2005-12-03

at big green, it's a tie (and blather)

Slacker Manager (that's my kind of manager, by the way) writes a sharp and subtly witted post about Tie Guy showing up at a Starbucks.

He had the same experience that I dread: some corporate drone shows up and upends everyone's experience in order to get his drink. I love the "hand on headset" imagery. I've seen Tie Guy before.

In a spirit of gender equality, I note that it is not just Tie Guys but Blazer Gals. Only a few days ago I entered my chosen haunt looking forward to some quiet reading and maybe some blogging, only to be accosted (that's the only word for it) by the sound of one loud female voice, staccato over the usual thrum, hammering corporate speak into her headset. I could write down what she said verbatim but I don't want this post to be more sleep-inducing than usual.

"Maybe she's got a bad connection," I thought. Or maybe an overdeveloped sense of her own importance.

Lisa at the bar called her drink. Then called it again when it sat unclaimed.

"I'll get it!" yelled Blazer Girl, even louder than before and obviously irritated. Everyone in the store turned to stare but she didn't notice.

Neither did she notice that other seated customers were moving to different tables so as to sit as far as possible from the center of her auditory blast circle. She eventually did leave, but for forty minutes (perhaps the longest forty minutes of my life) she spilled corporate blather all over us, pausing briefly every now and again to catch her breath and, I'm guessing here, for the party on the other end to throw up.

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