Did you hear that?

-30-

Blog Post for Monday 3/7/11 – 27 degrees at 6 am – rain yesterday frozen then sleet and snow on top of that. Winds at what sounds like gale force. All righty!

The stone in the well theory.

Back when I worked for soulless, corporate radio this used to happen to me often. Now it’s just a once in while occurrence but it still makes me wonder.

You establish communication with someone. A phone connection. An email or two back and forth.

You know the lines are clear. They hear you. You hear them. Meaningful transfer of information can take place.

Then…nothing.

You ask a question.

You send emails. No response. You make phone calls and get voice mail but no return phone calls.

What happened?

It’s you, dropping the stone into the well, waiting, waiting, for the splash that never comes.

Methinks it could be a number of things.

First: the person in question, the one at the bottom of the well? Is a pig. An idiot. Not worth bothering with in the first place. They never got the rude course in kindergarten.

Second possibility: What you have asked them is beyond their understanding. And they are embarrassed by this and don’t want to betray their ignorance. Too late. I already think they are ignorant for not returning my advances.

Third possibility: you are too unimportant for them to deal with. You are pond scum. Sewage. Return an email to you? Pfft. It’s to laugh.

Back when all communication was either face-to-face, by US mail or by secretary’s taking a message on those quaint “while you were out” pads I had a technique for breaking down this stone nonsense.

Face-to-face meetings with me after you had not returned messages were unpleasant. I would and did visit you at your office. I could and would be loud. Overbearing. Disruptive. Few people wanted to to do THAT again.

Ignore my letters? Have you been getting a few odd magazine subscription offers? Were you signed up for demonstrations of carpet cleaners and insurance salesmen keep calling? I am sure the the offers for “Enema” magazine are just a coincidence.

Ignore my phone message? The next dozen would be from Dr. Rising. I make sure the secretary writes this all down. Your test results are in. You need to report to the Board of Health and disclose sexual partners for the last five years. Don’t use a shared toilet.

Childish? Yes, no doubt. No more so then just pretending I don’t exist.

Yeah I was a prick. I have mellowed a lot in my golden years.

Once I had a music syndication service terminate our contract abruptly. They sold the music service to a competitor. I could have sued but I hated the music format and really was glad to be rid of it.

The format was on several hundred reel to reel tapes. 10 & 1/2″ inch reels. About a dozen boxes.

The music syndication service wanted the reels back. I answered every call from them and told them as soon as they pre-paid for the shipping I would send their f ing shows right back.

This went on for months. They actually threatened legal action. This after breaking THEIR contract.

Finally I got sick of tripping over the boxes. Took every garbage can in the building and filled the boxes with coffee grounds, rotten tuna-fish sandwiches and cigar butts. Sent them collect.

Never heard back from them.