I'm ready to jump off the proverbial cliff -- if only I could find one. Unfortunately, the downside of being in a rural midwestern area is that you can't seem to find a good cliff when you need one.
My week has gone from blech to B-L-E-C-H resulting in my frantic search for an impending precipice from which to dash myself. I've not located one of any significance so I'm resorting to verbally venting. Its maybe not as drastic, but probably a good deal safer for my own well being (but not for yours! :))
Long and short - everything that has been planned for the week and then replanned for each day has completely been sent down the river (oh, there's a river when you don't want one, but where are the cliffs when you do want one! Curses Mother Nature...!). I've been left with a daybook full of nothing and a gas tank on empty and a head full of hair that smells like a roasted coffee bean from spending full days wedged on an uncomfortable cafe chair at Starbucks. I've now been dealing, since noon, with a customer who wants us to fix a problem that we did not create and is so frustrated with the people who did create it that I feel sorry for him and have been busting my coffee chair butt to help him. I've been led around in circles by a guy who works for company who started manufacturing something for our competitors and so now they don't want to sell that product to me, but they won't directly tell me that so they decieve and, I will say it, lie to me in order to prevent me from getting what I want -- don't think I'm a blonde idiot, man who will remain nameless, but if you happen to get a hold of this blog address -- you know who you are. Let me tell you, Alison Behn is NOT an idiot and I will tell you that I am around a time when I WILL snap if you push me so you better tread carefully dear sir as I'm likely to take you over that cliff with me once I find it! I am on my last communication with him for the day and I'm getting more and more angry with each "oh, I have to go to a meeting now so I can't talk to you" that I get. I'm deciding to pray, talk myself down to a calm place, and walk away from the problem for the day. And then I'll start looking for that cliff again tomorrow! :)
Besides that, I had a very lovely day visiting with an extremely nice director of a department in Salem, OH. We chatted about product and then talked about cars and other things. Its kind of interesting to me that, for some, reason, I end up talking about cars a lot with guys - I don't really know that much about cars, I don't think. I don't even think I initiate the car conversations, but I've had some reps tell me that they like travelling with me because I can hold my own on the car conversation. Anyways - we chatted about the auto industry and future car purchases and had a very pleasant time doing so.
And then I got to go to lunch with my rep who I like very much. Tom and I have worked together for about, holy moley, about 13 years now. I've seen him go through so much of his life including the recent loss of his 32 year old daughter about 2 years ago - she died after a pretty short battle with cancer. It was so sad. Here's the thing I can't even imagine more than that. Its kind of funny, but this medical sales rep actually used to be in the morturary business. He like prepped the bodies and all. I CANNOT imagine going to a family member or friend's funeral when you knew what went on with their body before. But, I guess, maybe that is a good thing that he did know what happened and that she was gone. Crazy to think about.
The second account we worked we just had this really long useless meeting. But, again, nice people!
Here's the thing about this area of OH. Salem and Alliance, OH are in Ohio which is a midwest state. The people are very midwest and the atmosphere is very midwest and nice and relaxed. However, the houses and the landscape are really getting more east. Its much more Pittsburghy this way as it is quite hilly and some of the houses are pretty old and east coast looking. The gravestones that I pass are always dating back to the early 1800s, late 1700s, and not many midwest towns have that.
It was actually interesting today as I drove through some really backroads areas and I saw, what I believed to be, tons of oil drills. Those big arms that go into the ground and pump up and down. I took pictures, but they're on my camera so I need to wait to download them and then you can all give me your opinions - but they definitely look like the drills that are down all over Texas.
If you ever get the chance, Salem is actually a pretty adorable place! The majority of the houses are those HUGE massive old houses. And they're not dilapidated or falling down, they're all fixed up and painted and beautiful. The downtown area has tons of old buidlings with these great little stores and restaurants. Its kind of out of the way, but its cute!
Ok - I'm gettting a headache because I haven't eaten but a grape and a raisin today -- so I better go eat something instead of complaining. I'm losing all of my literary powers and am going to become unintelligable any moment here. Pray that I don't find a cliff on the way to food otherwise it will be a tough decision ... :)
Goodnight from Youngstown/Poland/Boardman, OH area!
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