They found us

I’m totally amazed that in less than a full week of having our telephone connected, the telemarketers have already found us. Not only that, they asked for us specifically by our first and last names. (I might have to give them bonus points for pronouncing our names correctly.) If the calls weren’t on the annoying side, I’d go so far to say that I was almost impressed by how quickly they tracked us down. The first call was for some sort of trial offer for magazines. Clearly they did their homework on this one - I’m a big fan of magazines. But, I’m also smart enough to realize that their “free” offer is probably going to cost me money. I politely declined. The second call was asking for a donation for a police organization. It was followed immediately by the third call, where a woman informed us that we were entered in a raffle to win cash prizes. Oh, and I supposedly “won” a watch with diamonds on it. (How come I’m lucky enough to supposedly win a diamond-encrusted watch, but I can’t score a decent parking space at the grocery store?) Again, I politely declined the offer. Notice I said, “politely” declined. There’s a good reason for it. I wish I could say that it’s because I’m always nice and patient with everyone I encounter, including irksome telemarketers that call at dinnertime. But, really it’s because I know what it’s like to make those phone calls. I, um, once spent a summer during college calling alumni asking for donations for the university. It was definitely the low point of my working career, falling behind even the summer I wasted away as a clerk at a souvenir store. I don’t know what the worst part about the job making those calls – knowing that I had sold my soul, or knowing that I had sold my soul for a mere $6 an hour. (Let’s face it. I put my soul on clearance.) From that summer experience, I took with me my puny earnings – and the lesson to always be nice to the human on the other side of the phone. I will continue to politely decline their offers. And promptly add our number to the “national do not call” registry.