And while it seems to border on the ridiculous that you have to follow up on the payroll processing firm to make sure they're going to do their job, it's the best tool you have to encourage another human to do their job."

    Exactly! And GREAT point!

    "been stopped by a patrol officer because he thought she might be speeding. She is not inclined to be nice about these chance encounters and subsequently the last time it happened, she received a speeding ticket."

    Oooops! Well, that's a time when I'm ALWAYS patient and tolorant because I get very nervous around patrol officers whenever being stopped for speeding. Which happened A LOT when I was still driving.

    "Her sister had a similar encounter last Friday, but put on her best smile and offered a most sincere apology. The officer remarked that he wasn't much in the mood for writing a ticket at the moment."

    BRAVA to her sister. A little honey works wonders, doesn't it? HA!

    Yup...my mother is VERY wise.

    Thanks a bunch for stopping by, dear friend. Always enjoy your comments!

    Have a flawless week!

    X to you and Cristybella!

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  21. Morning Nitebyrd~

    " Not that anyone really wants to catch a buncha bees! But ... your mom was right."

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Omg...that's so funny because when I first heard my mother say this, I thought to myself, "Why in the world would anyone want to catch BEES anyway?!?!?

    "Sometimes you've got to go against your nature, kiss some ass, swallow your righteous anger to get what you want/need."

    You are soooooooooooo right!

    "Since you've gotten it, go punch something!"

    HA! Yeah, I will! POW!

    Thanks so much for stopping by, Sis. Have a great Monday and week!

    X ya!

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  22. Gooooood morning Pamela~

    " I too get ever so annoyed with people who are utter incompetent nincompoops! WTH! I mean come on! HOW difficult is it to DO YOUR darn job?"

    My sentiments exactly! I understand that mistakes can happen, but THREE times?!?!?

    " It’s apparent, with all the dolts I encounter on an almost daily basis, there are approximately a bazillion nincompoops in the world who actually GET PAID to SCREW everything up! Or NOT do it at all!"

    OMG, that is so TRUE! I know I'm sounding old in saying this, but when I was growing up you VERY RARELY saw this kind of behavior in the workplace.

    "Did you keep the sweet-efficient lady’s phone # so when the inefficient-department-dolts decide to not do their job again, you can give her a call? Also, maybe get her address so you can send her a fruit basket. ;-)"

    HA! Yes, I did keep her phone # AND name, just for the future.

    And I LOVE your idea of a fruit basket - HA!

    Thanks so much for stopping by, dear lady. Always glad to see ya!

    Have a wonderful week!

    X

    P.S. Isn't the weather stunning today? Cool, crisp, and sunny!

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  23. Ha, very funny Ron! Love the reference to the Wicked Witch of the West.

    Well, I'm pretty patient, but I think even I would have wanted to lose it on this. I understand a mistake happening once or maybe even twice. But 3 times?

    Glad to hear you got things sorted out and that you were paid on time. Yay!

    Have a nice week, Ron!

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  24. Hola Denise~

    " Love the reference to the Wicked Witch of the West."

    Tee, hee! And I DID look like her. "I'll get you my pretty! And that little dog too!" HA!

    Yes, that's the thing....I too can understand an ocassional mistake or flub up, but THREE times?

    But, I have to say...the woman who helped me out did her best to rectify the situation. And yes...I did get paid on time - yahoooo!

    Thanks so much for stopping by, girl. Hope you're enjoying a maaavalous Monday. Have a great week!

    X

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  25. Ron, that must be a Libra thing too. I have ZERO patience. And, I too, hold myself and others to a high standard. If you're not going to do something properly and to the best of your ability, then don't do it at all.

    Three times? They didn't get your invoice THREE TIMES? Sounds like they aren't doing a very good job of paying people. I wonder how may other people DONT follow up - and don't get paid.

    I'm glad being NICE worked for you. I'm not sure I would have been able to do the same.

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  26. Hey there fellow Libra Meleah~

    "Ron, that must be a Libra thing too. I have ZERO patience. And, I too, hold myself and others to a high standard. If you're not going to do something properly and to the best of your ability, then don't do it at all."

    A BIG AMEN to that! I TOTALLY agree with you!

    And I know (from reading posts about your fabulous father) he's the same way. THAT'S why I can always understand how he feels when he gets pissed. LOVE your father!

    "Three times? They didn't get your invoice THREE TIMES? Sounds like they aren't doing a very good job of paying people. I wonder how may other people DONT follow up - and don't get paid."

    Well, apparently it happens a lot because I just recently got an email from this company, saying that we can now EMAIL our invoices in rather than faxing. And this week I'm going to do it.

    "I'm glad being NICE worked for you. I'm not sure I would have been able to do the same."

    Trust me, girl...I had to BITE MY TONGUE - HA!

    Thanks a bunch for stopping by, Meleah! Have a wonderful week!

    (((( Meleah )))))

    X

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  27. Ya done good!

    And I think you and my father would end up as BFF!

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  28. Aw...thank you.

    "And I think you and my father would end up as BFF!"

    Yup...without a doubt!

    X

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  29. Isn't honey just regurgitated nectar? In other words, bee barf? I'm surprised they would be more readily drawn to their own vomit. Call me crazy, but I'd prefer vinegar myself!

    I've written of my own impatience, so once again we have something in common! And after reading about your Starbucks experience recently, I'm surprised you took a deep breath and calmed down this time. I was secretly hoping for another famous Ron rampage!

    BTW...I didn't know they still made fax machines, lol. Wouldn't it be simpler (and more 21st-century-like) to EMAIL your information in?

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  30. Howdy Mark~

    "Isn't honey just regurgitated nectar? In other words, bee barf? I'm surprised they would be more readily drawn to their own vomit. Call me crazy, but I'd prefer vinegar myself!"

    Bwhahahahahahahahaha! Mark, you SLAY ME, MAN!!!! HILARIOUS!

    Yes, not only do you and I have the winter, cold, and snow in common, but also impatience. I think that's probably WHY we love the cold - cools us down - HA!

    "And after reading about your Starbucks experience recently, I'm surprised you took a deep breath and calmed down this time. I was secretly hoping for another famous Ron rampage!"

    OMG, you don't know how hard I had to bite my tongue not to flip out. But, since it was involving my PAYCHECK, I decided to be a 'good little boy' and use HONEY!

    "BTW...I didn't know they still made fax machines, lol. Wouldn't it be simpler (and more 21st-century-like) to EMAIL your information in?"

    Yes, I use to do that with one of the vendors I worked for a few years ago and it was so much easier and more reliable than faxing. Ironically though, I did get an email from the company I referred to in this post, telling us that we can NOW email our invoices in - yaaaaaaaaay!

    Thanks so much for stopping by, bud! hope you had a great Monday. enjoy your week!

    X

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  31. Well, well, well, Ronnie! Looks like you done caught yourself a little "honey" bee with your honey! My mama always said more flies with honey. I think I like bees better! Hope they do actually get your check direct deposited by Friday! Have a marvi week!

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  32. I'm right there with you my friend on 'switching tones'. I too, have learned the hard way that to get things accomplished one must shelve first knee jerk reactions.
    Well done.
    :-)

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  33. whew, glad it worked out for you and yes, being nice from jump works like a charm. i like to call comcast with my charm and talk my bill down for the next 6 mos. or a year. they'll do it anyway, but if i ask again: is this the best deal available, sometimes they cave and go even lower. talk nice and maybe someone will go the extra mile.

    hey our money is funny and our change is strange, don't need other people messing it up too.

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  34. That is so funny! In our family it was "catch more flies with honey." Which makes me think, flies and bees...who wants either!!!

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  35. Hey Peg~

    "Well, well, well, Ronnie! Looks like you done caught yourself a little "honey" bee with your honey!"

    HA! Yup....I done got me a "honey" bee with my honey!!

    AND....I got my paycheck!!!!

    " My mama always said more flies with honey."

    Yes, I noticed online there are two sayings. One, says flies. The other, says bees. Whichever....it still works.

    Thanks so much for stopping by, dear friend. Hope you had marvi Monday and week!

    (((( Peg )))))

    X

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  36. Hey there Nancy~

    GREAT to see ya, girl! Thanks so much for stopping by!

    "I'm right there with you my friend on 'switching tones'. I too, have learned the hard way that to get things accomplished one must shelve first knee jerk reactions."

    You said it! I don't always do it, but I'm trying to be better.

    Hope you have faaaaaaaaabulous week!

    And I KNOW you're enjoying this Fall as much as I am!

    Black TURTLENECKS!!!! Yahoooooooooo!

    X

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  37. Hey ladyV~

    "yes, being nice from jump works like a charm. i like to call comcast with my charm and talk my bill down for the next 6 mos. or a year. they'll do it anyway, but if i ask again: is this the best deal available, sometimes they cave and go even lower."

    BRAVA! You GO, girl!

    I'll have to try that with Verizon next time, because my bill just keeps getting higher and higher every month!

    "hey our money is funny and our change is strange, don't need other people messing it up too."

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! LOVE IT!

    Thanks so much for stopping by. Hope you had a super Monday and a faaaaaabulous week!

    X

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  38. Hey Katherine~

    "In our family it was "catch more flies with honey." Which makes me think, flies and bees...who wants either!!!"

    HA! I know, it's such a silly saying whether it be flies OR bees!?!?

    But my mother is right....it WORKS!

    Thanks so much for stopping by, my friend. Have a wonderful week!

    X

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  39. If there's one thing in this world that's taboo, it's messing with somebody's pay. I'm struggling to think of something lower than this, but am currently drawing a blank.

    I don't think it's lack of patience on your part, but rather more of a lack of capability on the vendor's part. Glad to hear that you followed your instinct and called 'em up. Bastards *better* hand deliver your paycheck. If not, send Guido over for a nice "chat". Heh...

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  40. Hey Herman~

    "If there's one thing in this world that's taboo, it's messing with somebody's pay. I'm struggling to think of something lower than this, but am currently drawing a blank."

    OMG....you said it, buddy! "It's messing with somebody's pay!!!"

    I agree!

    When I was in management, one of the things that I placed on my TOP PRIORITY was to make sure I did all the necessary paperwork, so that my employees got paid ON TIME.

    Yes, I'm glad I followed my intuition too because if I hadn't, I would have missed a pay period.

    And yes, they DID deliver my paycheck on Friday - whew!

    Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing in my sentiment. Hope you had a super day!

    Enjoy your week!

    X to you and the family!

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  41. Hiya Ron....

    OMG! I sooo subscribe to this philosophy... even when you might be turning a bit red in the face.. Kindness seems to work much better with people- esp. over the phone... and sometimes not so well in person.. but over the phone, it seems to do it's charm... I think they probably get angry calls all day long, so they appreciate a friendly caller...
    :)
    Sorry about the trouble you had.. reminds me of my early days as a substitute teacher when my time cards from one school where I subbed the most were never submitted on time and I always had to wait two weeks after the regular pay period to get paid from that school and I took up to checking with the school sec. to make sure she sent them out on time.. :O UGGGH!!!!
    Oh... by the way.. (and as you can see).. I'm BACK!! Sorry for my long absence.. "Life" got in the way of my blogging this time-- for a VERY LONGGGGGG TIME!! I'm glad to be back again, in any case!

    Hugs to you and have a great day..

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  42. I've been working so hard this past couple of weeks to be this way. I've had two separate vets misdiagnose my horse. Got to the third vet, and he figured it out. This was after so much money spent it made me sick to my stomach. What I wanted to do was call the first vet in particular and scream at her. But, for various reasons beyond not being nice it wasn't the right thing to do. Some of it was live and learn on my part with choosing the right vet for the problem.

    I did want to yell, stomp, scream and demand some of my money back. It just doesn't work that way. And, I'll have to work with this vet again. It's tough being nice sometimes.

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  43. I am learning, or having to learn lots of patience at this moment. Our lives are literally on the hold, until our papers come. We do not know when. No one knows. It is raining like crazy. Has been for a week now. Confined inside. Patience, huh!

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  44. Hey there Leesa~

    GREAT too see ya! Welcome back!

    "Kindness seems to work much better with people- esp. over the phone... and sometimes not so well in person.. but over the phone, it seems to do it's charm... "

    I agree, it's easier over the phone than in person, because had I been there infront of her, there's NO WAY I could have hid my annoyance :O

    " reminds me of my early days as a substitute teacher when my time cards from one school where I subbed the most were never submitted on time and I always had to wait two weeks after the regular pay period to get paid from that school."

    So you can TOTALLY understand what I'm talking about, hu?

    :O UGGGH!!!! is right!

    Thanks so much for stopping by. Hope you're enjoying a fabulous Fall. Can you believe how fast the holidays are approaching?

    Have a great week....X

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  45. Good morning Jen~

    "What I wanted to do was call the first vet in particular and scream at her."

    OMG....reading your story would have DEFINITELY made me want to scream at her too - how frustrating that must have been for you.

    "I did want to yell, stomp, scream and demand some of my money back. It just doesn't work that way. And, I'll have to work with this vet again. It's tough being nice sometimes."

    It sure is. But, I'm glad to hear you handled it in the manner in which you did.

    BRAVO, my friend! Hat's off to you!

    Thanks so much for stopping by, Jen. Have a super week!

    X

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  46. Bonjour Susu~

    "I am learning, or having to learn lots of patience at this moment. Our lives are literally on the hold, until our papers come."

    YIKES...I can only imagine how much that must be testing your patience because it would definitely be testing mine!

    "Our lives are literally on the hold, until our papers come. We do not know when. No one knows. It is raining like crazy. Has been for a week now. Confined inside."

    UGH!

    Sending ya LOTS of 'good energy' that your papers come SOON!

    (((((( Susu )))))))

    Thanks so much for stopping by, beautiful lady. Always a delight to read your comments.

    Have a great week!

    Ciao....X

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  47. Great post, Ron. My mother is always telling me the exact same thing. I'm much more like you though. I can't understand why it is so hard for people to do what they are being paid to do. What I really can't understand is not caring how well the job gets done, or if it even gets done at all. I pride myself on my work ethic and people like that just puzzle me.

    Grandma, who was Penticostal Holiness, used to quote the bible as well. "A soft answer turns away wrath but grievous words stir up anger". That is all too true, but SOOOO hard to live by.

    Hope your week is full of honey!

    XOXO

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  48. Hey there MYFWBS~

    "I'm much more like you though. I can't understand why it is so hard for people to do what they are being paid to do. What I really can't understand is not caring how well the job gets done, or if it even gets done at all. I pride myself on my work ethic and people like that just puzzle me."

    You said it, girl! And good for you!

    I pride myself on my work ethic too. And it just BLOWS me away how many people don't.

    "A soft answer turns away wrath but grievous words stir up anger".

    I LOVE THAT!!!! And thank you for sharing it because it's something I needed to hear.

    ((((( You )))))

    Hope you're having a faaaaaaabulous week! Much thanks for stopping by!

    XOXO

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  49. Oh Ron. This is absolutely correct. I can get very irate at stupidity in the work place, when it effects me. I have never gotten anywhere when I get irate, but when I turn on the sweet 'I need your help' attitude it works every time!

    People need to feel needed and want to be helpful most of the time. We just have to try to remember that.

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  50. Hey Babs~

    "I can get very irate at stupidity in the work place, when it effects me. I have never gotten anywhere when I get irate, but when I turn on the sweet 'I need your help' attitude it works every time!"

    You're absolutely correct...."I need your help" DOES work!

    And I learned that through this experience.

    "People need to feel needed and want to be helpful most of the time. We just have to try to remember that."

    Thank you for sharing your WISE advice, my friend. I will remember that!

    Hope you had a wonderful day! Thank you for stopping by.

    X to you and Mo!

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  51. I added a few gray turtlenecks to this yearss repetoire....I'm SO excited! (we are just horrible aren't we with the turtlenecks?)
    :-)

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  52. Hey Nancy.....

    "I added a few gray turtlenecks to this yearss repetoire....I'm SO excited."

    Oh, how EXCITING! You GO, girl!

    And it's so ironic you mentioned how horrible/passionate you and I are about turtlenecks, because someone at work yesterday said, "You look great in a turtleneck!"

    I said, "Yeah....I know!"

    Bwhahhahahahahahahaahha!

    Although, we are experiencing a sudden 'heat spell' this week here in Philly (72 degrees), so my turtlenecks will have to be put 'on hold' until the weekend :(

    Have a great Wednesday, Nancy!

    X

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  53. Mothers ARE usually right!!! Now if someone could get that through to my kids... *sigh*
    I'm glad you were able to turn it around and get things straightened out.
    You shouldn't have had this happen a few times though, sheesh! Something in that office is definitely not running very efficiently. And the people who work there wouldn't be too happy if they didn't get paid on time!
    Here's hoping that NEVER happens again.

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  54. Hey Mary~

    "Mothers ARE usually right!!! Now if someone could get that through to my kids... *sigh*"

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Listen, just have your kids read this post and then they'll KNOW you're right!

    Yes, I'm so glad this ended up turning out well.

    I got paid! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!!

    Thanks so much for stopping by, my friend! Hope you had a faaaaabulous weekend!

    X

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  55. Ron, I've never known you to get impatient. LOL.

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  56. Hey Constant Complainer~

    Yeah, right!

    Bwhahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

    Thanks for stopping by and sharing a comment, buddy!

    Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

    X

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