One of the most infiurating things about servicing a customer, apart from handling gel-filled cables (I shall tell you one day) are leaving your tools there.
The feeling is like leaving your one oand only most favourite pen at your Big Boss's table after one of their "make you feel sad & bad" scolding sessions. You know your pen is there, but your Boss looks very grumpy and busy. And you do not want to go in there again. So, for the rest of the day, you feel incomplete and no matter what pen you use or the things you do, you feel something is missing.
And I hate going to this customer. Each PIC (person-in-charge of the Phone system) has a lifespan of an average of four months, and she is the third PIC. So, everytime I go there, its a new person and I have to start all over again, telling them what to do in cases of minor troubleshooting or when they forgot to pray. And by the end of the "Oh, so simple layman" lecture, you can see their eyes rolling upwards, reeling from all those information and their mouths drooling saliva like a mad cow.
Because of their management practice, they tell me their problems one by one in a check list and I cannot go on to the next task until the previous one is done. So, this results in my going up and down the factory levels, climbing ceilings and also moving between adjacent buildings. But luck was on my side when the next task entails me to check on the phones in the next building. The PIC has to accompany me all the time (in case they think I like aluminum castings all of a sudden) and by the time I finished the last task, i think her legs were about to give way, which is not a nice thing considering the whole area is full of oil (which is used for casting/lubrication).
So, by the time I left, my socks and certain areas of my jeans were smudged with those stinky oily stuff. I did not realise I have left my screwdriver there until my Wife wanted me to dismantle the crib. For you see, in this line of work, a test-pen is one of the most important tool. You need it to wire a telephone socket, remount a system, test for some slightly lethal voltages, poke the cat, dig your nos.. er, you get the picture.
So, I will feel miserable tomorrow onwards. Damn!
[Update: 21.06.2005]
What an embarassment. The lost test-pen was actually in my pocket when I took out my wallet. No wonder I was feeling so painful this morning. So now I can screw around again ha ha ha ha ha
