Cameraman Jenn's Blather Blog

Post by **sgt.null** » Tue Sep 15, 2015 8:06 am

the joys of idiots texting while driving threatens to become an even bigger problem.

Post by **Cameraman Jenn** » Wed Oct 07, 2015 3:43 am

I posted a brief on facebook but now for the detailed version, last week I had a customer who was late seventies maybe even early eighties and she was awesome. She was the old lady I want to be when I get to be her age. Her car? Fully loaded full on race version with turbo and hood scoop and low gear race manual transmission, Subaru WRX. I had talked to her on the phone and scheduled her and when she came in Christina did her intake stuff. Christina and I did the window signal to acknowledge that I would take the estimate so I got my camera and went out in the lobby and introduced myself. She said, "You are the woman I talked to earlier on the phone and you are also going to be my estimator?" She had a bit of a tone of surprise so I responded with, "Yes, I would love to if you are good with that." She was super thrilled to have a woman estimator and I told her that I had over 20 years in automotive and understood the need for more women in the field. I took my required pics for the insurance and crawled under the car to check for further damage. She made a comment about how comfortable she felt and how my lack of fear of crawling under the car and getting dirty made her know she found the right place. I got my pics, told her it would be about ten to fifteen minutes for me to write it up and Christina offered her cold bottled water. I went in my office and wrote it up and came out and found Christina's daughter sitting in the waiting chairs and reading a book with her. I proceeded to sit on the other side of Laney and we read for a bit but then Christina came out from her desk and told Laney she had to say thanks and goodbye to Ms. Larsen and let Miss Jenn do her job. Laney held out her hand to shake and thanked Mary for reading with her. So cute. I went over the estimate at which point Ms. Mary apologized for being so outspoken but explained that after raising four boys she figured she had earned the right. I told her she had nothing to apologize for. I scheduled her in for today and she dropped off and was waiting for Enterprise when I had a REAL crazy come in. OH DEAR SPIRITS of the UNIVERSE... wow. Ms. Chavez was from planet LOCO in the Whackadoodle Galaxy. I took her out to the car and proceeded to take the pics etc. She dropped her purse and change spilled out all over so I picked it up and handed it back to her, she asked me what that was for and I reminded her that she dropped her purse when she answered the phone. She thought for a minute and remembered. When we came back in and Ms. Larsen was still waiting on Enterprise, I went in to do the estimate and apparently Ms. Chavez insisted on Christina giving her scissors to groom our lobby plants in between her phone calls. I also found out that Ms. Larson was in silent communication with Christina about how crazy Ms. Chavez was while waiting for her car. Ms. Larsen called me later just to tell me how impressed she was with my patience with the crazy lady and how much she realized the shit (and yes she said shit) other people put up with and apologized for being a difficult old woman. I told her that she was a pleasure and I wished I had more customers like her. Ms. Larsen is the crazy old aunt you wish you had just so you could give her a few glasses of wine at your sibling's wedding and watch the fun begin. Highly intelligent, very funny and full of dark sarcasm. I want to be her when I am that age.

Post by **Avatar** » Wed Oct 07, 2015 4:42 am

Hi Jenn.

--A

Post by **Sorus** » Mon Oct 12, 2015 1:43 am

Cameraman Jenn wrote:I went in to do the estimate and apparently Ms. Chavez insisted on Christina giving her scissors to groom our lobby plants in between her phone calls.

...what?

I mean, I've been working with the public for more years than I care to admit to, and it takes a lot to render me speechless.

But seriously, WTH?

Post by **Avatar** » Mon Oct 12, 2015 4:54 am

Well, did they need grooming?

--A

Post by **Sorus** » Mon Oct 12, 2015 8:57 pm

Yes, I have enough morbid curiosity to wonder if she did a good job.

Post by **Avatar** » Tue Oct 13, 2015 4:21 am

I re-shelve things correctly in bookshops and libraries...

--A

Post by **Sorus** » Tue Oct 13, 2015 9:42 pm

That's normal.

At least I hope it is, because I do it too.

Not sure I've ever been called normal.

It's probably overrated.

Where's Jenn?

Post by **Avatar** » Wed Oct 14, 2015 4:49 am

Dunno.

Maybe she was a keen horticulturist or something, and can't bear seeing scruffy plants.

--A

Post by **Sorus** » Wed Oct 14, 2015 8:41 pm

Given the rest of the context, I don't think I would have trusted her with scissors.

Post by **Cameraman Jenn** » Thu Oct 15, 2015 2:09 am

The plants only needed trimming on a few leaves, I am really good about keeping up with them. She said they danced with joy after her care and she also sang a bit to them as well. I found this out from Christina after Ms. Cray Cray left...

I've been doing a lot of training for work so I've been a little busy. I had back to back classes Monday and last night so I was pretty much traveling to work, at work, traveling to class and at class from 7AM to 10PM. I did learn a lot and it was really interesting. I know all about plastics, plastic blends, polyeurothides, adhesives, plastic welding and carbon fiber. I also had a sweet moment when my co-worker Richard rescued me from the lobby and a regular customer of Shawn's who has a modified BMW, is a throwback from the eighties and bathes in Polo. Richard came in and asked me to help him with teardown on a Mazda we got in and so we figured out to use the fire extinguisher to prop open the door so I could simultaneously air out the lobby, listen for the phone and actually work on the Mazda with him at the same time. I told Shawn later that I was now an official Apprentice of Body and he agreed.

Post by **Avatar** » Thu Oct 15, 2015 4:58 am

--A

Post by **sgt.null** » Thu Oct 15, 2015 8:50 am

hey Jenn - we've been thinking about getting a dog. or dogs. up in the air right now.

Post by **Sorus** » Thu Oct 15, 2015 8:30 pm

I have no issue with talking to plants, and by that logic I suppose singing is acceptable too. I wouldn't do it in public, but that's just me. Also, I can't sing.

Not sure about the dancing plants, though. Either you have some weird mutant plants, or she was on some kind of drugs.

Post by **Savor Dam** » Thu Oct 15, 2015 9:59 pm

Sorus wrote:Not sure about the dancing plants, though. Either you have some weird mutant plants, or she was on some kind of drugs.

Or they are Groot.

Post by **Sorus** » Fri Oct 16, 2015 12:45 am

I need to actually see that movie one of these days.

Post by **Cameraman Jenn** » Fri Oct 16, 2015 2:06 am

I think her issue was a lack of equalizing medication...

For those of you who know me IRL and given the fact that I lived in SF for many years and have many LBGT friends you know I don't care about sexual preference but here in Burque people are more sensitive about the issue. I tease one of my guys about driving the poster car for lesbian soccer moms. The other day I pulled a scion IQ around and Josh said to me, "That car is totally you." I replied with, " I already have a tiny white car that is way cooler than this but maybe Richard wants to trade in his lesbian soccer mom look for ecofriendly hipster, he might want to consider this." We laughed, Richard was a good sport. Today I had a prius come in off the hook(towtruck) and the girl owner was a young white college girl with dyed black natty dreads, super long, and a nose ring etc. Yesterday Richard's friend was at the shop teasing him about not having a girlfriend so I told him I found him the perfect girl for his new ecofriendly hipster identity. He told me to shut up in a sulky wounded voice. I apologized.

When Shawn went to water the plants today I told him to wear eye protection so that when they started dancing he would not get wounded. We laughed.

Sarge, I texted you about the dog comment. For those of you who don't know, when Danlo was thinking about getting another dog, he called me and I had a weird almost dissociative moment and I told him he would find a big brown dog named Thor. He went to the shelter THE NEXT DAY and there was a big brown dog named Thor. They adopted him and he was needy but they were prepared and he's an awesome dog. I just had the same thing happen when I read Sarge's post. If what I predicted comes true than I am going to have to add dog pairing psychic to my resume.

Post by **Cameraman Jenn** » Fri Oct 16, 2015 2:06 am

I think her issue was a lack of equalizing medication...

For those of you who know me IRL and given the fact that I lived in SF for many years and have many LBGT friends you know I don't care about sexual preference but here in Burque people are more sensitive about the issue. I tease one of my guys about driving the poster car for lesbian soccer moms. The other day I pulled a scion IQ around and Josh said to me, "That car is totally you." I replied with, " I already have a tiny white car that is way cooler than this but maybe Richard wants to trade in his lesbian soccer mom look for ecofriendly hipster, he might want to consider this." We laughed, Richard was a good sport. Today I had a prius come in off the hook(towtruck) and the girl owner was a young white college girl with dyed black natty dreads, super long, and a nose ring etc. Yesterday Richard's friend was at the shop teasing him about not having a girlfriend so I told him I found him the perfect girl for his new ecofriendly hipster identity. He told me to shut up in a sulky wounded voice. I apologized.

When Shawn went to water the plants today I told him to wear eye protection so that when they started dancing he would not get wounded. We laughed.

Sarge, I texted you about the dog comment. For those of you who don't know, when Danlo was thinking about getting another dog, he called me and I had a weird almost dissociative moment and I told him he would find a big brown dog named Thor. He went to the shelter THE NEXT DAY and there was a big brown dog named Thor. They adopted him and he was needy but they were prepared and he's an awesome dog. I just had the same thing happen when I read Sarge's post. If what I predicted comes true than I am going to have to add dog pairing psychic to my resume.

Post by **Avatar** » Fri Oct 16, 2015 5:24 am

We used to have a white bull terrier called Thor.

--A

Post by **Sorus** » Fri Oct 16, 2015 10:51 pm

Cameraman Jenn wrote:

Sarge, I texted you about the dog comment. For those of you who don't know, when Danlo was thinking about getting another dog, he called me and I had a weird almost dissociative moment and I told him he would find a big brown dog named Thor. He went to the shelter THE NEXT DAY and there was a big brown dog named Thor. They adopted him and he was needy but they were prepared and he's an awesome dog. I just had the same thing happen when I read Sarge's post. If what I predicted comes true than I am going to have to add dog pairing psychic to my resume.

That's awesome. I've thought I had moments like that when it comes to adopting cats, but it's never quite worked out. I don't find the right cat, the right cat finds me.

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Cameraman Jenn's Blather Blog