Fiber Follies

Yeah, it’s that sort of day. I figure I’ll just get it out of the way for now so I can look for new and different whine material.

First on today’s list: Bulk mails. I’ve already griped about email’s forwarding freaks so now time to fuss about US Postal bulk mailing! I believe the most annoying are those who want to sell pens or stationary or whatever to my business. I don’t have a problem with someone trying to sell me pens or stationary or whatever with my business name on it. I do have problems with those of you who can’t be bothered to get the name right. It’s mis-spelled, or the apostrophe is missing or the comma is missing. It’s even worse when you send a sample. Why would I use a pen emblazoned with my mis-spelled name? I receive samples that are garish, tasteless vivid nightmares of colours too. Save yourselves the effort. It takes effort, real effort, to move your product or service. Even if you corrected the mistakes I still wouldn’t order from you. You only get one try at first impressions. You know what’s the absolute worst? My own bank can’t get my company name right. How’s that for stupid? It’s a major commercial bank, too. And the company name is exceeding simple. There is no reason whatsoever to screw it up.

Let’s not forget high school charity drives. Our local schools seem to think we’re a mint. Yet not one can spell our name correctly!  Since you can’t be bothered to even try, well, I guess I can’t be bothered to do anything but compost your donation requests.

Credit card offers.  How many blasted credit cards does anyone need?  I have plenty.  Many come from the same companies through which I already carry a card-even the same bank!  What’s with that?  Then I get offers to a name I no longer use, haven’t since I re-wed nearly a decade ago.  Write to Direct America, you say?  Try it.  It only works for a few months, then the offers start piling in again.  As long as you’re making payments on your credit cards or merely using them, you’re going to get credit card offers.  And other bulk mail.  Look at your own bank too.  They’re responsible for selling your name to credit card companies and other third parties.  You don’t have a choice.

I was raised to always refer to a person precisely as I was introduced to that person. Thus, “Samuel” will always be “Samuel”, not “Sam” or “Sammy” or anything else. If Samuel chooses to be addressed by another name, then Samuel will tell me that. This seems a peculiarly American habit. Even well-reared educated people scramble to find a cute nick-name. I suffer this too often. I like the name my mum put on me. I hate the nick-name the rest of the world thinks I ought to be called. I won’t correct you anymore. I simply won’t answer.

Aaaahhh. That felt great. Now I can go do something productive.