Work put me in a rage today, mostly because of, yet again, International Client Drama. The one ripping me a new asshole yesterday continued to do so today. Why? Because somehow his Important Document got returned in the mail, which nobody mentioned to me, and he thus eviscerated me for it, demanded that I send photographs of it, that his address is correct, etc. etc. I apologized up the wazoo and abased myself virtually like I was in The King and I, flattening bow on the floor. Once again I was all "please, in-office staff, DEAL WITH THIS." I am seriously debating speaking up at work, even though I am terrified of the consequences to myself. I brought this up with my shrink and she was all, "What do you want out of this scenario?" and I just spouted out a confused mess of things like "actually gets this stuff done before someone starts yelling at me that it didn't happen," and "actually gets back to me as to whether or not they did the mailing" and "could they please be the point people for mailing questions instead of me, under the circumstances?!"

I know they are super busy, short staffed, not enough time, blah blah blah, but when I am getting ripped new assholes by the international clientele every day for what they haven't done and having to be the one who responds to every fucking panicking email every day and they do nothing.... and nothing...and nothing...I mean, it's possible that they're doing something and not telling me, but it doesn't seem like it because I might get less angry email. I do not want to be a nag, nor is it appropriate for me to be, nor will this go over well at work. But they make me be a nag when they don't do things. It's like my damn apartment manager at this point, or at least getting there. I don't think my coworkers are deliberately Not Doing Stuff

This was, of course, followed up with by International #2 who supposedly DID have her thing mailed saying it wasn't mailed At All, and I actually had that one documented that it was mailed. Fuck. And then we had #3, who decided she wanted a rush order instead. This is, as usual, a complicated mess to have to deal with. I have to write out very specialized, detailed instructions on that crap, and then charge them something like $75-100 for it, which has to be paid for at another office since mine no longer takes money (thank gawd). I must have written down like four times in the first email "please contact Other Office over the phone to pay for it." Then I get messaged at work that this girl is on the phone wanting to place an order, while I am in the midst of her second round of email questions. I write back, "please contact Other Office to make the payment." about three more times. And I guess she might have called again in the meantime, because she writes back again saying my office told her to get a rush at another company altogether? (I doubt it, she got Lioness on the phone at least once and Lioness would not have said that.)I had to write a third email in fifteen minutes saying PLEASE DO NOT CALL MY OFFICE FOR HELP WITH THIS. THEY DO NOT KNOW. THEY CANNOT ADVISE YOU ON OUR VERY SPECIAL SNOWFLAKE SITUATION HERE. PLEASE DO NOT TRY TO PLACE AN ORDER WITH US. PLEASE CALL THE OFFICE I TOLD YOU TO. HERE ARE VERY DETAILED SPELLING IT OUT INSTRUCTIONS AS TO WHAT TO SAY TO THEM.

This finally got done, but this was exhausting, and during the hour or so that this was going on, everyone else in the office starts having drama and asking me stuff every 15 seconds and "must be done TODAY" shit kept rolling in and my coworkers were doing something or else all day, and I was SO FRIED with that level of onslaught. I'm surprised I'm not drunk tonight, actually, except I had to call Mom after work and then I ended up walking around for exercise.

Though I will say that the special project my boss put me on yesterday (basically uploading 200 letters saying "no, you don't get a refund") was the easiest and most mindless, soothing project I've ever done for work, and going back to that at the beginning and end of the day (once people SHUT UP) was very soothing. Too bad I finished it today :P

Mom called after work and I was still in such a bad mood that she got off the phone real fast. I was not in the mood for her to defend my shitty clients when they are being rude, mean, and/or just bizarrely stupid. YES, SHE HAD THE PHONE NUMBER FOR THE RIGHT PLACE, I SWEAR TO GOD, SHE JUST DECIDED TO IGNORE WHAT I SAID SEVEN TIMES IN A ROW IN FIFTEEN MINUTES.

As for therapy, before getting eviscerated at work I was thinking, "You know what, I've been out for 2 weeks and literally nothing has happened. Didn't get in trouble at work, didn't fight with Mom, not talking to Scott, should I just cancel this because I got nothing?"

Customer service makes me wish for death, but as my therapist pointed out, literally all jobs have it, and I cannot get away from it and I have to do it to stay alive. Otherwise she had no advice, which is a shame because I could use it, but I just can't solve my fucking problems and I feel like I just say the same thing all the time. But any possible solutions have to fit into the box (of say, regular paycheck and health insurance) and that seems to limit things.

On the good news side of life, I found a 4 week class on how to do a solo performance show that was quite reasonably priced and I signed up for it! I have seen a few other classes but they have been ridiculously expensive, like "half my paycheck" expensive. I'm very pleased. I also got my "Star Wars: Knitting the Galaxy" book in the mail.

It's finally raining/storming tonight. The lights have been occasionally flickering. Hope the power doesn't go out, or at least not while I'm still awake.

Tonight's Viewing: Hallmark's "A Winter Getaway." Every time they show the commercial and mention the girl's name, "Nazneen Contractor," I keep doing a double take and going "Contractor?!" I don't know why I keep thinking this but it's really weird.

Anyway, Courtney is some "luxury concierge" person who has to put together something involving penguins and the Northern Lights. "He wants to confess his undying love among the penguins." This sounds like a job that would nauseate the shit out of me, honestly (even if the penguin thing is admittedly cute), and it makes me wonder why Hallmark decided this was an interesting movie concept. Courtney gets a job passed on to her for Joe Franklin after his concierge lady quit and gave 2 hours notice. It's "planning on the fly."

Joe is much more ... humble... than you'd expect in this job. And plays with the seat settings. And wants root beer rather than champagne. Right now she should be getting "this is a normal guy" vibes, correct? Also he offers to monkey with her computer.

"They think I'm the billionaire CEO of CyberGophers." Joe calls his friend, who is all "just play along." I assume he's the CEO of whatever. "You want to be with someone who wants you for who you are, not what you have," says the friend. Apparently he used to work for the friend, who is his bestie and paid for it all. "Love you, dude," Joe says, and I think that is REALLY SWEET TO HEAR out of a dude, loving a dude. Anyway, Joe offers to bring Courtney skiing with him and to lunch, which seems fun for them.

I feel like this is so pandemic when they're filming an eating lunch scene outdoors and it's so cold you can see their breath on camera.

"Who hasn't told a lie out of omission from time to time?" she says. Yeah, says Joe, awkwardly, also feeling awkward when she asks about his job and doing something he loves. I will note that she got into this job because she wanted to travel and this job lets her travel 'once in a while." I will also note that her craziest work story is that a celebrity wanted an entire hotel repainted. Hey, it's her money, I don't judge! (I still might vote for the penguins.)

I will note that Joe has no interest in clubbing, or eating fancy food, which he is trying to be delicately polite about. I feel like someone needs to offer him a burger and not squab, perhaps? "You didn't eat the quiche, did you?" "It's not really my thing." Maybe just...ask him what he wants? Which kinda sounds like the job? Then she brings in a masseuse. "She looks....kinda...angry...."

"Do you ever get the feeling our job is...inconsequential?" one coworker of hers says. "Yeah, the thought has crossed my mind." "Why do we do it?" "It's a living, I guess." "I guess." She loves her new client, who appreciates everything like a kid on Christmas morning. "Three hundred thousand!" "It's practically a steal!" is an actual conversation they have in an art gallery. Of course she has to say something like If anyone breaks my trust, it's gone FOREVER, sigh. He offers to let her do whatever she wants tomorrow, which is very sweet. They go sled-dogging. MUSH!

Now there's an actual indoor buffet scene with like six people. I was all, buffet? He's treating all the staff, I think. He also wants to go curling. Then they go to an empty restaurant, which in plot is because of her job and money and wrangling and whatever, but in reality....y'know.

Joe calls his friend Alan in the middle of the night feeling bad with a guilty conscience. 'Yeah, that was a bad idea," Alan agrees. But she'll hate that I lied! And if she finds out she'll hate it anyway! DUDE, YOU LOSE EITHER WAY. "Sleep on it," Alan says. "I can't sleep on it, that's why I called you!" Alan says to tell her and stop prolonging the inevitable and if it's meant to be, it's meant to be. Good job, Alan.

Next day, she's gonna take him on a tour of the opera, which is again not his thing. He wants to go drink beer. To be fair, it's Canadian exotic beer. "You're like if Goldilocks was a beer drinker. Goldilager and the Three Beers." Then they mention craft ROOT BEER and he lights up. "Goes great with poutine?" "What's poutine?" "Really?"

Brooks Darnell Gives Good Hallmark. He needs to be in more movies. I don't know if he's been in any other ones--looks like it's his first Hallmark though I think he did a few holiday movies elsewhere--but he's a treasure. Warm, friendly, generous, cuddly, even. Good job, sir.

Courtney comes to the shocking realization that it doesn't matter how much you spend as long as it's with people you like. Joe suggests a DIY business app-type thing for her business. "I can build an app in my sleep."

Joe mopes that he should have told the truth from the beginning....to some other random dude working at the hotel? "My job description doesn't usually involve giving relationship advice." TELL HER, DUDE. Seriously, I hate how movies or any plot with a lie at the heart of it just drag it on and on until like ten minutes before the movie ends. OH YEAH, COURTNEY JUST GOT A CALL ABOUT WHOSE CREDIT CARD IS BEING USED FOR THIS TRIP. It's a gift, duh. "Rachel didn't fill us in on that minor detail." Courtney finally does her due diligence and checks the CyberMonkey website for Joe's picture. (Hey, remember how you were going to research your client at the start of this? I don't think that happened, did it? I'm sure "Joe Franklin" is too generic of a name to Google but "Joe Franklin CyberMonkey" was uh, good enough just now....They have the inevitable "you lied to me!" conversation, SIGH. Joe assumes Courtney is into rich dudes and Alan is all dude, you shouldn't have let her go! You're right, man! Let's get her back! Courtney calls her mom. If he's that great, maybe the lie is forgivable, Courtney's mom says, mentioning that her dad claimed he worked at the stock exchange...completely leaving out the words 'sandwich shop."

Courtney's boss called saying that Alan called and you're technically still on the job because tomorrow is Joe's birthday and you're invited to the party. You have to do what Alan says now :P She returns to find that Joe has set up a lovely lit up tent/candles/ballroom thing just for her as an apology. That's so cute. Also, he's not a client so they can date! "You coming back is the best present I could ever have." He was trying to recreate her favorite travel experience. THEY ARE ADORABLE TOGETHER. I'm glad I caught this movie at the dead last minute before it expired. Super cute. I was meh on the premise, but it's really cute.

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