No Wall Street Journal

Today I've got a whole slew of interviews with doctors set up. I knocked out two earlier today; even though I had to wait a half hour on each interview, it's OK because they were doctors finishing up with patients and the PR person I was waiting with is young and friendly and we just shot the bull for a while.

When I got out of an interview, I had these missed calls from the director of communication at another institution. I'd talked to a communications coordinator earlier in the week, trying to get an interview scheduled, and the coordinator called me back and said the professional I needed was out of the country and only available during one half-hour window by phone. I already had an interview booked for that time, so the coordinator and I decided to e-mail questions to this guy instead.

I guess the coordinator and the director didn't talk to each other, though, because the director left these frantic messages about how I needed to call this professional ASAP. I called her back and explained that I was tied up and couldn't call the guy in Europe. I asked about the e-mail, and the director said the e-mail wasn't the "right format" for the guy I needed and I had to talk. Well, wasn't going to happen. I explained this, and the director said something to the effect of, "Well, we didn't have problems getting in touch with the Wall Street Journal."

That's right. The Wall Street Journal. A PR person trying to compare the Fort Worth Business Press to the Wall Street Journal.

It was frustrating. I think the PR director was just under a lot of pressure and frazzled and was accidentally snide to me, because they've always been very nice and very helpful. But it did make me indignant--don't try to make this seem like my problem. My schedule is first-come, first-served; whoever calls first and books a time gets it. The interview times were already full, and it's not my fault this guy only has a short window for me to call him in Europe. Don't try to make me feel guilty, because I'm not. Your problem, not mine.

I have two more interviews before the end of the day, and both should be fairly straightforward and good, just like the other ones. Then, off for a run (yesterday was another mile and a half, and that dead possum is STILL in the middle of the road; it's a good neighborhood, right by the Bass family, so why hasn't it been scooped up yet?) and to ride Topper. I may wimp out on the riding, since I'd like to see most of the presidential debate tonight, but I feel like I shouldn't squander the evening light because soon it'll be daylight savings and dark at 5:30 or something dismal like that. Then my urge to sleep and eat cake will be doubled as my body keeps hoping I'll just hibernate through the winter.