Weekend: Glorious. Weather smashing, temperatures moderate, sunshine intermittent but golden, rain scarce, food delicious. Shopping: successful. I frittered away $8.00 in a wild splurge on a single new book. Later that same night I frittered away a little more (online) for some new (ahem) underthings.
Etcetera., etcetera., etcetera.
That makes two lovely weekends in a row.
I'm glad I enjoyed them, because I have to stop taking the weekends off.
Starting about 3:00 yesterday, when I foolishly checked my email, I've been embroiled in turmoil with Bernie.* His client's campaigns are performing 30%-60% better (depending on what you're measuring) in the last 2-1/2 weeks and have been generating a steady stream of (qualified) leads. So, naturally I found a string of ohmigod the sky is falling emails in my inbox, wherein he frantically demanded to know what I'd done that destroyed the campaigns so thoroughly.
Fourteen emails later I figure out that he was confusing organic and paid search, had no idea that leads were coming in, and that he was assuming I was continuing to manage the campaign in spite of his failure to, (a) tell me he wanted me to, or (b) discuss hours and payment with me.
Now I remember why I was so glad to stop working with him. It's not his irrationality--many people prefer to ignore reality--it's that hair-trigger panic button.
I had emails from Gidget complaining that she didn't understand how to edit something she did online (click the "edit" button, I said) and wondering how to make a link (click the "make a link" button, I said).
In my next life, I'm being one of those mountaintop hermits and if anyone climbs my mountain and tries to talk to me, I'm throwing a goat at them.
___________________
* The first person who says Itoldyouso gets smacked.
LOL! I'm going to refrain from saying ITYS, mostly because I didn't say it out loud, just said it in my head. But am I surprised? Nope, not a bit.
posted by: Dail on 08.31.09 at 05:12 PM [permalink]Well, I've been having an e-mail exchange (which might be over now, since I haven't heard anything all day) with a nutty Australian who says that historians never define our terms, so how can we actually prove we're right? Also, there will be atomic car bombs in our foreseeable future: his definition of community and culture leads inevitably to the conclusion that we're doomed. Also, his historical heroes? Holocaust deniers.
Trade?
posted by: Jonathan Dresner on 08.31.09 at 06:12 PM [permalink]Thank you for the restraint, Dail. As much as I love Gidget, I am seriously reconsidering this new company. It's all very well, in theory, to say, "we won't work with crazy people" but when they're the only ones offering work....
posted by: Anne on 09.03.09 at 07:57 AM [permalink]Ok, no, Jonathan There's a level of "ignoring reality I'm not really prepared to deal with. :)
Why on earth would you get mixed up even trying to talk to such a lunatic?
posted by: Anne on 09.03.09 at 07:58 AM [permalink]*headdesk* Feeling your pain.
The hardest think about working with lunatics is that they have Teflon protection against rationality. Since rationality is the main weapon in my work arsenal, I run out of options very quickly with the Lunatic Fringe.
posted by: Bettie on 09.05.09 at 06:27 AM [permalink]Why on earth would you get mixed up even trying to talk to such a lunatic?
The email comes, and the reflex kicks in: I answer it, and honestly. Turns out that this guy has gotten so many dismissive responses to his queries that he has a form letter for when someone tells him that he's an ahistorical crackpot. Then, literally a day later, I read a review about an attempt to write a scientific historical causation which actually resembles his (in broad conceptual terms, not in substance or method, the way a high school football mural resembles Georgia O'Keefe) and I send it to him, because I'm that kind of guy. And he writes me back saying that he can't possibly bother to read anything from someone who isn't open-minded....
posted by: Jonathan Dresner on 09.06.09 at 01:49 PM [permalink]If he doesn't find you open-minded, Jonathan, then his own brains are probably leaking out his ears.
You have to ignore that kind of person. They get validation for their beliefs, not from facts, but from arguing. As long as they find someone who takes them seriously enough to argue with them, they think they have a piece of the truth.
posted by: Anne on 09.08.09 at 09:36 AM [permalink]I have a zero-tolerance policy for this particular kind of stupid, Bettie. You know that about me.
It's nice to wish the world was different and you can change some things about your life if you work at it, but any larger denial of reality leaves me bewildered and a little wigged out.
posted by: Anne on 09.08.09 at 09:41 AM [permalink]