On Being Awkward, Issue 5.

One of the things I like about working (besides the obvious fact that, uh, I like being paid) is that I get some good stories out of it. Keep in mind that I work:
a) in a very popular, beautiful location
b) with many, many customers daily, many of which
     i) don't speak English very well/clearly
     ii) know very little about kayaking
c) a very small office area that gets very very hot and sweaty in the summer months

So yeah, I have some good stories. (For example, Zac Efron came into my work once. So did Andy Serkis. Pretty much my only celebrity exposure, like, ever). HOWEVER, sometimes when it's really busy or hot or noisy or I'm tired, etc, there can be awkward moments with customers, mostly to do with me not understanding what they said/saying something incredibly stupid.

Now, I could go on about my work stories for a long time, but I'll spare you, and today, just leave you with..

On Being Awkward, Issue 5.
This happens to me at work, leaving me feel like a complete knob:
So I'm on the phone, making a reservation, and without fail, several times a day I will get either a whisperer, a yeller, or a mumbler (each of these can also be combined with a heavy accent, which is fun). With a very busy office, this can cause some problems. Most of the time, it's not a big deal if I get the info a little off, but I need their name. So I nicely ask, only to be answered with:

Yeah, my work shirt is that color. But brighter.

 No idea what they just said. So I ask them to repeat it one more time:

They've been saying this name their whole life, you'd think they'd have it down by now. Why do they pick right now to mumble their way through it, apparently while in heavy traffic, and holding the phone an arms length from their head?! Feeling like a bit of a dink for still not getting it, I reluctantly ask one more time:

 At this point, the hieroglyphics were more helpful. Not wanting to ask yet again, I pull out my last trick. This will cleverly let them think I understand what the hell they have been saying this whole time. Perfect! "Alright, can you spell that for me?" And finally, crystal clear, dripping with unimpressed-ness:

UGHH.

Summer 2009. Click to enlarge.