Yes, he kept saying he was trying to be helpful, because he really did want to help me, and what else did he need to do to get a good rating? I said, as coldly as I could muster with a failing voice, “Not a thing.”
In the 20+ years I spent in telephone customer service, I can’t recall ever being put in the position where I had to beg someone for a good rating. I assumed the alternative was that one more of those bad ratings and he would be looking for a job elsewhere.
And no, I have yet to receive the email asking me to rate the CSR. Maybe he knew better.
So..
One of the Rituals of the Catdom is that when I come into this room to sit at this computing device I am followed by however many felines observe my actions. Once I am seated, not always totally, but still seated (sometimes there is a cat in my chair helping my posture) I am subjected to all manner of cat attentions including but not limited to rubbing against my leg, meowing loudly, purring, circling the chair (or the desk, or the side table, or..), hopping on the desk, standing on my laptop (which gets them unceremoniously picked up and dropped on the floor).. All of this is supposed to entice me to dispense assorted cat treats to each feline in attendance.
Earlier I was subjected to the usual catmob and dutifully dispensed treats to all who presented themselves. They all wolfed down their apportioned allotment and then wandered off to wherever they wander off to when they’re not milling around my feet. I noted that Tipton T. Longcat was not present, but one or more missing the disbursment is not all that unusual.
A few minutes ago, as I was sitting here reading, filing, and deleting emails I heard a strange noise that I couldn’t quite identify. It sounded sort of like someone out in the distance scraping something but not that distinct. I glanced out the windows to see what might be making the sound but saw nothing. Still the sound continued. The direction of the sound was also indistinct which is why I thought it came from outside the house. I finally decided to get up and look out a window and in the process of doing so swiveled the chair around. That action revealed Tipton T. Longcat sitting on my work traytable (which at the moment is not occupied by a ‘project’) directly behind me purring. Quietly. With a purr that was not his usual. And thus unrecognizable as a purr. This as opposed to his usual direct ‘I’m here human’ approach..
So I spread out a catplate (which comes disguised as a segment of paper towel) on the traytabletop and gave him a portion of cattreats. He received them gladly and then hopped down from the traytable, walked to the couch, hopped up on the pillow containing the petwarming pad (formerly owned by the late White Furbeast With No Tail To Tell), curled up, and went to sleep.
Now I’m wondering when he ‘found’ that purr. And how long it will be before Jinx (who also missed the daily distribution) presents himself..