Secret Messages

To the student who just barged into my office and got in my personal space:

I'm not going to take your complaint seriously if you don't know your instructor's name. I'm also not inclined to like you if you come all the way to my side of my office (my side of the desk). The chair is on the other side for a reason.

To instructors with weird personal issues (not just in the math department):

You can't solve your problems by grading harshly and by treating your students badly. I don't care if you were picked on by the popular kids. The classroom is not the place to get your revenge.

To the person in my department thinking about applying for a new job:

Yes, I have heard of the institution in that job ad that you've copied down. No, it's not because I used to live near a state with a similar name to the state it's in. It's because I read the blog of someone in the administration.

To the orthopedist I saw yesterday:

I appreciate that I got a full 15 minutes of your time (not being snarky: my knee problems are boring, and orthopedists are busy). However, I totally don't understand what I'm supposed to do next or who I'm supposed to call or what I'm supposed to do or for how long I'm supposed to take the medication. I tried confirming the details before you dashed off to see another patient, but your response made no sense. I hope you don't mind that I called your office to see if your staff could figure it out from my chart.

To the people who create and maintain IBM 3270 systems:

Wow, you must rule the world. Not only does the university use an IBM 3270 to deal with the entire student database, but the orthopedist's office has one for its patient database and scheduling system. F3 to exit.