It's driving me nuts. Evidently someone named Marian is planning a Costa Rican trip with a bunch of friends, and I'm getting looped in on everything. And I can't get them to take me off the list.

They're convinced they have the right email. ARGH.

shrift, I'm not very happy with your people right now...

The dots in gmail addresses don't mean anything. I have a couple of those people, too -- mostly Jimmie H.

That's what I meant; my address is first initial middle initial last name, but with no dots. I get email that uses first initial middle initial last name, but with a dot thrown in here or there. I knew they didn't mean anything, which is why I said I wondered if the people tried to log in with that email address, because it wouldn't work, because even the addresses with dots "belong" to me. (I'm fighting a migraine and might only be making sense in my own head.)

I am so bad at objecting to things, because I always feel like I am mean about it. I can't think of a nice way to say PLEASE STOP WITH THE SCENT IT IS AWFUL AND SO ARE YOU!

Exactly, Tep. I'd think that someone would notice that they're not getting notifications of the end of the year picnic, or when their ship to store order has arrive at M&S. Or do they never check their mail?

my address is first initial middle initial last name, but with no dots

Same with mine, and yet I get too much email for Lisa and Lexi Holt. And it seems like legitimate stuff. Who knows. Delete.

Speaking as someone who has had to learn to cut back on perfume: just say something to them. Hey, I have scent sensitivities, and your (perfume, scented lotion, air freshener, unlit scented candle at your desk) is triggering headaches. Would you please ease back on it?

They shouldn't get cranky about it. I would HOPE they wouldn't get cranky about it.

We have a couple women in my office who are a leetle too fond of perfume.

Avoiding my stack of work so I will share my tale of the perfumed accountant. Back when I was 19 and working in Philly the company accountant came to visit maybe once a week or so and upon her arrival my eyes would tear and the coughing and sneezing. I couldn't really understand how anyone could bear it, but my allergies were quite an issue back then.

After her visit one time my obnoxious boss called me into his office and asked me what the hell my issue was with SmellySue. I explained the allergies. He exclaimed that allergies were bullshit and totally psychosomatic, and demanded to know what my real issue was with her. I told him he was $*&@# crazy and picked up my purse and walked out.

Then proceeded to a phone booth and sobbed and told DH how I quit my job. Great life lesson since I got a new job within an hour because the phone booth was in front of the Inquirer building and their HR office was right inside the front door.

just say something to them

Good advice really. If I was upsetting someone's allergies I would want to know.

I've mostly switched from perfume to scented lotion ... which I think causes less of a problem. And I try to pick something that's fairly low key. But these two women ... one who sits near me I can usually smell her about 10 feet before she walks by me, the other will leave an ... aura ... everywhere she goes.

And - coincidentally? - both are fond of spraying air "freshener" lavishly in the rest room.

I wish there was some way to make it stop.

Or at least receive the actual shipments.

We've had quite the battles here over air freshener in the bathrooms. In the old building, they put in those plug-in heated fresheners in the wall sockets, and one bathroom was just a renovated closet, so the fake floral stench got compressed when the door was closed and the fan was off. I pulled the freshener out of the socket, then it got plugged back in with a post-it saying no one had authority to unplug it. So I unplugged it far enough so it still hung in the socket, then when that triggered a nastygram I just turned it all the way down, to 0 from 4 (gah). No one ever thought to look at the number on the dial.

Here in the new building, the bathrooms are much bigger, so any smells diffuse quickly.