There's still good folks in the world...

Have you ever worked with the public?

It's quite an experience. I was a gas station attendant - a glamorous position, I know. My responsibilities included but were not limited to: taking money; managing the pumps; cleaning the store; stocking shelves; training new employees; end-of-the-day reports; handling customer service issues; etc.

Pay attention to the "handling customer service issues" part - that's where the "responsibilities not limited to" portion of my job description came in to play.

You folks who've never worked with the public are going to find this hard to understand: dealing with the public can be bad news. No bueno. Downright ICKY. Customers from the public come in three varieties:

You Mean Nothing to Me: My particular favorite, this type of customer, for whatever reason, knows he or she is better than you. They don't care about your situation, your plans for the future, your obvious disability - they're out for blood and you, as a lowly clerk, waiter or phone operator have plenty to give. All that matters to this customer is their situation, their feelings. Most likely, the company you work for has wronged them in some deeply personal way and that's why you're gonna pay.

Or, they're just snobs. It's really hard to tell the difference.

My Request is Obscure and Frustrating, But of the Utmost Importance: These folks need something from you so strange, so out-of-the-blue that you begin to question whether it's your job to provide the service. You better, though, cause they need it NOW! Hurry! Forget your other customers! Meet my strange and foolish needs!

I'll have an example of this a little later in the post...

I'm a Good and Rational Customer: Yeah, so there are some good customers. And sure, they're the majority, I guess. They're the reason you like your job, the reason you can plaster a smile on your face when you're dealing with the rotten apples.

It just seems like the problem-causers are the ones that stick out in your mind.

So what's up with this post? What does this have to do with anything? Let me explain...

I'm planning the first real workshop for my education program today, and I'm trying to get a game/home improvement project together for the first 30 minutes of the session. I decide to wait until today work out the kinks, a mere 48 hours before this program starts.

And let me tell you, I've got some kinks.

The game involves identifying nicely-crafted toy tools, a good exercise for every homeowner. I mean, how do you take care of your home if you don't know what your tools are for, right? So I actually find the tools today, confirming their existence in the office. The problem is, they have no instructions, so I (oh irony of ironies) don't know the names of the tools I'm going to use for the tool identification game.

Being the industrious fellow I am, I look on the box for a website. Under construction - great. I go back to the box, find a telephone number, and I do it.

I become Customer # 2 - My Request is Obscure and Frustrating, But of the Utmost Importance.

"Um yes, I'm trying to find a list of the tools included in your Black & Decker 25 piece and 42 piece deluxe tool set."

Yeah, go ahead and add me to the list you give me, buddy - I feel like a tool for asking that.

But lo and behold, the guy goes beyond what he's probably required to do and searches his data banks. He then takes my email address and promises to have me a list by the end of the day.

What a nice guy. That just got me going, and I had to share it. Who said there was no kindess left in the world?

Until next time...

You want the rocking chair?

It's hard to stay in touch with everybody.

You know its true. As we move through life, we meet new people everyday - sometimes we greet one another and go our seperate ways and other times stay a while and chat, forming a relationship that benefits us both. Sometimes those relationships are so life-changing that we wonder how we ever got along without them. We stay best of friends, through joy, sadness and pain.

Often, however, we just move on. We don't don't forget about those who've helped us along, but life carries us too fast through its currents to really keep in touch. If you're like me, you can't help but wonder how someone's doing, even though you've not spoken in years.

Hopefully, this is no longer the case. Today is an exciting day for Eastern Eight - this blog and, more importantly, the new website offers us the chance to reach our friends, partners and clients like never before. These new tools make it possible for us to reach everyone, on their terms, despite the raging rapids of life.

Ever sit on a porch and watch the day turn into night? That's a peaceful setting, and even more enjoyable when you're watching it with a friend.

This blog is our porch, and we're inviting you to join us as we sit a spell. Just like in real life, we're not sure where the conversation will take us as we watch life roll about us. We might have some laughs, learn some things and make a few new friends.

We'd love to have some of our homeowners and partners contribute to this blog. To get an invitation, just send us an email. We'll get back to you soon.

I think I'll head back inside. You can stay out on the porch a bit longer if you'd like.

Come back any time.

Have a seat...

Welcome to The Front Porch, Eastern Eight's gathering place for the Homeowner Community!

Soon, this blog will bring you advice, humor and perspectives from dozens of Eastern Eight's friends and partners. This will be the place to find out about issues important to homeowners.

Pull up a chair and stay a while!