It's a typical gray Toronto day. As I approach the Dufferin-Finch intersection, traffic crawls to a halt. Funny, I think, the last time traffic was this bad was when that stoplight was broken. The air is balmy, and I am sitting listlessly, waiting to get to work. I sweep the landscape with my eyes idly, and notice the Toronto Maple Leafs flags fluttering out of the window of nearly every car. A bus drives past -- apparently, there is no traffic problem going the other way, as is the usual -- and I catch a glimpse of the route display on top. 36 Finch, it says, and then quickly changes to "Go Leafs Go!".

That's when it hits me. Today is the third games of the Eastern Conference finals: Toronto vs. Carolina.
And I'm heading off to telemarket.


Call 1:

Customer: Hello?
Me: Hi, I'm calling from Generic Windows, we're a...
Customer: Buddy! I'm watching the hockey game!
(hang up)

Call 2:

Customer: Hello?
Me: Hi, I'm calling from Generic Windows, we're a...
Customer: You can't call me now! The hockey game is on!
(hang up)

Call 3:

Customer(elderly, 60ish lady with thin rasping voice): He-elllllo?
Me: Hi, I'm calling from Generic Windows, we're a
Customer: No-oo, I-i'mm Soo-oo-oory. Ii'm waatchiing the h-oockey game.
(hang up)

Call 4:

Customer: Hello?
Me: Hi, I'm calling from Gene...
Customer: Hockey!
Me: Sir?
Customer: Hockey!
Me: I'm just calling from ...
Customer: Hockey!
(hang up)

Call 6:

Customer: Hello?
Me: Hi, I'm calling from Gene...
Customer: Yeah, listen, no thanks, but call me back every half-hour and I'll tell you what the score is.
(hang up)

Call 7:

Customer: (noises of hockey game in the background)
Me: Hello? Hello?...
10 minutes later (hang up)


And I wasn't even calling Toronto! I was calling Barrie, which is a full hour or so north of Toronto. We've been forced to stop calling people about a half-hour after the start of a game every time there's a hockey game for the past few weeks.

The moral?

Welcome to Canada; We're closed for the playoffs

Before you start with the softlinking, I'm not a pro telemarketer. This is just a part-time highschool job

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