Morning!
Be safe driving home, TC. Watch out for the weather!
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Morning!
Be safe driving home, TC. Watch out for the weather!
Good morning all :)
I hope it dosent rain all weekend I wanna put on my new top and fender :D.
As a somewhat accomplished bagpiper, I play many gigs. Recently I was asked by a funeral director to play at a grave side service for a homeless man. He had no family or friends, so the service was to be at a pauper’s cemetery in deep east Texas. As I was not familiar with the backwoods, I got lost; and being a typical man I didn't stop for directions. I finally arrived an hour late and I saw the funeral people had evidently gone and the hearse was nowhere in sight. There were only the diggers and crew left and they were eating lunch. I felt badly and apologized to the men for being late. I went to the side of the grave and looked down and the vault lid was already in place. I didn't know what else to do, so I started to play. The workers put down their lunches and began to gather around. I played out my heart and soul for this man with no family and friends. I played like I've never played before for this homeless man. And as I played 'Amazing Grace,' the workers began to weep. They wept,I wept, and we all wept together.
When I finished I packed up my bagpipes and started for my car. Though my head hung low, my heart was full. As I opened the door to my car, I heard one of the workers say,” Sweet Mother of Jesus, I never seen nothin' like that before and I've been putting in septic tanks for twenty years."
Celebrating 20 years with my employer. ::Daisy::
I just got interviewed for the service award ceremony video...made me sing Love Shack...:snack:
It's snowing in Woodbine, big wet flakes and lots of them.
Heading to the airport soon.. can't wait to get back to Texas.
Got snow/ice chains waiting? ;) Where you is?Quote:
Originally Posted by Titus
Have a safe trip!Quote:
Originally Posted by Titus
Wait a minute Titus isn't in the state and it is raining??? WTF!!
Been in California for 2 weeks. Flew out here when hospice began helping care for my grandmother. Funeral was yesterday :( Time to go home.Quote:
Originally Posted by sammm
Thanks!Quote:
Originally Posted by altiain
Interestingly, it rained the first 11 days I was here. They have been in a drought for 3 years. Some say my presence saved the state and prevented tens of thousands of deaths.Quote:
Originally Posted by POS Racing
::BS::Quote:
Originally Posted by Titus
Just called my mom in OKC. They have had sleet and freezing rain. Now it is snowing up there.
Sorry to hear about your granny, I didn't know. My condolences. :(Quote:
Originally Posted by Titus
+1Quote:
Originally Posted by sammm
Sorry to hear about that, Todd. My condolences.Quote:
Originally Posted by Titus
Umm... didn't they have to evacuate a bunch of homes because of mudslides a week or two ago? :wink:Quote:
Originally Posted by Titus
What's a daily thread without a youtube video...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCwAW7m4GTc
+1Quote:
Originally Posted by sammm
+1Quote:
Originally Posted by sammm
Sigh...
So I interact almost every day with a team of people in India, but I still don't get Indian names. Here's an example:
This is his email address:Quote:
Originally Posted by Indian guy
"Cherian, Thykadavil K." <[email protected]>
Do I call this guy Cherian? Thykadavil? Mr. T? Does anyone have a clue? I'd like to avoid offending these guys when I converse with them. I know it may surprise some of you, but I actually try not to offend the people I work with.
When in doubt call them Jimmy! ::Banana::
How about Mr. Cherian ??
Yup... I'm with you.... my big issue is establishing their gender... It comes across bad using masculine pronouns when the person is, in fact, a woman and vice versa. A lot of the India folks I only interact with over e-mail.Quote:
Originally Posted by altiain
Well you could always ask what they would like to be called. Or pick up the phone and see how they introduce them selves.
But don't feel bad, I get same thing at work. Some prefer a nickname (usually the first few letters of their first name), others want the full name correctly pronounced (and get offended when you have trouble pronouncing 5 constanants in a row), others some other thing all together.
Just get the offensiveness on the table in the first sentance.Quote:
Originally Posted by Nexus Flux
....Hello, ::Bum::::euro::
I typically just give my name first and then wait for them to introduce themselves. Or at work my other little trick is to see if the screensaver is running on their PC, if so, I call them and most of the time it goes to voice mail. Their name, complete with the correct pronounciation, is right there on their message.
Woohoo! Got word this afternoon that I was selected for a promotion and a raise, and I get to work for a boss that "gets it".
That would be way too easy. Unfortunately most of the people I work with are based in Bangalore, so there isn't a lot of "live" overlap between their work day and mine. Like Dave, 99% of our communication is via email.Quote:
Originally Posted by Nexus Flux
Congrats!Quote:
Originally Posted by Walsted
Thanks!Quote:
Originally Posted by altiain
Thanks guys.Quote:
Originally Posted by sammm
I usually have between 5 and 10 Indian contractors working for me at any given time. I have the benefit of having 1 onsite coordinator for every 3 offshore resources, but I do correspond frequently via email with the offshore folks. After many casual lunches with the onsite coordinators, I have come to learn that they are really no different than you and I. They are very aware of the perceived cultural differences, but are not easily offended and usually appreciate when you ask what they like being called. I have been amazed how much more comfortable many get with you when you ask them about their traditions and what it is like for them back home. I think they tend to get used to being treated as a commodity by many Americans, so a little compassion goes a long way.Quote:
Originally Posted by altiain
Very well said.
I deal with the Maintenance support side of things. All calls are routed through the IT tech side first and then given to maintenance if they deemed it mechanical. Usually we are left a voice mail from a guy from India that is difficult at best to understand. Many time we can not decipher where they were telling us to call. With 39 different DC's and a person that does not quite know how to pronounce certain cities, it can be very difficult to figure out which one they are calling about.
Oh, believe me, I appreciate the folks we have working for us in Bangalore. With one or two rare exceptions, they are top notch folks. And, I am very appreciative of the fact that they have learned English instead of me having to learn Hindi.
The division I work in at TI supposedly represents people for about 50 different countries. We're very much "culturally aware". It's actually kinda cool learning about the different holidays and what each group does. The nice thing is that we realize that we all do things different and that doesn't mean the other person is wrong.
Congratulations Mike.
Thanks!Quote:
Originally Posted by cam76034