Okay, I’m taking down this post. I’ve been overwhelmed with a WORLD of positive responses, from both you out there, as well as my peers and bosses. I was nervous when my bosses read it — I didn’t want to get in trouble of any sort, didn’t want to get Dooced, and I’m so glad I didn’t. As they pointed out to me, I didn’t do anything wrong. However, I hate stirring up any kind of drama, so that outraged post I wrote made my heart flutter on a day when I didn’t need that. But I’m so happy that I work for the best employer in the world. I have the ultimate support from everyone in my life. If one ugly emailer is jealous of my happiness, I can’t do much about that, nor do I wish to. She just happened to get me on a bad day. And I know it must be hard living with that kind of vitriol in her heart.
And thank you, all.
xoxoxo
(((hugs)))
We love you. Most of us get it. Most of us know better than to form judgment on others based on the tiny, limited window into their lives that blogs give us, anyway. I’m really glad that you are able to use the down-time to do something so satisfying, creative and therapeutic, and that you can share the results of that with us. (I really love the needlepoint story.)
Whatever’s up with your mom, I hope she’s okay and will be better than okay soon. And that your migraine slinks away with tail between legs. Fast.
Wow, you guys answer the phone after one ring? Your SLA must be about 5 seconds!! That’s truly amazing. Ours is 40 seconds and that’s hard to meet at times.
Hope your mother gets better and you as well.
Knit on!
Stoopid fucks.
(((( hugs ))) to your mum.
u do an amazing job,
quite frankly “your emailer” needs to get a life!
Ignorant people just don’t get it. They are the same people who are outraged the Fire Departments needs a new Fire Truck or the Squad needs a new ambulance – because we take them home and PLAY with them, don’t you know? Idiots.
fuckers
What I never understand is why people would say something over an electronic media that they would never say to your face. *Sigh*, people just don’t get it.
Best wishes for your mom’s quick and full recovery. And thanks for doing the job you do; it is not easy and very few people would be able to do it well.
Babycakes, as someone who works in emergency services, albeit not on the scale that you do, I thank you for this post. (And I would like at this point to mention yet again that I love you).
I was about to hijack your comments with a rant but I stopped myself.
It’s on my blog instead.
I hope your momma’s ok.
xo
you go girl! A job in emergency or protective services has got to be the hardest thing to do considering the emotional strain. You do whatever you need to do between calls to deal with the last one and get ready for the next one. Hope Mom is okay and out of there soon. My thoughts are with you.
Hope your mum feels better soon. I don’t know where people get off sending emails like that. They are weak sad little people who go about judging people they don’t know. lame. you rule.
I hope your mom is better soon.
What a shitty and unjust thing to e-mail to you. I’ve always thought it was clear that the knitting is a sanity keeper in a job like yours.
You’ve blocked that IP, right?
All my love and then some to you and the little mama.
The person who left the comment is the last person who would know if you’re doing a good job. That’s between you and your boss. My best to you and your mama.
Dear Outraged:
With all the forbearance I can muster, I implore you to get your facts straight before you fire off impassioned, hurtful, derogatory, and insulting e-mails. Actually, straight is probably too much to ask, so I request that you get your facts a slight bit closer to plumb than their current state (which is, as far as I can tell from reading between the lines, completely off-kilter).
If this plea does not reach you and you do go to your city council meeting to demand that emergency service workers are treated like soulless, slavelike robots, and not thinking, feeling human beings with the same needs as other thinking, feeling human beings (which, on reflection, it is doubtful you know anything about), I truly hope you get your ass handed to you by people who are less willfully clueless than you.
Oh – and I do believe you owe Rachael and all of her colleagues a heartfelt, sincere apology.
——
Rachael – I’m so sorry you had to deal with this at all, let alone when you’re dealing with your own crises. I’m keeping all of you in my heart today. Many hugs.
I’m so sorry you had to put up with that, I can’t imagine having what it takes to do what you do for a living.
I hope your mama is doing better and that your migraine has lifted.
Sending you love and good thoughts.
Rabbitch is right, some people just need stabbin’. Consider me part of the Stabbin’ Squad!
I hope Little Mama is ok — y’all are in my thoughts . . .
To the idiot:
Try to judge people when you have ACTUAL FACTS.
To Rachael:
We love you, dear. Ignore the idiots. All the bast to you and your mama.
Sorry to hear about your mom.
As to the rude email…some people just don’t know how to say thank you.
btw, thank you. 🙂
I just found you through Rabbitch. As I commented to her–part of your jobs is to be there when you’re needed. Which requires a lot of waiting around.
The person who emailed you clearly isn’t smart enough to know not to mess with people who have sharp sticks, so their opinion doesn’t count.
damn girl you rock!! as a former police officer AND 911 dispatcher, applause applause applause to your totally on the mark reply to your armchair heckler. shame on her/him and good for you. hope your ma gets better soon.
Dude. Are you serious? What a tool. Look, if someone is curious about what you do that enables you to knit at work, fine. But to just jump your case like that and threaten action? Ugh.
I hope this post helped you to get that troll out of your head.
Use your energy to care for your mama. The rest of us will be reading, caring, and appreciating all that you do. I’ll be praying for your mama, too, if that’s all right.
Ack! What a terribly dimwitted and ungracious email to send! So sorry you had to put up with that.
And I hope your mother feels better very soon, and you too.
First, let me say, my thoughts are with you and your mother as I’m sure this must be a scary time for you.
Second, WTF?!? I have to wonder at the kind of person who sends that kind of e-mail. Are they the kind of person who is always monitoring their neighbors homes and reporting them to the homeowner’s assocation? Do they really have so little to offer life, and to get from life in return, that this is what they have been reduced to? Sad.
This is the first time I’ve been to your blog (I came from Rabbitch’s blog also), but it seems like you have a lot of support and that really counts at a time like this. And most important, you know that you are good at what you do, and competent, and compassionate, but you are also able to say “F*** off” when someone treats you with this kind of disrespect.
I would only hope that this little window into your life and what your work is like can provide a little perspective to the small, angry person who e-mailed you.
All I know is that I could not do your job Rachael. So I thank you for doing it and doing it well. Unfortunately there are always people in the world who think they know everything. I think this is especially magnified in the world of the blog where people think the KNOW you really really well.
I send best wishes for a speedy recovery to your mum and best wishes and support to you as well 🙂
My best wishes for little mama.
Rachael, I usually lurk here, but I just wanted to add my voice of thanks to you and all dispatchers who do some very serious work in service of the communities in which they live. Try not to let the turkeys get you down. But I’m sure blasting this particular one made you feel much better.
All my best to your mama and her health.
Rachael, I came here from Rabbitch’s blog, wondering what on earth was up. Your post was a satisfying read. Articulate, well phrased, and comprehensive. May it be heard where it is needed most.
Now. Get something for your migraine, and God bless you and your mother both.
Maybe someone is jealous?
maybe someone has a suck ass job someone doesn’t likey very much?
MAYBE SOMEONE SHOULD SHUT UP AND GET OVER IT ALREADY!
Tell momma we are thinking about her and XOXOX her!!
abusing her position ~ my ass
What a bunch of bullshit…how DARE someone send you an email like that. Maybe instead of criticizing you for something they know nothing about they should take a long, hard look at themselves and figure out what compelled them to send a nasty email and say things to you they would most likely never have the guts to say to your face. Keep on keepin’ on, and know that you are loved and appreciated. I’m sending lots of love and good thoughts to little mama as well.
OK, I am a long-time lurker, but this really gets my goat. Screw them and the horse they rode in on. When I hear people like that, it makes me ill. It is like a State job(mine) that everyone gets ill over that I have time to knit when I have all of my work done at that time and am just answering the phone. At least I am not doing something I am not supposed to or figuring out ways to make people disappear from making me listen to really crappy conversations all day! Jerks. Knit on!
What Robynn said. Including the hugs!
As someone who had to call 911 when my infant stopped breathing, I thank you and all the others doing what you do. I had no sooner hung up the phone when EMS, fire and police were on their way up my stairs. Your job can not be an easy one. That emailer should be ashamed of themselves.
Wishing your mama a speedy recovery.
Man some people just DON’T GET IT. Nor do they have lives of their own, obviously.
Big hugs to you and little mama… hope everything/everyone is a-okay.
First, my thoughts are for healing your mom quickly.
Second, thank you for your post. I learned much from reading it–your anger helped me understand how much you put into your job. I can’t imagine the heartbreak it must cause to be on the other end of the phone when someone’s love of their life is struggling. I can only hope when if I am ever in that position, that someone as caring and kind and talented like you is on the other end.
I work with a lot of call centers–not emergency by any sort of the imagination. The good ones know, that once the rep has done their call wrap up, that being at the desk, knitting, crosswords, computer games, whatever, makes for a better, more attentive rep. And one that stays at their station, ready to answer the phone immediately because they haven’t wandered off to the break room or over to someone else’s cubicle to chat just to pass the time. Some rep’s study to put themselves through college, some read romance novels or physics books. They are ready to quickly pay attention to the customer when the call comes in. AND these companies have a much lower turnover rate because employees are happier and stay.
You are wonderful.
Best advice – ignore the ignorant. But when you can’t, at least maybe that person will get it now.
As for your mama, you know i’m down here in AG, if you need ANYTHING you let me know. I’m going to mail you my number.
big hugs to you and yours.
Sending little mama healing wishes. Sending you wishes of peace.
Best wishes for little mama’s full recovery.
And belated Congrats on being voted Dispatcher of the Year!
Back 10 years ago or so when I worked for Alameda County, I sat on the union contract negotiation team and the 911 dispatchers were in my union. They used to play a lot of those hand-held electronic games. They also, just like you, helped saves lives and comfort those left behind. I had never given much thought to the idea of downtime on a dispatcher’s job, but it made sense to me. Even though I was young (late 20’s) I was smart enough to understand that dispatchers need to keep their minds alert and sharp for that next phone call. When I’m working, I know who my next patient is and roughly what to expect when I walk through their door. A dispatcher? It could be a homeless person who is cold and hungry and tells them he’s having a seizure so he can have food and shelter for the night, or it could be a 74 car pile up on the freeway. I know I am preaching to the choir, but the gall of some ignorant assholes is astounding. And unacceptable.
Can’t wait to see the sweater. 🙂
i don’t usually comment here, but i lurve reading your blog, and i’m all worked up!
1)i am SOOOOOO sorry to hear about your mother. i will definately keep her in my thoughts.
2)i know that i shouldn’t feed into the ignorance that “people” bait me with, and many of your other comments put it so much more nicely, but really, THAT ASSHOLE SHOULD JUST FUCK OFF!!! in fact, you should shut them off! block them from your site.
I hope your mama’s doing better.
I cannot even imagine who would be so stupid to send such email to you… I feel sorry for this person because he/she definitely has serious problems with his/her life and has to vent on somebody else.
Best wishes to your mum! Take care! *^o^*
I’m on my feet cheering! Great post! I’m trying to think of an appropriate curse to fling at “Outraged,” but there’s nothing nasty enough coming to mind. Thank you for doing the work you do, and for doing it so incredibly well.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery for the little mama. And I know damn well I couldn’t do your job. Too bad everyone doesn’t understand that. (((hugs)))
Holy fuck. Kick those asshats to the curb & walk proud. I guarantee, 10 minutes in your job, and they’d be curled up in the corner, wailing.
You ROCK! Deepest gratitude to you and your coworkers.
All our best to little mama…and both of you – get some rest!
Rachael so sorry to hear about your mom. Best wishes to both of you. I can’t imagine having to deal with the email asshat when you have bigger things going on.
Gah! I can’t believe someone would have the nerve to email you something like that. Even if it had hit you on a good day, that’s just crap. I’m so sorry that idiots like that exist in the world.
I hope that everything turns out alright–I’ll be thinking about you. Knit on.
Ditto on all the little mama wishes. Hope she feels better soon.
Gah! I can’t believe someone would have the nerve to email you something like that. Even if it had hit you on a good day, that’s just crap. I’m so sorry that idiots like that exist in the world.
I hope that everything turns out alright–I’ll be thinking about you. Knit on.
hugs to you and the little mama. I hope she is better soon.
And, that writer is an idiot. (actually, in my peace making moments, I wonder why that person had to call 911, and if they’re just lashing out in pain…)