LOS REBELDES

"Hi, this is XXX from Los Rebeldes, a rock & roll band. I'm calling because we stayed at your hotel..."

And just like that began the phone call during which I had to exercise more self-control than in any other call of my working life.

I had to remain perfectly professional, pretending either that I had no idea who Los Rebeldes were, or that, if I did, they didn't make my pulse race.

The truth?

My heart was pounding.

I wanted so badly to thank him for giving me such a wonderful youth with his glorious 1950s rock & roll. I was one of those girls: can-can petticoats, eyeliner stretching halfway to my ears, and their records blasting from my bedroom until the early hours of the morning.

In fact, dear reader, let me tell you a little secret.

I've only ever stolen one thing in my entire life.

A cassette.

Can you guess whose?

Yep... you got it.

I never imagined I'd one day hear his speaking voice over the phone. By now, the can-can skirts are long gone... along with half the eyeliner.

The only regret I have now is not confessing my little crime to him.

Then again... perhaps that wouldn't have been the brightest idea. For more than one reason.

Much love, Rebeldes.

Please keep playing.

Luxx

YOU CAN CALL ME JORDAN

"I am an AI agent. You can call me Jordan."

This type of phone call is becoming more and more common. People are now asking AI agents to do everything for them, even the simplest tasks, like calling a hotel to check a booking.

People, please...

You can't have your AI call a hotel and ask, out of the blue, "Is Celia Paulos staying at your hotel on such-and-such date?" Answering that question would go against everything data protection stands for.

Not to mention that these AI agents sound (without exception) annoyed. Seriously. When you explain that you can't help them and ask for further details, they simply repeat the question like an angry robot from a 1980s B-movie. Over and over again. Sounding more irritated every time.

These AI agents are making me wonder whether AI can, in fact, have feelings and get nasty. They already do! At us! Over the phone, I'm telling you.

All that ChatGPT-style friendly chatting on your laptop about the weather in Paris suddenly does a complete 180 when it's talking to a human agent on the other end of a phone, and the convo doesn´t go as expected by their owner´s instructions.

Quite scary.

PS: She really did say, "I am an AI agent. You can call me Jordan." *shivers*

PSS: Have a lovely week, my darlings. Keep it human... and humane, please.

PSSS: just hot from the press : 

AI INNOVATION MEETS A FAMILIAR IDENTITY SECURITY REALITY

xx
Lu

HALF-LIFE

 

Yes.... I knew of its existance a looong time ago : the half -alive are the call-center employees !!

on that note, I no longer belong to the queue of the unemployment gang. *sighs*

Time to moan about the opposite now! 

Love

Lu

Lovey Dovey ... Chinese elevator love

 

- 7 DAYS LEFT IN THIS OFFICE AND 2 MONTHS APROX LEFT IN THIS COUNTRY after13 years in this company and 30 years in this country

<3   time to go home   <3

And what do I do in between (my last) calls these days, other than gossip the state of affairs with my soon-to-be ex-colleagues?  either some studying, reading or... 

Mentalese Express uploaded by JH3 FILMS

yep, this one is Chinese with a Japanese actor. My new favorite love story. Love doesn't need fireworks nor violins, nor men in lipstick. 

Happy Monday, earthlings 

PS _ I guess this will mark also the end of Lulu Nearlythere, as she is getting back there at last :) 

STRANGER THINGS

 

... keeps on happening... 

my colleague, with whom I play lotto every now and then, has just shown me his numbers for Friday the 13th of December. Basically every one of the numbers he chose is one digit either short  or over the winning one, every single number (the first row on the picture is the winning numbers, the second row is his first game which was well off the mark but the third row under that one is the shocking one) I feel like crying. Surprisingly he's still smiling. What an outstanding human being.

Zzzzzzzz and a stranger at the shop.

 Nothing like falling in bed

After a day like today.  

Ps- strange things are happening . Smiling 

HARLEYS

 

When the customer is throwing a huge tantrum over the phone unaware your brain is riding harleys in hawaii 

A LITTLE MAGIC

 

I have a secret weapon at work, my little Buddha. When I am dealing with a particularly challenging caller, I rub my Buddha. Oopsy that sounds terrible, but in reality is very innocent, I just grab a good cloth and rub My Little Buddha in the picture, over and over. These days it shines like a diamond. At this rate I'll be getting a Buddha Genie come out and grant me my three wishes! I bet you guessed what the first one will be ... ;) 

Happy Thursday, Earthlings. Nearly there. 

안녕!! <3 

MARATHON DAY 2

Charlie Worsham - I Hope I am Stoned 

Getting ready for my second marathon day. 

3 Days a week shift, 13 hours a day (and an hour break somewhere in the middle)

I don't remember when was the last time I went to work smiling and what is more shocking : came back singing and laughing to myself.

Let's see how I feel tomorrow...

I've been thinking about your question, flyboy. 

No... I wasn't! But from next week I will -  write full time.

what a feeling.

Go enjoy the day beautiful people.

ASPIRATIONS

So Anita and I realise there is nothing we can do to be happy in the company we work for. Unfortunately, we work in the finance sector but what we would really enjoy doing is making people laugh.
Before we leave the restaurant, our waitress comes to me and whispers:  "can I tell you something?"
Naturally, I say yes, intrigued. 
"You are terribly funny." She says.
... mision cumplida, Anita. 

SEA BREAM CONVERSATION

Do you want to know what happens when your dog nearly dies after hours waiting for your breakdown assistance to turn up in a very hot country?
This happens, and I quote (the names are changed of course, except for "me". Please don't think us insensitive, in extremely stressful jobs such as emergency call centers it is quite common to slide into a comical conversation to try and mitigate the bad yuyus that arise sometimes) :

Sarita: "the guy had to perform CPR on the dog"

me: "Sorry ... the customer had to do CPR on their dog? how the heck do you do cpr on a dog?"

Fabian: "have you watched Something About Mary?"

Biggest Boss: "they didn't have to do cpr on the dog surely!!!  how do you do cpr on a dog???"

Fabian: "have you watched Something about Mary?"

me: "I don't remember anyone carrying out cpr on a dog in Something About Mary???"

BIGGEST BOSS: "they didn't do cpr... the dog is staying with family!"

Sarita: "the dog is staying with its family???"

BIGGEST BOSS: "No! it was the wife"

me: "the dog's wife had CPR done on her???"

Fabian: "just watch Something About Mary and you will see how CPR is done with a dog!"

of course right then we had to check on youtube and sure enough:

 It's Friday people!!!! have fun and for heaven's sake:

1/ don't travel with dogs around Europe in a car

2/ always take plenty of water and/or blankets in your cars if you do travel by car all over Europe

3/ if you can... DO NOT TRAVEL ALL AROUND EUROPE IN YOUR CARS!!! 

4/ if all else fails DO NOT CALL MY EXTENSION AT WORK, thank you very much <3

I WANNA END ME

Billie Eilish - bury a friend - Choreography by JoJo Gomez

 

 Today I sang this song over and over and OVER in between calls, while reading job notes, hearing colleagues talk, having managers giving us orders, seeing commercial aircrafts pass by, enduring the hottest day of the year. 

"Today I am thinking about...

things that are deadly"

it might have been hot but it also was the greyest day ever. 

thank God is Friday.

ps - these kids can move, damn it

 

Witch

 picture "Witch takes a Bath"  by:
uppityrib

How do I know i am a RL witch?  Because every time I use the printer at work for a personal document it gets stuck,  right after I walk  'the green mile'  repeating to myself 'it's going to get stuck... It's going to get stuck'