Thursday, March 25, 2010

Annoying Automated Voices

This is one of those posts which doesn't have a lot to say so skip over it if you like. Twice a week I travel to another work location to help out another group. The offices are located in a huge 4 Tower complex in Québec and the elevators talk, not only in English but in Canada's second official language French. As I stood heating up my lunch (the microwaves are located by the elevators), this voice kept repeating

      ~~~~~~Niveau Trois~~~~~~Level Three
(I work on the 3rd floor and lots of people were heading out or coming back from lunch)

Once in the elevator, she tells you where you are going.
     ~~~~~~Descendre~~~~~~Going Down
or
     ~~~~~~Monter~~~~~~Going Up

When I first got here I thought it was kind of cool (put in place for the visually impaired or those caffeine deprived individuals who don't know where they are), but when you have to stop at every floor it does start to grate on your nerves. For security reasons we aren't able to use the stairs so I guess I'll just practice my French. I got thinking, if they would just repeat two different words a day in English and French the entire workforce will be bilingual in no time at all. We'd just have to ride the elevator all day!

Well that's my boring day. Listening to the elevator lady. Maybe I will dial my voicemail and see if that lady wants to talk today. The other night I had to order a prescription renewal and the voicelady took forever to repeat what I wanted. You know when they say "If this is correct, press 1" over and over again. And those GPS voices-Oyyyy-I don't have one but I could not live with someone taunting me to turn all the time or telling me where to go. Funny how all these voiceladies (not too many voicemen out there) don't listen when you yell at them. They just calmly keep repeating the instructions.

I just finished lunch and ate mac & cheese and a spicy chicken breast. I guess the band has opened up, because I can eat again. I still get this funny ache in my left shoulder after I eat and am hoping I can stay in control and not eat junk. The weight isn't budging but then I think I did get rather dehydrated over the weekend. I need a little walk so I guess I'll just go Descendre. And...(You can use Babel Fish to translate-except for my french friends who will probably correct me)... J'espère que vous avez un beau jour!

4 comments:

Amanda Kiska said...

¡A tí también! (To you as well!)

Sorry I don't speak French. Just English & Spanish. I find that knowing one Romance languange helps me muddle through understanding a little French, Italian & Portugese as well as Latin. And from English, I can often work out some Greek.

Anyways...I share your annoyance with "the voices" - especially voice mail. Bye!

Lonicera said...

I do sympathise with this - our department is small, we're on a third floor, and it would seem that everyone except me is a gym freak. The ladyvoice says clearly, slowly, LOUDLY: "Lift going down"... and as I reach the top "Third Floor. Doors Opening." and all my colleagues say "Caroline you've taken the lift again." I've tried putting my hands over the stupid elevator lady's 'mouth', but it's a bit too high up for me, and I have to stand on tip toe to do it, and I run the risk of the doors closing again before I can jump out. Sigh. I'd do anything to shut her up, the cow.
(Glad you're better. How much did you lose??)
Caroline

Gilly said...

I get that little shoulder twinge occasionally. I always think it means I overate (which is soooo easy to do right now - tra la la!)

Girl Bandit said...

Man that would get so annoying...glad you are eating again I am sure those damn scales will start moving again

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