For a Good Laugh

If you are in need of a good laugh today, maybe I can help. This job has required a certain amount of humor in it. I answer and transfer many calls a day. For all of you who love the Scottish accent I think you should have a go at this job! I find Scottish accents "lovely" when I am not trying to make out their name or what they want, and especially not when they are talking to one another! I can tell, though, that after 5 days on the phones I am slowly getting used to how they pronounce names and ships (that our company operates). It helps that many of the same people call, too. It does not, however, help that we deal with seaman, folks from rural parts of Scotland, and other countries.

When one man first called last week I thought his name was "Margord," which, if you think of it, is a rather interesting name. But how am I to know if that isn't some great famous Scottish name?! After asking multiple times how to spell that, etc and trying desperately to understand him (during which time he was a bit frustrated with me), I came up with "Mark Ward" which was close enough to what his real name is for someone to know who he was. Since then I've been told his name is "Mark Ord" or at least that is how it's pronounced. I have no idea how to spell it!

Today something similar happened. On my way to the shop around the corner to pick up milk (one of duties is to buy milk every morning for the office...that's for all the tea!) my supervisor asked me to buy some breakfast for her as she hadn't had any yet. I readily agreed and she gave me money and said, just ask for "two butter-drolls." I must have had a blank stare on my face as I tried to register what those were. She said, oh, the bakery will know, they are Aberdeen rolls, so just ask for "two butter-drolls." Okay, I can manage that. So I go to the shop and ask exactly how I heard it for "two butter-drolls." Thankfully, the lady understood me. As I looked at what she put in the bag I started laughing to myself. It looked exactly like two rolls (butteries, I think they are called--Mark loves them!) with butter in between them. I then deduced that she must have said "two buttered rolls!!" Something so simple, but they slur every syllable and word together so that you have to stop and make out exactly where the breaks are supposed to be! I am not good at this :) At least I am enjoying a good laugh out of it afterwards and hope you are too!