Things I wish I HADN'T said...

Had a meeting today with a relatively new guy - a sex offender. He's generally doing what he's supposed to do and our task today was to make an appointment to get a DNA sample from him.

Part of his probation is a requirement to attend counseling. The sex offender counseling program we have here has a long and unwieldy name. We generally refer to it by its acronym. I hate it when people talk in acronyms and jargon. It's been one of my pet peeves for years, yet I do the same thing all the dang time. This was one of those times. Thankfully, however, the letters don't spell anything cutesy, so I've not been reduced to calling it "sox" or anything. (Sex Offender Counseling).

"So, Joe, have you missed any meetings at ~long string of random letters~?"

"What is that?" he asked, seeming genuinely worried that he'd missed something important.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I mean the ~long unwieldy name~." I glanced up from my paperwork and met his eye apologetically. "I know. It's quite a mouthful."

The minute I said it, I wanted to bang my head on the desk. Suffice it to say that given Joe's offense, this was a particularly poor choice of words. His jaw dropped. I don't know which of us was more appalled. I cleared my throat and We skipped right over the rest of my questions on that issue and went straight to the community service and payment discussions.

Some days it doesn't pay to open your mouth you should just stay in bed.

Argh!

The end.