Phone Calls
I've never been the most confident person on the phone. You can't really tell what the other person means without facial expressions and gestures. And its hard to say exactly what you mean the first time. No stuttering, no ums, likes, or hmmms. It's not my strong suit. I've gotten a lot better over the years, but now the source of my phone anxiety is professional phone calls.
For my internship, I've had to make a few phone calls to companies requesting price quotes on things. This is an exceedingly awkward endeavor. Not only do I have to talk on the phone to someone I don't know about something that they are ostensibly far more knowledgeable than I, but I inevitably come to a point in the conversation when I realize that I don't know the answer to their question. I don't really know what the boss wants.
Earlier this summer I had the pleasure of various waste disposal companies requesting pricing information. Who knew how much it cost for garbage pick up? Beyond the awkwardness of the topic itself (who enjoys talking about garbage for that long?) the question that stumped me was something along the lines of, "What type of garbage do you have?" How do you answer that? "I dunno, its garbage!" I'm sure the question was validated since I work at a research lab, but we do physics. We won't be throwing out any crazy chemicals or biohazards. And since we're based in my hometown, we're obviously too poor to have anything radioactive or otherwise interesting. Our garbage is your standard, run-of-the-mill office garbage. Lots of paper, some food waste, an occasional light bulb.
Today I'm calling a local glass company. The fun part today is the sneaking suspicious that they think I'm insane for asking about this. In case you've never researched glass companies, they advertise things like windows, mirrors, and table tops. Not 1/2 inch square, 1/8 inch thick pieces of plain glass. It's not exactly their usual request. And yet, a-calling I go.
Luckily, this time it could be done. Next time, who knows.