I'm on some kind of bundle plan that having cable with HBO saves me money on my internet. Otherwise I wouldn't have cable.

Although it is nice when watching college football games. When the promotion ends I'll see what I can do, although everytime I call Comcast they try to get me to upgrade to Triple Play.

I think they need to move on from triple play and find some other kind of bundle, because I have not had a landline in a decade.

Right?

I hate bundling with a fiery passion. (especially because my Internet just went up AGAIN.) Charter keeps trying to tell me "you could get this for less if you bundled!" Um, No, I'm sorry, I can do math. $60/month for something I use is not less than $90/month for one thing I use and two I do not.

Relatedly, $60/month for Internet is friggin' insane. And yet there are no other options here.

Timelies.

I got trapped by one of my long distance trainee, twice today. Once while everyone else on my team was having a group lunch and again at the end of the day.

I feel like they are very needy children sometimes. They call me because I'm the most willing to help them, but it's exhausting. I'm too tired to explain the whole thing, but work people can be such work sometimes.

That's great news, Drew!

So the question begs, Zen, how the fuck do you deal with your sister?!

Well, I'm not dealing with her in a business setting, so that makes a difference. I don't have to try to get her to stop talking so I can get back to work; I just let her talk.

If this person is as much like my sister as she seems to be, then she's doing this because she's stressed. She's worried that you won't really understand the nature and gravity of the situation if she doesn't give you ALL the background and related information. She's "bringing you up to speed" on the situation. She repeats it all because the problem is hugely important in her mind and she's relieving her anxiety by talking about it. In other words, she's neurotic as hell. "I don't know, can we get back to you?" may sound to her like she's being put off, or maybe the problem is just too immediate in her mind to accept that she has to wait for a resolution. She also may not trust you to follow up in a timely manner.

Basically, she's not trying to drive you mad, she's trying to relieve her anxiety. Anything you can do to reassure her will help you out.

You can try the "I hear you saying x" trick to reassure her that you do in fact understand the problem. Just repeat the essentials back to her. "Okay, so you need x by y time from me or else x will happen. I understand this is crucial for your project. I have to do z to get x, but I will do my best to get it for you by y time. I'm sorry to cut you off but I have to get back to work now. I promise to communicate with you if there's a problem." Once that gets through, she may be able to settle down and stop the word barrage. It may take a couple rounds; repeat yourself if you have to. (If she's the kind of person who's open to being touched, try a light, quick touch on her arm when you say "I'm sorry...". Otherwise, make eye contact. Don't smile; smiling means you're happy and if you're happy you don't understand the problem.) Try channeling your irritation into a mirror of her anxiety: "I see how crucial this is for your project! Wow, you must be under a lot of pressure to get it done." She might deny it, and in denying how stressed she is, she might actually calm herself down by realizing that it isn't actually that scary. That's what I do with my sister; it's impossible for anyone else to reassure her, so I try to nudge her into reassuring herself.

Talky meat, sorry. Anyway, good luck.

I meant to also congratulate Jess and Plei!! I can't wait to hear the details of the new positions!!

Network shows I watch:

The Good Wife
Flash
Arrow
Criminal Minds
Castle
Supernatural
Elementary
SYTYCD
Grey's Anatomy
Scandal

More than I can keep up with some weeks. When in recess and over summer, I have Netflix. It is way more than I can ever get through.

Congrats on the new jobs!

I am perennially behind in my TV watching and resolving to just give at least some shows up, but...I want to know what happens next. Always.

Which is kind of orthogonal to my can't upgrade the DVR until I watch everything that is recorded on it problem. And the Netflix DVDs I have had for I don't even know how long.

And DirecTV has me over a barrel with football.

Zen, I was hoping you would figure out a way to meet up with us in the North Sea! Oh well, next eclipse maybe.