Today- the Fax Machine; Tomorrow- the World!

It took me 2 hours to send a fax this morning, my first effort playing with the silly creature. Early on I suspected PEBCAK* issues and quickly doubted my self-promoted qualifications for being an Executive Assistant.

After several failed attempts and thinking on my feet, I researched the company's phone number** to call and verify the fax number. They told me I was faxing the wrong number, so I atempted to fax the RIGHT number.

In between all this, I was back and forth between the fax machine, copier, phones and managing/taking requests from my coworkers (today is the day they all decided to give me work to do- hurrah!). To be fair, I wasn't exactly sitting in front of the machine all morning long trying over and over and over again.

In the end, I finally asked for assistance from the kind gentleman who sits the next cubicle over from the copier/fax area. Turns out I was dialing the wrong number all along. [blushes] It's all good, though. I played it off like it was the machine/receiving-end's fault.

I am slowly getting used to being an executive's assistant. I rather like calling up other executives on behalf of him and saying, "This is Arnold Cohen's office, Mr. Cohen would like to speak with [insert other executive's name here]." Or, when I get to be a full-on New Yorker, it'll be, "Arnold Cohen for Donald Trump, please." Everyone I call has their own assistant and I feel a connection to each of them. We are the faceless folks keeping in order our bosses' business (and, if you're good, personal) lives.

Plus, when I speak on behalf of my executive, I have authority, even though my sweet voice may not. :)

*Problem Exists Between Client And Keyboard.
** There was no way I was going to return a failure to the person who asked me to send the fax.