Posts by SnakesInTheTower

Today is Sunday. I ranted about being sick of my job a couple of months ago, seen that the thread was bumped yesterday. I usually work 2 or 3 days of the weekend (Fri-Sun) because that is when I make the most money (being commission and all). Sometimes I take a day off, usually Sunday. Money being tight and work light starting tomorrow through Thursday, thought I should work a few hours. Made good money.

It was a weird weird weird day. The strangest door was a door I had been by the previous Friday. The customer's family asked me to come back later....often a stall tactic. I waited until the last possible day, today, to go back before final shut off of cable tomorrow. They sent a little girl to the door. I asked for the customer or another adult. She said her parents (the customer) was asleep but her grandma was home. I asked her to go get granny. Granny sent her back to the door saying come back later. I sent her to go get her parents. They sent her back downstairs with instructions to shut and lock the door. She did.

I wasn't letting this one go. I knew they wouldn't pay but I could sure make some money on their four pieces of cable equipment. I started banging on their door like a cop. They ignored me. Soooo...since I drive a Civic and not a truck or van, I do not carry an extension ladder around I could not shut their connection off at the tap (utility pole). (That and the vertigo I get on the top rung of a 28 foot extension ladder extended all the way out hanging on the steel line was a problem in the company's futile attempt to train me). What I could do was take my trusty little wrench around to the side of the house and unhook the other end of the connection in their house box. I knew this might get a reaction.....ooooh little did I know the reaction. Next thing I see is a teenage boy outside pointing at me and someone say "where is he?!" Next thing I know this dude is running at me full bore like a bull charging....ahhhhh shit. I start running the opposite direction, around the rear of the house to the alley....unfortunately my car is at the front on the street but I wasn't going to be cornered.

The customer is ranting and raving about me owing him $300. What he really means is the cable company. I started yelling at him..."HEY!!!, you didn't pay me $300. GD it, quit chasing me! I don't make enough money to be chased by you." He slowed down a little and started insisting I reconnect the cable. I said: "You give me your equipment and I will hook it back up" (which reestablishes the basic only connection). He made sure I went to the box and did it. He then had the teen get the equipment. (One thing I have learned in the last 5+ years on this job, if a customer is talking, he is not going to fight. It is the quiet ones that worry me.)

I told him..."Dude, why would you risk arrest for cable, and a company you can't stand? I dont think it was right you sending your kid to the door instead of dealing with me yourself. I dont talk to kids about adults business." "Furthermore, had you actually assaulted me, I would have had you arrested. And, although officially we are not supposed to carry weapons to defend ourselves, I will tell you that some of us do, in fact, carry pepper spray among other things." {although officially banned by our company and our client, I went right out and bought 2 canisters as soon as the memo was issued...this time mine happened to be in the car...first time I use it on a person I lose my job...I usually use it on dogs}.

By the time the conversation ended, I had 4 cable equipment boxes, and a handshake and an apology from the customer. He is supposedly getting satellite this week, but someone else will be doing the pole shut off by Wednesday, so either way the cable is off. Too damn much effort for not enough money. It has been too long since I ran that fast outside of a gym treadmill.

My comment about not making enough money for being chased threw him off enough to start thinking and diffuse his anger. Humor gets me out of a lot of tight spots on this job. I bash the cable company all the time. They suck. However, the comment is true.....it is time to find something else. I have been submitting resumes and cover letters. Maybe I should include the following in a cover letter: "Reason I want to work for you: The safety of a cube farm versus being chased by irate customers has a certain sense of security."

Anyway.... that was just part of a weird 5 hour day today...there was other weird things...but that is enough for now. Paperwork is done, trip to the office tomorrow, then no work until Wednesday. It is bed time.

Snakes (Rich )

82

Family is gossiping about me, and then I get a letter

by nextdoorgirl in

so, here's your typical "i'm concerned about you" letter.

and my responses.

wanna take a look?.

SnakesInTheTower

marking for later look...

Snakes (Rich )

21

No More Bookbags in Service?

by White Dove in

every time i see jw's in service, they are not carrying bookbags but rather plastic holders and small fold over purses to hold them.. what ever happened to the big ol' bookbag in service?.

SnakesInTheTower

When I was an elder, I had a large case with wheels and a retractable handle. Of course, being secretary, I could probably justify it a bit better (esp when I also cared for territory briefly). After I quit the cult, I carried my school books for college in it. Since our school has so many stairs and slow elevators, I moved to a small canvas bag (ironically I had from an international convention...since it just said Hamburg Germany and not JW stuff, it was fine).

The large case is now in the garage.

Snakes (Rich )

14

Goodie night

by PYRAMIDSCHEME in

jw
friends

i was reading through another thread and this was briefly mentioned.

i remember goodie nights, i also remember how they just kind of faded out.

was that an unofficial thing or was there official direction from the fds in the form of a letter/article or local needs talk that put a stop to it?.

SnakesInTheTower

One of the things that made being a kid in the cult barely tolerable was "treat night" (aka "goodie night") at the Congregation Book Study.

Not long after I left that congo and started my fade (dec 06), I had noticed that it was coming to an end. First the goodie night goes, then the CBS goes....

...Brooklyn (Patterson) better not mess with coffee breaks....field service will come to an official halt. I tried to shorten breaks (from 45 min-hour) to the normal 15 and got shot down...that told me all I needed to know as a JW and an elder...that people hated FS as much as I did. When I became secretary.... I could tell that the amount of time turned in did not match the amount of time (minus breaks) that was put in.

Maybe the GB will shoot itself in the foot and WT, et. al. will die a quiet death.... how many people do you know are actually contacted at the door anymore by a dub in FS?

Snakes (Rich )

12

'OKM_October_2010_for_Britain_OCRd.pdf'

by fokyc in

by popular request,.

http://www.box.net/shared/zhhrff8yp5.

remember this file is available for preview and/or downloading as you wish,.

SnakesInTheTower

misery:

Elders who get schooled during the latter years be up to date on new light? Will those trained at the first schools need to go back to school?

Snakes (Rich )

3

Went to the zoo today

by watersprout in

woke up to a beautiful warm summers day, the sun was shinning and the sky was a beautiful clear blue!.

so baby sprout and i deceided to go to the zoo.

i was very excited as i don't get out much!

SnakesInTheTower

watersprout....

that is ok...my 9YO (soon to be) step son finds me boring too. Completely ignored me when I picked him up at school today. Literally. I had to gently grab the top of his head and slowly swivel him around and have him look at me. Apparently, discussions of Pokemon battles with his school buddy are infinitely more interesting than some 43 year "old guy."

I love the zoo. The St. Louis Zoo is world-class, mostly free (free admission all the time, just certain areas and shows charge a small fee) even to us non residents and non members (though we did join the zoo friends this year...more than paid for itself already).

Snakes (Rich )

21

The borg and eggshells...

by VampireDCLXV in

"do not hurry yourself in your spirit to become offended, for the taking of offense is what rests in the bosom of the stupid ones.

" ecclesiastes 7:9. have you noticed: .

how so many witlesses get their nose out of joint if you make a wisecrack/joke that's even the slightest bit off color or heretical?

SnakesInTheTower

aussie oz:

Or that they are first to preach forgivness ...

and the last to practice it.

And if you bring it up YOU will recieve counsel.

PRICELESS.

Snakes (Rich )

30

Did you ever know any JW's/Pioneers who frequented popular nightspots and got drunk?

by James_Slash in

it used to make me sick at these hypocrites.. they would be at the meeting the next day or out in field service, obviously still intoxicated from the night before but putting a show on before the congregation.

i knew a couple of girls who would be regulary doing this over a weekend yet they would be pioneers all week, answering up at the meetings yet would be heading into popular nightspots and coming home at 4am drunk.

their dad was an elder (surprise, surprise).. i remember telling an elder about this once.

SnakesInTheTower

First hand observation. St. Louis Assembly Hall. There were official functions that were held on the premises outside of the assemblies. There was the local version of the Annual Meeting was held to make key decisions for the upcoming Service Year. Assembly Hall Committee members, the wives of the committee members, COs, DO's and their wives, some key elders and their wives were all invited to a special dinner after the private meeting. Some long-term volunteers were invited to prepare a nice meal (steak, chicken) and all the fixings....drinks included wine, beer, and other harder alcoholic beverages were made available. Of course, quiet counsel was given about drinking in moderation. I can tell you, having been one of the volunteers prepping and cleaning up, there was often very little moderation, based on the amount of drink containers I cleaned up and unsteady walking out the door I observed. Some were clearly drunk. If they had been stopped while driving, they would have blown more than a .08 (legal limit in most states in the US). There were many other times that I seen large quantities of beer bottles/cans, wine bottles in the recycle bin after a weekend outside of the personnel/CO apartments.

I dont have an issue with them enjoying an evening together, or being rewarded for their unpaid work (the meal was paid for out of private donations of well off brothers not WWW funds). My issue is/was that these same men were so outspoken against drinking alcohol..esp in excess...holier than thou......and were the first to serve on JCs for alcoholics (DF for "loose conduct"....sure to be changed to "brazen conduct." ) Hypocrites.

Snakes (Rich )

PS....anyone in Southern Illinois ever hear of the monster parties held by some teens/young adults in the Carlyle, IL area?

22

freeloaders steeling our tax $$$$$$

by DaCheech in

http://finance.yahoo.com/taxes/article/110492/millions-of-american-taxpayers-make-money-off-federal-taxes?mod=taxes-advice_strategy.

feel free to comment.

.

SnakesInTheTower

I am a bill collector, our company is contracted by the local cable company to collect past due accounts and retrieve equipment. We also disconnect.

Two of my zip codes are extremely poor areas. Mostly subsidized housing complexes. A third zip code also has a lot of this. In itself this is not bad. What is bad is that people living "off the dole" are driving new cars, have 50"+ HD TVs, monster stereo systems, hundreds of DVDs and CDs....The men (living with the women who are officially living there) pay me off a roll of cash.....untaxed cash...because based on my discussions with them I know they work off the books....or deal drugs (I see it first hand). The women mostly return the equipment and let us shut them off....until they get new service in their 3 year olds name........Yet, they get subsidized (or completely free) housing, subsidized utilities, food stamps (Link card) and Medicaid and do not work a job.

By contrast, I know of a single mom who gets Medicaid for her and her son and takes the EIC each year....but she works (nearly FT...her job recently cut all but managers to below FT) a regular job. I dont mind my taxes going to benefit her. She cannot get regular health insurance through her work because they exclude pre-existing conditions for the first year.... if she takes that (expensive) insurance she loses Medicaid which does cover it...barely....she is treated like crap because she is viewed as lazy because of Medicaid. She cannot win. Hopefully when she graduates college she can find a regular job that has benefits.

So is it fair to stereotype everyone "steeling" our tax money? Nope... it exists...but not everyone is stealing. (Please tell me the subject line is a typo and not a reflection of a poor education or laziness).

Snakes (Rich )