1/08/2007

An Embarrassment Of Bitches

A few years ago, my sister was talking to a coworker at his desk when a girl they work with came by and joined in on the conversation. My sister said that the girl always followed the same routine -- she'd infiltrate the conversation, steer the topic to herself and then drone on and on until people eventually would just kill themselves rather than have to listen to her. My sister decided not to do herself in as she had plans for later that night and just left the scene and went back to her desk.

The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she got at the girl. She wrote an email to her friend about how unbearable it was when the girl barged in like that and talked about her boring life. She pointed out how everyone in the office really disliked this girl and wondered how she could be so oblivious. As she hit send, the horror set in. She’d sent it to the coworker she was talking about rather than the one she was talking to.

Panic in her heart, she weighed her options. Fleeing the country or even the office seemed to be more work than it was worth and so, after a short while, she thought she'd go over and possibly intercept and delete the email, maybe the girl wasn't even back at her desk yet.

She went over and found the girl slumped in a heap at her desk sobbing. My sister weakly offered a Hey, you know I was just joking with that email right? And the girl turned around and said I know you weren't, just leave me alone! She never talked to my sister again.

My sister:


I did something just as boneheaded today. I made a couple of not very nice remarks about someone and then sent it to the wrong person. My work email (shouldn't I know better?) picked someone else out of the company directory and I hit send before I realized my stupidity. I sent another email to that person asking them to disregard the prior email as it wasn't meant for them. Here's hoping they're not as malicious as me!

No fallout yet but if you see me blogging several posts a day where I seem to be really drunk or crying a lot, you'll know it's bad.

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

From now on send your emails to me first, and I will approve them or not.

P.S. Send only the juicy ones..

Anonymous said...

Hi Dale, Slaygirl here. Your blogger ex beta is looking better and better. Yours and Chelenes were the only blogs I could get onto this morning and it would not let me post as myself once I got into your comments. Oops, did not mean to direct the conversation to myself but I guess it is about you being right so I don't think you will mind:)

All I could think when I read the post about your sister was that at least the woman did not talk to her anymore. I am sure your email situation will blow over. Whenever I want to vent I phone my sister. She lives in another town far away, does not know anyone I am talking about, and would not hold it against me if she did.

Berry said...

Yep. I've done that. Intended to send a quick email to someone, griping about someone else, but sent it to a completely uninvolved 3rd party. And then... realizing my mistake, attempted to resend the email to the intended recipient, with an introductory "Oh my fucking god you'll never believe what I just did!!", only to discover that I had once again sent it to the same 3rd party all... over... again.

Jill said...

Is that the one who is a nun?
(And i think the figurine of TLC that will go for you is the crazy cat lady!!!)
And did I make you cry, poor little thing??

Barbara Bruederlin said...

Have either you or your sister ever considered appearing in an episode of The Office? Because Michael did a very similar thing last week, only it involved nudey shots.

I'm suspecting there is a genetic disposition toward this sort of faulty button pushing.

Dale said...

Approve them for misdirection Winter? This is a lovely service you're offering. I was wrong about you.

Yes Slaygirl, ultimately she did the whole office a favour of sorts I guess. Day 2 for me and still no fallout. They'll wait for me to forget and then ambush me somehow.

I laughed and laughed and then laughed some more Berry. You're such an idiot!! Oh yeah, so am I!!
That was pretty funny though.

Different sister Jill. None of the nuns there work in an office.

Are you saying that all those names I called my sister also apply to me Barbara? I'm sending you an email but I'll run it by Winter first.

Old Lady said...

Oops! I haven't talked about people at work. I worked around too many people that did that. Now nudie shots...that's another story.

Anonymous said...

Bwahahahahahahahahahah!!!

Dummy! :)

Zed said...

Totally understandable why your sister has taken up drinking. What a story! Betty Ford's clinic is still open for business if she needs it--or AA.

As for your boo-boo today, the good news is that most people don't bother to read more than 25% of their work email anyway, so the person who received your misdirected message probably just "junk mailed" it. Ah, life is good. On the other hand, you'll probably be receiving a call from HR in the next few days. Uh-oh.

Tumuli said...

My worst nightmare -- as yet unrealized in real life. But at least your sister no longer has to worry about being approached again.

I usually find other avenues in which to badmouth as discreetly as possible...

Jill said...

She might have been a rocking nun!!

Katie Schwartz said...

good for her and good for you. so, it wasn't meant for either of them. they needed to know that you were no longer willing to be subjected to such horror. it wouldn't kill them to review the contents of the emails and give it some thought.

fuck social decorum.

sometimes I want to jump on the snatch express and drag every cunt I can find along for the ride.

Dale said...

Do post Old Lady!

I'm a maroon of the marooniest order Tanya.

It's the HR part I'm worried about. I don't need a Donald / Rosie sized fight on my hands Zed!

Generally I'm very discreet Tumuli. Famous last words huh?

She is a rocking nun Jill, just not in an office setting.

All aboard! Pick me up on your way down Katie Schwartz!

Megan said...

Oh god, I've done that before - what your sister did. I wrote the email about the person, and then because that person was still on the brain, typed in her name instead of the person I'd intended to send the email to. At work. Not pretty. That was years ago and I still double and triple check before hitting send.

chelene said...

Earlier today I commented on this post that I had done the email screwup thing twice at my current company...but my comment was eaten. Blogger obviously didn't want you to know about my ineptitude but I don't give up that easily.

Zed said...

You'll be okay, Dale. Unless you wrote something rude and insulting about your boss or anyone at his/her level and on UP.

If you made your remarks about someone at a lower or equal level, HR will probably get over it. The worst that can happen is you'll be told to refrain from writing such missives about co-workers again--as a warning. They KNOW everyone talks about everyone else.

However, if you made sexual remarks to your boss, those higher up, those below, co-workers or someone in HR, you might want to consider blogging as a profession. You're toast--and history. :)

Don't worry. So what did you say? Oh, okay, maybe not now. Never mind. But tell us someday, okay?

Coaster Punchman said...

Just one more reason why nothing you wouldn't want broadcast on the evening news should ever be committed to writing. That pretty much dooms my entire blog. Damn!

justacoolcat said...

This happened at work a few weeks ago where several replies not intended for a VP ended up in the VP email with a legit question.

As he scrolled through the chain of replies he found the nasty one's. He still hasn't spoken to the offenders. The guy is a dick anyway. If I would have known it were that easy to make him go away I would have participated.

Moderator said...

Your sister is my hero.

I've really screwed up sending pictures of myself to total strangers. I hope they enjoyed it.

mellowlee said...

Ug, that made my blood run cold! I can just imagine that feeling :(

Maia said...

Damn...hope it works out alright! If not, perhaps you might consider moving to New Delhi, it's colder than New York right now.

Dale said...

It's a terrible feeling Megan, something I hope never to repeat.

I appreciate that your ineptitude is finally able to shine through Chelene!

Nothing too horrible, just nothing very nice either Zed. No fallout yet though. I'm crossing my fingers, especially when I type.

I would love to hear your blog read on the news CP, preferably by you.

Sounds like it would have been great fun to play along on that one Justacoolcat.

I'll tell her you said so Grant. You're telling me you didn't follow up with your strangers?

It's a sinking sucky feeling Mel. Don't do it.

I've got my ticket to Delhi ready to roll Geeti, anything I can get you while I'm there?

Writeprocrastinator said...

As the author Michael Connelly's character Harry Bosch says occasionaly, "there are no coincidences." I think and Freud would agree, your sister sent that on purpose, though unlike Herr Freud, I would lavish praise on your sister.

Kudos to her.

Dale said...

My sister will be horrified with your praise and so I will immediately pass it on Write Procrastinator.