I am a pansy when it comes to getting what I want, especially when I think it’s black and white. Whether I can attribute it to my quiet nature and my let’s-follow-the-rules philosophy.<\/p>\n
In the last seven years, Chris has taught me this lesson: everything is negotiable<\/i>. Legally.<\/p>\n
Such as:<\/p>\n
I have mastered the art of negotiating my salary, but everyday requests are difficult. But I have learned that we are all human and people’s egos just want to be stroked. A little bit. Most of the time, I stand in the background as Chris works his magic (sometimes I don’t want to know or overcome with the embarrassment). But now I can call it the kindly brontosaurus posture<\/a>. Granted, there’s more that he does than this posture. (Not to mention, he already looks unthreatening with a general baby face and extroverted relatable nature.)<\/p>\n Several years ago, before the Clipper Card, I regularly purchased the 8-ride ticket for Caltrain. This kind of ticket requires a validation prior to a ride on the Caltrain as proof of payment to the conductor. On a spare-the-air-day (when all transit in the Bay Area is free), I accidentally validated a ticket, thereby paying for a free ride. Upset, I moaned about my mistake. Calming me, Chris said that his friend was able to use the accidental validation for the next ride on a regular day. The following day, I promptly rode the Caltrain without validating my ticket, certain that my spare-the-air-day validation would work. As the train zoomed south from the city, the conductor came by. I looked at the conductor and sincerely explained the situation, ending with “my friend said that it was how it worked!”<\/p>\n He looked at me and shook his head. “No, it doesn’t.”<\/p>\n I blinked. “Oh?” I mumbled. “I thought that’s how it worked.”<\/p>\n He lectured me more and continued on without fining me. Later, I found out that Chris tricked me, knowing that if I knew the truth, I would have never done it. Did I have the kindly brontosaurus posture? I hope so. I still don’t like that conductor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I am a pansy when it comes to getting what I want, especially when I think it’s black and white. Whether I can attribute it to my quiet nature and my let’s-follow-the-rules philosophy. In the last seven years, Chris has … Continue reading