Is there something you people aren't telling me?

Do you ever get the feeling that there's something about you that everyone who knows you is aware of, but they're unwilling to tell you?

When I answer the phone for telemarketers or the Am-Vets lady, they frequently refer to me as "Ma'am" until I correct them. This leads me to believe that I must sound like a woman on the phone. And apparently I'm not a cute young lady, but rather a middle-aged mother of four.

I have had the same occurrence on some of my teleconferences with Asia. Occasionally a new member of the team (if that's what you call a worldwide collection of semi-disgruntled employees) will join our calls and refer to me in the feminine. Not cool.

When I was a kid, I had the voice of a castrated angel. I sang in choir and proudly displayed my pre-tenor abilities around the world. But I fear that I must still sound like I'm castrated on the phone. Can somebody help me here? Does my voice really say "ma'am" instead of "dude." This is distressing.