TCC, Day 31: Avocados and Voicemails

Someone ate all the avocados. Trey said Keaton did it. Keaton brought up some guacamole Trey made when he was sure there was only one avocado in the fridge. They both accused me of eating said guacamole. All I know is that I needed an avocado, and there was not one to be found in the whole of the Hickman Hacienda.

These are desperate, avocado-necessary times, people.

Today was busy. I got up early to finish a grad school assignment that was due today. It wasn't hard - I just hadn't taken the time to do it. Once I wrapped that up I dove into my email. Then it was 5:00. How did that happen?

The boys are tired of eating "house food" all day and so am I. Today I let them order Double Dave's pepperoni rolls for lunch, and they were the best food I've ever eaten in my whole entire life. Warm, cheesy, and delicious.

I listen to a lot of voicemails during the day. My email address is out in the online world so people have a contact for our offices, but I just can't seem to put my cell phone out there. I'm not sure why because I give it to every single person I talk to, but options for the general public are to email me or call the office number.

Our various district office numbers go to voice mail, and those voicemails are passed along quickly and appropriately, sometimes to to me. So I listen to a lot of voicemails.

As a result, I have put together some pro tips for leaving great voicemails for people you don't know (You shouldn't do this when calling your husband or BFF because that would be weird):

• Talk slowly
• State your name
• State your purpose
• State your phone number slowly
• State your name again

I am a fast talker. Fast. Even faster if I'm excited about something. I often begin presentations by making eye contact with someone in the back and announcing that someone back there is responsible for waving at me if I start going nine hundred miles an hour and everyone is lost.

Listening to so many voicemails makes me want to send apology cookies to everyone I've ever left a message for. If that's you, please accept my sincerest I'm sorries.

In our current situation, I talk to employees but also to many outside entities unaffiliated with the district, so it's pretty fun to hear what people think my name is when we don't know each other and are talking on the phone:

Person: Can you tell me your name again?
Me (slowly and using my best articulation skills): Stormy
Person:Toni?
Me: No, Stormy. Like the weather.
Person: Can you repeat that?
Me: S T O R M Y. Stormy. Like the weather.
Person: Oh! I like that!  Stormy! With an I?
Me: Nope. With a Y. Like in the dictionary.
Person: Thanks!

(Then Person invariably sends me a follow up email with my named spelled Stormi.)

It's Wednesday. Day 31. A month - one of the long ones. Some day are better than others, but we're still kicking. I'm looking forward to looking back on these days and seeing that we learned how capable we really are.

The end.

Love,
Stormy
Like the weather
With a Y
Like in the dictionary