The stupid - it burns!

[plonq]

I'll be the first to admit that I am a bit touchy and irritable lately, but little things are trying my patience lately.  It's making it hard to keep up my cheerful demeanour, even though I have sworn to myself that I will not take it out on the people around me.

Sometimes they make it tough, though.  I've had to make three treks around the partitions to help my co-worker today.  I just returned from the third trip.

Him: How do I expand a column in Excel?
Me: (I've shown him how to do this many times) Just click on the column boundary at the top of the column and drag.
Him: (Pause to digest that) I don't follow you.
Me: Click on the line between the letters across the top.  Look at the top of your spreadsheet columns and you'll see A, B, C, etc.
Him: I don't see it.
Me: (Sigh and walk around the partitions) See the column headings at the top of your spreadsheet?  They're listed as A, B, C, D, etc. across the top.
Him: Where do you mean?
Me: (Actually jabbing the screen with my finger)  Right here.  A.  B.  C.  D...
Him: I don't follow you.
Me: ...!
Him: Oh!  Sorry, yes, I see what you mean.
Me: Now click on the line between the letters and drag it to expand the column.
Him: (Clicks on the column heading itself and selects the entire column)  Now what.
Me: (Starting to lose patience) You have to click on the line.  Move your cursor over until it changes into the "resize" cursor.
Him: Oh, right.  That's right.  That's how you do it.  Thanks.
Me: (With false cheerfulness) No problem.

Gah.  I am beginning to understand that whole "mutilation borne of frustration" thing.

Comments

[pierrekrahn.livejournal.com]

What do you mean?

[unciaa.livejournal.com]

Beaten to it. :(

[pierrekrahn.livejournal.com]

What do you mean?

[unciaa.livejournal.com]

I wanted to do the predictable "do what the poster was aggrivated about" reply. :>

[atara.livejournal.com]

I don't follow you.

[unciaa.livejournal.com]

I'm an idiot. :(

[pierrekrahn.livejournal.com]

...

I have nothing else to add.
I'm just curious how many times people will click on "Reply to this" and how far to the side this will go.

[unciaa.livejournal.com]

Now what?

[pierrekrahn.livejournal.com]

I dunno. Keep on replying to this?

[gedrean.livejournal.com]

What's that mean? can you elaborate?

[elfasi.livejournal.com]

Yeah.. It amazes me how people sometimes have such an inability to see what's right in front of their eyes, when described in the simplest possible terms. You wonder how they ever learned to read, tie shoelaces, operate a car, button up their trousers.. What's worse is when it's over the phone, so you never have the option to stab a great dirty finger at the screen until hopefully some neurons kick in. I sometimes resort to repeating the same, insanely simplified instructions, in different tones of voice, till hopefully it sinks in. You have to laugh, else you'll cry.