I might have been a bit rude today. It wouldn't bug at me, but yesterday I cried because someone was dismissive, flippant and rude to me in a store. And today a woman called about a photo of mine and I asked her to contact me via an email, so that the correspondence remains on 'paper'. She asked if I can drop by their store and I repeated, that I prefer to have these things negotiated by an email, especially since the shot was already used in a book by another publisher. (I have a similar one I was going to offer, but they never wrote back.)

Okay.

I am not saying I was rude rude. Or that I was wrong. But I was flippant and dismissive.

Here are my reasons. First off, I get defensive when people ask something of me but would not agree to my terms - such as please, not over the phone, I prefer things written down. Second, don't talk to me like you're doing me a favor. You're not. I doubt they were willing to buy the photo, they just wanted an OK to use it for their promotionals. *Mental note to check a little if they just stole the damn thing in the end, like it usually happens.

    Third, I have a toothache and am freakishly tired from wrapping up this week's orders. 

    Fourth, it's my off month. Don't talk to me on my off month. Yes, YES, I understand people can't know that and she at least made an effort to look up my number - where the fuck did she get my number?! - but because she got me while I was busy, my brain didn't switch to customer service mode as it should. 

     Or maybe it was the whole 'come to our store so we can discuss it'... Are you joking? If you think I'm weird and defensive on a phone, how the heck do you think I would be in person? At least when corresponding via email, the General approves of the wording before I hit send.