(I go to the doctor due to fainting.)
Doctor: “Have you ever had eczema?”
(Eczema is a dry skin condition and cannot cause fainting.)
Me: “Yes, but not for years and I don’t currently have it.”
Doctor: “It’s just eczema; take cream and you’ll be fine.”
Me: “But why am I collapsing?”
Doctor: “You’ll be fine; just put antibiotic cream on.”
(Three hours later, I collapsed and hit my head, ending up in A&E. It turns out I’m epileptic.)
(I work at a small engineering company. It is a wonderful place, everyone is really friendly, and we all hang out together off work and know each other’s families. I am the only female engineer there. The company is growing fast, so they hire a new office assistant. The guy is kind of incompetent, which we initially justify as having little experience, and often says things that come out sexist or racist. We pass that off as him being socially awkward or trying too hard to fit in. I guess we are so used to our great work environment, it doesn’t occur to most of us he is just an a**hole. Then, this happens. The company is to have a stand in a large conference overseas, and this guy fails to send some of the conference material – pamphlets, trinkets, etc. – in time. I am the last one to leave for the conference, by a few days, so the CEO asks me to bring some of it with my luggage. No problem, I think.)
Assistant: “So, this is what you’ll need to take to the conference.”
Me: *eyeing the large, heavy box* “All right. I was only taking one bag, anyway, so we’re okay on luggage count, but this will probably be overweight. How will I get compensated for that?”
Assistant: “It’s your responsibility to pack your bags to the airline standards. I know girls like to carry their houses in their bags, but you can live lean for a week!”
Me: *ignoring his comment* “I can probably rearrange this box between two bags and pack my things around it, so it should still be okay. Worst case, I can talk to [CEO] when I get there, I guess. And my cab to the airport is arranged already, so I just need a cab to get me home with this stuff.”
Assistant: “Don’t be silly. Transportation to and from work is on you; you know that.”
Me: “Sure, normally. But I take the subway, and I can’t take this big box in it.”
Assistant: “So, get your own cab. Just like a woman to want to make the most of a man’s money.” *laughs*
Me: *getting annoyed* “I’m certainly not spending my money on doing what should be your job. I’m doing this as a favor to [CEO] and the company.”
Assistant: “Look here, little girl. Just because you think you’re so smart and [CEO] lets you play at doing a man’s job, that doesn’t mean you can be this disrespectful. Now, you will take this material and get it to the conference, since that’s your only use for going in the first place.”
Me: “Yeah, no. I’m 24 with a Master’s degree in [specific engineering field], so I don’t have to think I’m smart. I was specifically invited to speak at this conference, so I’d be going even if there was no company stand there. And there probably won’t be, because I’m definitely not taking any of this crap with me.”
Assistant: “You’ll see what happens when [CEO] hears about this!”
(I left the material and went to the conference. When I got there and told [CEO] of this conversation, he was FURIOUS. Seems he’d told the assistant to go to the airport himself with the box, so it wouldn’t inconvenience me, and to pay all extra luggage fees as needed on the company card. The guy might have still only gotten a warning — that’s how lenient this place was — but, as it turns out, he mouthed off to the CEO, told him he should put the “girl” in her place, as everyone knew she was only there to “see to his needs,” just like the one he used at lunch. That would be the CEO’s wife, who sometimes went by the office so they could have lunch together. So, yeah, he was very much fired after that!)
(I work in a movie theater. Due to an issue at the exchange where card payments are processed, we are unable to take cards as payment. All the doors to the site have had signs posted about this and some signs have been put on the tills, too. It’s a school day in winter.)
Me: “I’m sorry, ma’am, but we can only take cash right now.”
Customer: “Are you telling me that I have to take my sick child back into the cold to fetch cash?!”
Me: “I’m sorry, but the problem is on the end of the service that the entire company uses; we are waiting for word from head office that the situation is resolved.”
(Seriously, though, lady, if your child is too sick to go to school, why are you taking him to see a film?)
(I teach college seniors. I’m reviewing their survey comments after my class is over.)
Comment: “I don’t think the attendance is fair. I wasn’t there when she took it and she took my points.”
(I work evenings, especially Saturdays. 99% of the employees are 16 to 25 and the atmosphere is pretty relaxed. If your shift is long enough, employees are allowed to take dinner from the store up to about €8 worth. Many coworkers opt to get a pizza and bake those in our ovens. This is completely fine as long as we still have room to bake bread if we have to and so long as they clean up. It’s the cleaning up bit that quite a few have trouble with. They take their pizzas from the oven and drop the hot baking plates wherever on our tabletop. Quite often this is on top of plastic bags that melt and stick to the plate. It’s a waste of bags and product, and a horrible smell, if we don’t notice and use the plate to bake again. Also, we bakers have a system of putting hot plates in kind of half-enclosed trolleys to the side so anything laying on the tabletops should be warm at worst. One evening, I AGAIN remind a coworker as she is putting in her pizza to properly clean up her hot plate. As she comes back from the lunchroom, we have the following exchange:)
Me: “[Coworker], could you come over here, please?”
Coworker: “Sure, what’s up?”
Me: “Could you put your hand in the oven, please?”
Coworker: “What?”
Me: “Just for a second or two, place your hand in the oven; just lay it in there.”
Coworker: “Are you mad? No way!”
Me: “Then how about putting away your hot plates?”
(The penny dropped, and after that, she always put them in the right place. Word must have spread, as well, as the number of hot plates on the tabletops dropped significantly.)
