Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Stretching the limits of credibility

I HATE going to meetings that don't show a clear method of resolution. I just want to pack up and storm out of the room in the hopes that my dramatic exit will cause the attendees to pull their heads out of their butts. Alas, I don't think I could drum up enough drama to snap people out of their delusion that they're being productive or intelligent--I can usually only muster enough drama that when I get up and think I'm storming out of the room, the other attendees think I'm just going to the bathroom.

Yesterday I had to attend one such meeting. It was called because someone, whom I'll call Mamma Cass, not because that's her name--in fact I don't know WHO Mamma Cass was, but I've heard the name before and this person seems to fit my mental image. Anyway, Mamma Cass sent out a completely unintelligible email on March 17 at 10:30pm (I'm including the date and time because it becomes important later on, so bear with me). Long story short, the email whipped both groups into a frenzy and, compliments of the dangerous and too-powerful "Reply All" feature of email, it was aired to a broad swath of the community. A meeting was called, which gets us back to the above mention of hating meetings that address issues that really can't be resolved. Mamma Cass opened the meeting saying that she didn't send the email, despite the fact that the message came from her email address. Then Mamma Cass' supervisor demanded that the director of our group APOLOGIZE for thinking that Mamma Cass had written it. Pardon us for thinking that an email from that person that references the topic at hand actually WAS from that person. I was fuming toward the end, but in the spirit of diplomacy, had to keep that to myself--luckily I'm dead inside, so it wasn't too hard. Anyway, Mamma Cass' assertion that she didn't write the email struck me as VERY suspect. I'm going to write out both scenarios for you, the Internets, and you tell me which you think is the more probable or likely truth.

Mamma Cass' version: She left herself logged into a public computer, after which some random person loaded her email, read it enough to get the gist of the controversy, decided to mess with her, and draft a letter that was completely incoherent but contained enough information that it was obvious they knew the situation. And despite the obvious breach of her personal security, she wants to just forget about it and doesn't want campus computer services to investigate who the perpetrator was.

Jeremy-Seer of the Truth's verson: Remember how I said that the date and time became important later on? Well, my theory is that, being that it was St. Patrick's Day night AND on a Friday, Mamma Cass was completely shite-faced and, I'm assuming she's a mean drunk, was fed up with the controversy between our groups and, in a drunken huff, decides to write us an email. From the incomprehisibility of the message, it certainly sounded more like a drunk person (or the product of a North Carolina public school) than a random lurker who happened upon a computer that Mamma Cass had been using earlier in the day.

There you go, Internets. Weigh in--which version do YOU believe is more likely?

2 comments:

Dave D. said...

As a computer tech for a school district for 5 years, and as a former techie for internet services for 2 years prior to that I can tell you her story is completely theoritical however completely improbable.

Make no mistake, she sent the email.

Also make no mistake (and I'm sure you haven't), she has enough power to make it look like it was YOUR mistake.

You tell me which is worse...

Anonymous said...

Aaawwww just give Mamma Cass a sandwich and your problems will be over!