But it is his birthday!

Today is WiseMan's birthday, and I am trying to work at home. The postmen keep ringing (3 and counting: public mail, private mail, parcel) and now the phone has started.

- "Hi, here's Inez, is WiseMan there?"
- "No, he's at work."
- "When will he be home, can I call back at 6 p.m.? It's his birthday!"
- "Yes, he'll be there by then. Who may I say called?"
- "This is Inez from StupidLotteryCompanyWiseManLikesToPlay."
- "Well, then don't call or you will lose a customer."
- "But why? It's his birthday! I want to congratulate him."
- "We only want private people to call, not telemarketers."
- "I'm not a telemarketer. WiseMan is a customer of StupidLotteryCompany. I want to give him a present."
- "No. We don't want advertising."
- "But this is a present, not advertising."
- "Look, I'm a computer scientist, I don't like data being used for other purposes, WiseMan doesn't either, he doesn't like talking on the telephone anyway. Just send it to him."
- " You are a computer scientist and I studied business. I just want to give him a nice CD, everyone likes getting presents. I just want to check your address, is it ....."
[Ding-Dong. Parcel post]
- "Oops, doorbell."
[slams receiver down]

The nerve! You give them your birthday to "prove" you are old enough to play their lottery, and then they use it for marketing purposes. Just proves what WiseWomanMother always used to say. She's a mathematician and used to call playing the lottery a tax on stupidity. Of course, when WiseWomanFather actually won the lottery, but playing his birthday so he had to share with all sorts of people, he gloated about that for a long time. 25 years and counting, if my math is right.