She has only two volume settings: LOUD! and "off."
Boomer has a cube in my cubicle farm. She is a sociable person whose job requires her to be on the phone. She's also a sociable person whose inclination is to either chat with fellow kewbees, or to chat on the phone with friends and family.
Chat? Help me out, here. What's a word that means "carry on a conversation at the top of one's lungs"?
The non-nosy kewbees in our farm wear headphones on days she's in.
We don't need to watch television. Every day, we get a precis of whatever Boomer watched the evening before. Often she is joined by 'Tude Dude, who finds that in order to be heard he has to match the volume of Boomer's strident tones. I now know far more about the HBO series "The Sopranos" than I ever cared to.
This is a problem when I'm on a telecon.
My boss, who works in Texas most of the time, was leading up his staff meeting one Wednesday morning when Boomer arrived.
Boss, on the phone: "And when we get the report from HR, we'll be better able to ..."
Boomer: "SO? WHAT'D THAT JACKASS END UP DOING?" She was apparently directing this comment to whoever was on the other end of the cellphone conversation she was having as she got into her cube.
Boss: "Excuse me? Who is a jackass?"
Boomer: "HOLY SHIT! WELL YOU'RE GOING TO FIRE HER ASS, RIGHT?"
I'd try to leverage that situation for an actual office, with walls and a door, if I could. I'm afraid, though, that the boss couldn't hear what I was saying, and now he's trying to figure out who he's supposed to be firing. I'm laying low for now.
Boomer's twin was at my Bunko game tonight--my head's still ringing from all her shrieking.
The cube farms we're in -- also known as "bays" -- have heavy doors and walls. This used to be a facility intended for security while working on government projects. Still, I could hear loud voices as I approached the bay door from the hallway yesterday afternoon. Boomer was bitching about the printer. Her boss was commenting, and his voice -- normally soft -- was louder than usual. I think her loudness inspired his loudness.
I'm trying to decide if I should do 'Tude Dude or Me Man next.