The Boy Who Cried Urgent

I'm in a happy mood at the moment. Sure, lots and lots of work, but it's generally OK, and we managed to do some remarkable things over the weekend like actually going to the supermarket and put something resembling food in the fridge. We also had a wonderful Sunday celebrating Father's Day with the Beale Family. Jason's sister, Kristi, came into town for a surprise Father's Day visit and a good time was had by all. Please watch video of Kristi surprising Dad Beale here. It is absolutely hysterical and I only wish he had something in his hands to drop!
But there are two flies in this ointment. They are both work-related, but I'm pretty sure this is annoying in any context. First, the person who 95% of the time sends their emails with the high priority red exclamation mark attached. Needless to say, approximately 1% of the emails he sends are in any way actually urgent by a reasonable person's standards. This is truly annoying and ultimately self-defeating, because it rapidly becomes a case of The Boy Who Cried Urgent. By now, I automatically ignore the red exclamation point and assume it's just of normal priority. The one or two times there's actually some genuine urgency in the matter-which, I might add, is in no way indicated in the text of email, just in the exclamation mark WHICH HE ATTACHES TO EVERY EMAIL-they've been shuffled to the top of the pile.
However, The Boy Who Cried Urgent has nothing by way of ability to build resentment when compared to Mr. Co-Dependent. I have worked on orders with this person for about a couple years now, and I have noticed this habit in the past, but was never aware of its full extent until recent weeks when a large project/order has been in front of us. Every single time he sends me (and I assume everyone else) an email, he calls me to tell me he's sent an email. Even when we have communicated by email several times during the day, so he knows the system is working fine, he still calls. Often, he calls before I have even seen the email because of a quirk in our server (one I appreciate) which only delivers email to me every ten minutes. In those cases, usually asks me the question he asked in the email and I answer it because it's simple, or can't answer it because I haven't seen the email, and the conversation is just hanging there in it's complete pointlessness.
That is a frustrating waste of time and energy surely, but that's not what pushed me over the edge into resentment. What pushed me over the edge were these last few days. This particular co-worker has my mobile number from our company phone list. We keep a phone list for the service techs, computer folks, in case of inclement weather, or generally emergency situations. It has never bothered me to put my number on the list and there have been a few occasions when work has called me for various reasons. Until now:
Saturday Night 6:30 PM. We were having a family cookout at the Beale House celebrating family and friends being in town for the Fathers Day weekend. I am smack in the middle of making homemade Father's Day cards with my nephews. Basically, knee-deep in crayons and glitter. Phone rings. I look at the number, I know who it is, and I answer it because he's never abused the phone privilege before so maybe it's urgent. No. He's calling at 6:30 on a Saturday Night, in order to....you guessed it....tell me he's sent me an email.
Monday 12:15 PM. I have freed myself from the office for literally half an hour to grab a sandwich, go out, and run by Target for a sympathy card. When I get back to the office there's an email, and of course a voicemail on my work phone telling me he's sent an email. It's not until later in the day, when I get a call from Jason, that I notice a missed call and voicemail on my cell phone as well. I check the time and listen to the message. Sure enough, while I was at lunch with my cell buried deep in my bag so I couldn't hear it, he left a message on my cell saying that he's left a message on my office voicemail saying he had sent me an email. AND OH MY GOD. I MIGHT LOSE IT.
Last Night 9:30 PM. Jason is watching TV and I am sitting at the computer contemplating how to post a video from this past weekend on the blog. The phone starts to ring. Guess who? And guess what? Yes, he's calling me to tell me that we both received an email on this order and that he is going to review it now. That's very nice, I say. Bye-Bye, I say. I then turned down the volume on the phone permanently.
He's already called me this morning (call time 8:30 AM) to apologise for calling last night and to confirm he's emailed his comments on the order. I politely but firmly, noted that I haven't read his email yet and would get back to him when I do. Eventually. After I've dealt with the 700 things in my inbox and on my desk, including, as it turns out, two emails from The Boy Who Cried Urgent.
And I would like to thank you, blog readers, because now that I have vented here, I am less likely to hurt Mr. Co-Dependent during the day. I hope. When I get back from lunch, Mr. Co-Dependent and I are going to have a chat about being less needy. Or maybe I should send him an email and then call him to let him know that I sent the email. After that I will leave a message on his cell phone to prepare him for this chat.