PREPARE FOR RANT.
So long story short, I had to call out the PUD to check the range to see if there was a gas leak. There wasn’t—all good, right? Except utility dude comes in, hangs around far longer than needed, and tries to mansplain all about gas and circuit breaker boxes and the like to me. To which point I was about ready to kick his ass to the corner.
REPAIR PEOPLE AND UTILITY WORKERS: DO NOT patronize your customers. DO NOT assume that the purple haired, tattooed chick does NOT own the nice house she’s in, that she does NOT understand how a circuit breaker box works, and that she needs your mansplainin’ big-assed ball-thoughts to make certain she understands the situation. Just because she can’t fix a stove? Doesn’t make her stupid!
And while we’re at it…guess what? BUDDY-BOY COULDN’T FIX THE STOVE EITHER. Guess his mighty thoughtful balls couldn’t figure that one out. I, on the other hand, know I can’t fix the stove and that’s fine—I write books. I hire people to fix what I can’t. I give respect and expect it in return.
AND BY THE WAY…why the hell did he decide he could hang out in my house and try to find something to talk about after he finished doing the job he’s paid to do? I work at home, I have things to do, books to write, and um…a life to live which doesn’t include standing around watching some good ol’ boy try to impress me. And do NOT tell me I shouldn’t call the appliance repair company because oh gee, maybe the stove will be fine in a day or so? I don’t have time to wait around for some magical stove-fairy to wave her wand and fix the sparking burners.
MY HOUSE. MY CALL.
Sigh. I hate being patronized. I hate the good ol’ boy attitude, and I’m NOT a li’l woman in any sense of the word (except I am short, I will give you that one, but that’s another subject).
And if he’s just socially awkward? NOT MY PROBLEM. I don’t give a flying fuck. He can go be socially awkward around somebody who will put up with his bullshit. And yes, I am contacting the PUD and complaining. He did his job, and that should have been it. Not standing around in my kitchen trying to patronize me and my assistant for another 20-30 minutes.
I have one for you. A couple of years ago someone kicked our front door so hard it scared the daylights out of me & my mom (This had happened before when I was working late and Mom was home alone. The police didn’t do anything accept push the bottom of the screen door back in.) The door frame cracked and ultimately had to completely be replaced (screen door, front door, with deadbolt AND frame). I called 911 because we thought someone was trying to break into our home! The first thing one of the responding officers said was (and I’m NOT kidding) “Who’d you piss off?” Thankfully his better mannered partner worked with us the rest of the time. They had a K-9 unit show up and tracked the person(s) responsible to a house about three doors down from us. It was just some stupid punk-ass-kids who didn’t even know us. Two of them dared the third one to do it! I hope the little shit hurt himself! We never got money for the door from their parents either. I do hope that cop got some sensitivity training after that!
You deserve to not be treated that way. I have the opposite effect most of the time because I am 5′ 11″ which I never realized till I started hearing or reading about the things that happen to women who are short.
You kick ass!
You are amazing!! LOL.. I love reading your day to day adventures! I have had the same problem here, except my MOM loves to keep them here talking!! I just want them to do what they were paid to do and leave, but nope.. Mom can talk the ears off a deaf man! LOL.. lOVE her though 🙂
You are just the best. I loved reading this. I thought I was the only one these things happened to. Great job.
Oh Yasmine, you just make my day with posts like this. 😀 Seems the good ole boy might have had a lil crush on you 😛
I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist. I totally get it. Having a penis does NOT make you better or smarter than me in any way. My job is fairly physical, and sometimes I do welcome it when the men step up to move heavier things…but most times I will just be like “I got it.” My absolute bane is when we women are viewed as “too emotional” to do things such as lead the country. Still, when pull into a debate about it, I usually end up walking away because the man I’m debating with keeps getting more and more angry that I won’t see things his way. 😀
See, I have NO problem asking for help when I need it. I appreciate doors being opened for me, and likewise–I will open the door for anybody, man or woman, who has their hands full. I know my limitations. BUT…I hate having someone assume I don’t know jack-shit because I’m female, and this guy was talking over me CONSTANTLY. My assistant was appalled and insulted because he did it to her too. *sigh* Just pissed me off.
I know the feeling. If I call someone to fix something my husband or I can’t, then I call for help. Hubby is very handy with most things. Hate to patronized, talked down to, or whatever else they think I need to hear. Have been at car dealer to buy a vehicle. Was talked around and ignored. His face when I started talking about what was wanted and hubby just sat there and laughed. He lets me negotiate because I am more articulate than he is. Hubby is a great guy, not afraid to let me be me. Together almost 42 years (2/14) and still going strong. So just keep kicking ass and let them know you are female and let them hear you roar.
Oh, car dealers are the worst!
I hear ya, sister! Wonder if these guys have ever heard it has been proven that on average, women are smarter than men, and they need to give up their ‘chicks don’t get it’ mindset. In my youth, I proved that I could do anything a man could do, when I spent seven years as a telephone lineman (excuse me, ‘line person’) with General Telephone Company of the Southwest. There is little I can’t repair myself — gas and electricity being two of them — so I REALLY hate some guy being condescending to me just because he has a penis and I don’t. Keep up the good fight!
Repair people can be frustrating and temperamental! A woman can do anything a man can do except pregnant themselves, which we are working on! I really think he might have been trying to show off for you. If you are like I am you just don’t have the time to put up with it. Did he use any pickup lines? Why didn’t he show you something you could use?
My question is why didn’t he leave after he DID his job instead of trying all sorts of stupid things that I knew wouldn’t work, and then just STANDING THERE in my kitchen? It was like he was taking his coffee break at my house.
Sorry! I’ve been lucky in the maintenance people I deal with most of the time. There was this dick I worked for however . . .
I have the worst experiences in that respect with car salesmen. It really made me angry that having my boyfriend with me made a difference in the price I got when I got my last car. Sorry you had that in your home.
Speaking of…try walking into a dealership and have them try to talk to your husband (who doesn’t WANT to be the one negotiating) and then tell them you’re giving them a check for the amount of the car instead of financing. They really don’t know what to do then and boy do they fight it!
I know men like this and the funny thing is for as much as they think they know they just don’t know shit! To be fair though I do know women like this as well