LOATHSOME CREATURES

`````I admit it; I've gotten so angry at telemarketers that I have actually called a complete stranger that ugly four letter word that starts with a "c." That's right; you know the word. She absolutely had it coming too, but I am a control freak and I hate losing it. It takes a lot for me to get pushed to that point. Not only do I have my demented feral cats to contend with on a daily basis, but I have a job where I have to contain my temper. I was screaming into that phone but good!

`````I loathe telemarketers. Some of them are nothing but thieves who bully the elderly to the point of tears until they disclose information which backs them into a corner. Many of our older citizens are too polite to use the "F" word or hang up and these scum prey on them. Their genteel values and upbringing don't serve them well. They are then too embarrassed to admit that they have been duped.

`````Hey Babe, if you're so proud of your company's product, tell me your home phone number and I'll call you there on my own time and talk to you about it. No? Then what makes you think I want to talk to you at my house? Given that I am a shift worker, I am far from thrilled with being woken up.

`````I had some woman who barely spoke English call me about a year ago. There were audible sounds of several children in the background. She asked if I was the "Lady of the House" and I said "No." She then asked if I was the "man of the house," slipping into a provocative voice. It was obvious that she was reading from some phoenetically scripted program in a third world country. "No scam, no scam," she insisted when I challenged her, as a local paper was warning people about an attempt to get people to disclose banking information. Again, seniors had fallen for it. That's when the dreaded "C-word" slipped.

`````Being on the "Do Not Call" list doesn't seem to help. I know that if I hold the phone close to the answering machine and by the radio, I can get some great feedback going. Oops. Anybody who's listened to a person give a speech at a wedding knows what that sounds like.

`````They're enough to push anybody over the edge. I imagine them as people who can't get jobs anywhere but there because they have so many dingle-balls attached to their fake fingernails. Typing is out of the question. These are the people who write memos to the boss and think it appropriate to include "tee-hee" in a serious suggestion.

`````In the meantime, I offer a wonderful site to vent and check out who it is that's calling you. Of all of them out there, I find it the best. Just type in the number and see if anybody else has had a problem. Leave a nasty comment about the company. It's a good way to alleviate stress.

Who called me? Free reverse phone directory.