Wednesday 19 March 2008

You know you're juggling too many balls at work when.....

.....you sign off an email to a client like this…

Fish
xox

Yup I signed off a note to my client with hugs and kisses.

*Cringe*

It was an accident of course. I had one of those days yesterday where I bounced from focusing on one account to the next and then back again with barely a pause for breath. Add to the fact that I was also dealing with befuddling emails from Miles suggesting I join him and his boy in taking up a fruitarian diet for a day when they are visiting in April.

A fruitarian diet???

Apparently this is all part of some scheme of theirs to be healthier, so they’ve decided to adopt this diet for one day a week in April, the very same month they’ll be visiting me.

According to Miles “dinner is tomato and avocado! Lunch is mango soup and true fruitarians only have fruit which has dropped naturally from trees…”

Erm…right you are then Miles. Let’s be honest here, subsisting on fruit that’s fallen from trees may be achievable if you lived in, say, Southern California, but exactly how much edible fruit does he expect to find on the ground in New York in April? Honestly, do I look like a squirrel?

“But we don't have to be that strict.”

Oh well, that makes it all okay then. Eye-roll.

“Bad news is you can't drink alcohol either... though on a holiday with an old lush like you we will probably both benefit!”

Old?? Cheeky bugger!! I’m 5years younger than him. Seriously though, no alcohol, is he out of his mind? How could I get through the week without a delicious glass of pressed Malbec grapes (that’s fruit right?) to look forward to? Besides, as a pseudo-veg I need the red wine for iron. I’m often borderline anaemic when I have my check ups, it would be a health risk for me to give it up.

“I assured B that you were a health freak too and that you would be more than happy to join us for the day as a fruitarian when we are over!”

Over my dead body. I think somebody might be searching for a hotel in April if they’re not careful ;-)

Nevertheless I’ve come up with what I think is an excellent compromise. Instead of foraging around like a squirrel for fruit that's dropped from trees, I’ve suggested we go for a lovely dinner at extremely healthy vegetarian raw food restaurant, Pure Food & Wine. Doesn’t that sound much nicer?

Left and centre photos vs. the one on the right. Note PF&W have alcohol :-) Infinitely preferable correct? Of course it is, no question about it.


However if you should happen to see 3 people foraging for fruits and nuts in Central Park between 12th and 18th April then you know they've coerced me into their hare brained scheme. Urgle.

...but enough of Miles and his crazy ideas and back to the work chat, as I mentioned it was a frantic sort of day, but in the back of my mind I was aware that I owed my friend Ariel a response to her email.

I still had a few things to do come 5.30pm, including a note to a client and a project plan I’d promised my boss by the end of the day, but I was in need of a break. To hell with it, I thought, I'll shoot Ariel a quick note and dashed a missive off to my pal signed with my usual xox's of affection. The note out of the way I switched my focus to the email I still had to send to my client.

I typed it rapidly, checked it for mistakes and then added my sign off, but instead of the usual ‘regards’, ‘best’ or ‘cheers’…

Fish
xox

I hit send and immediately realised what I'd done.

Bugger!!

My typing muscles clearly had fond memories of my earlier sign off to my friend and were still on autopilot.

Ahh well, no matter, there are much worse things I could have said to a client. I've been tempted let me tell you. I'm sure he - yes to make matters worse it was a he - will get a laugh out of it.

Maybe he’ll be as bemused as I was when, going through the whole rigmarole of applying for my Greencard, I would receive letters from my lawyer signed ‘Very Truly Yours’ ha ha!!

17 comments:

Amel said...

Oh dearrrr...you know the other day I was SO tired that I sent an email to my Brit friend MC though it was supposed to be sent to my PARENTS. Naturally the email was entirely in Indonesian hi hi hi...but she replied to me and said, "LOL!!! That's clear as MUD, thank you very much. ljpiuphaihpydpyjlhlhla. LOL!!!"

BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA...I was SO surprised when I got the email back from her hi hi hi hi...

Anyway, so the diet Miles suggested was a kind of detox diet, eh? A friend of mine did a similar thing prior to her wedding for a week or two and she lost A LOT of weight he he he...

I don't think I can ever do such a thing, though...perhaps only for a day, but no more than that. I'm a MEAT LOVER with all capitals HI HI HI...

OK, time for my nap. I've got GOOD news but I'll only write it tomorrow. I'm starting to catch hubby's viruses, I'm afraid...hope I'm not gonna get sick during Easter holiday, but if that's the case, what else can I do? It's MUCH better to get sick on a holiday rather than my precious course days he he he...

Take care and ENJOY yourself! ;-D

fishwithoutbicycle said...

Hi Amel, fortunately the content of the email was relevant to my client, only the sign off would have been surprising :-)

Yeah I think the diet is an attempt at a detox, but I doubt I'll be joining them in anything that extreme. Too much fruit gives me a sour stomach.

Take care Amel, don't catch any viruses. Fish x

Anonymous said...

Oh my god. That is so hilarious. I've never done that with anyone externally but one thing that I've done a few times internally is make a typo with the word "shift."

I've left the "f" out.

"...so when you come in to work your shit tonight..."

Yes, sometimes work gets a little rough, dissatisfying etc... but PA, do you really need to let everyone know that you think it's shit!

Another woman I work with but it's mostly via email only--oh, we are just so silly together. It all starts out work related but then it spins off into who knows what or where! Like this?

She signed off: love me

I replied since there was no punctuation, did she mean 'love from her' or was it a command?

She told me it was the latter.

I responded back: Yes, Mistress

To which she said: I like that!

Welcome to some of the fun and games in my workplace?

Anonymous said...

Oh, and I forgot to say that I do know of the whole "fruitarian" business. I've met some pretty hardcore vegans in my time and then yes, you can get into that group as well...

And I'm not big on fruit either!

Anonymous said...

Ah but you didn't sign it from "fish"? I've done that. Well. Not signed anything with your name, obviously. But I have signed emails from Pawpads.

Oh the shame.

fishwithoutbicycle said...

Hey PA, oh that's funny about your work mistress. Quite the Freudian slip on shift eh ;-)

Hi Pawpads, touch wood I've yet to sign anything 'Fish' :-)

Mike S said...

I think I'd be flattered to get that signature, being an Old Geezer & all.

fishwithoutbicycle said...

Thanks Mike, I haven't heard a peep from my client :-)

Noah said...

Is it the same effect as when you were younger calling your teacher 'mum'. That was embarrassing times all round. I love fruit, but it's just such a hassle buying a variety. Apples, bananas...but I also like nectarines, and peaches. I'm craving fruit now, thanks Fish. :P x

fishwithoutbicycle said...

Hey Noah, that's a great analogy. It's exactly as embarrassing as accidentally calling your teacher 'mum'. I so did that too :-)

Sorry I've given you a fruit craving. Don't be going all fruitarian on us now ;-)

Blur Ting said...

Haha, what the fish? Sometimes I text the wrong party too. Jeesh. We have to be careful.

Kitty said...

oh my. the email gaffes we can so easily fall prey to

how about an ex-boss of mine who sent the wrong email to a client? he thought he was forwarding her email to a colleague and commenting about her but hit 'reply' instead.

He ranted about her and called her a smarmy *(%&(# with her head up her wazoo. Shit. He apologized afterwards and sent her a bouquet of flowers. hm.

take care, Fish. Have a bottle of wine and kick off your shoes!

Flowers said...

classic! that's got to be up there with calling your teacher dad. ha!

of course wine is fruit....you tell him! ;)

i tried a fruit only diet once. i bought a LOT of fruit and then went to the pub. dinner was a kebab, the fruit rotted and the rest is history.

Natalie said...

this was so funny. i laughed out loud! foraging in central park...hahahahahaha.

fishwithoutbicycle said...

Hi Blur Ting, yes we should be more careful :-)

Hi Kitty, thankfully I have never done anything quite as bad as your ex-boss, I would be truly mortified.

Hi Flowers, funnily enough I've not heard a peep from the client ;-)

Hi Natalie, thanks for stopping by. I am sooooo not going to be joining Miles in his fruitarian diet fad. Mental :-)

Sister Sassy said...

Oh SO funny! At least you don't end a phone conversation with bye i love you. I haven't done that yet but my boss will be talking to someone and secretly put it on mute and say, ok, I love you, goodbye! when he's talking to clients. So funny. I can't wait until his mute button doesn't work.

fishwithoutbicycle said...

Hi Sassy, I love that your boss does that. I may start doing it myself....on second thoughts, I am too often over tired, it's just asking for trouble ;-)