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I try to keep my grumbling to mudane trivia, but I had a heck of a bad day. Readers-Digest-Condensed version:

It was reported back to me via gossip channels that I managed to seriesly upset two visitor-control types who man the front desk of an office building I had to visit yesterday. This company makes a great deal of money by hosting meetings in their lovely conference rooms.

There were two meetings in the building that day. I ended up in the wrong meeting and got embarassed because I didn't have $$ on me for the lunch order. "I know I mentioned it in the email," the guy said. "What email!!!?" I ask. It was a bad hair day and was over 90 degrees in my office when I left and then I end up in the wrong meeting! ARgh!

That embarassing oops combined with some singularly unfriendly front-desk types had me in a bad, bad mood. Not once did they smile or ask which meeting I was attending, they just asked for my ID. Some of my paperwork wasn't in order. Instead of doing the bland win-win-smile thing, they got haughty and started arguing with me. I know I sent the paperwork in Feb, but they didn't have it. I had it sent again, no biggie. Anyway, I snapped at them and insisted they walk me to the correct meeting since they hadn't bothered to offer to tell me where my meeting was.

Anyhoo, it gets back to me that they were really mad over my hyper-***** routine. They asked the first man they saw from my organization if 1) he was my boss and 2) who my management was because something had to be done about my attitude. Their little tantrum took place in front of some of my management's peers.

Ok. So I snapped at them, but if you're going to scowl at your customers and not volunteer any helpful information you're going to encounter some rude folks as a result. When you interact with the public you have to expect a certain amount of that even if you're perky. It's just a universal law.

But what makes me so blasted angry is that no one in *my* management/gossip chain is calling the behavior of the front-desk ladies unprofessional. You just *don't* criticize one customer in front of another, you don't critize a customer behind her back in front of other customers, and you don't ask strangers what they know about a customer's management! Un-bel-ie-vable

I brought it my management's attention in the name of damage control just as soon as I heard about the tantrum. They suggested I apologize.

I'm not so inclined.

I NEED SOME CHOCOLATE.... it's good for blood pressure.