1. Bank
2. Library
3. Gas
4. Sweet Tomatoes
5. Go to the Mall
6. Go To Target
7. Go To Grocery store
8. Go Pick up Tree
9. Go home
10. Relax
Cam Newton won the Heisman. He’s the third from Auburn to win it. In a few years, maybe sooner, will be the second to have it stripped from him. It’s not just me that has this prejudice against him. Even the snide way he accepted the award, to me, disrespected it. He sauntered up and didn’t look surprised at all. IS he a good athlete? Yes. Is he a credible athlete? No. I’m telling you there is some Michael Vick level crap going on there. Even reporters, the one’s that voted for him, are saying things like this:
“Still, it invites speculation that the newest Heisman winner could perhaps be heading down the same path as Reggie Bush, who returned his trophy three months ago after the NCAA ruled that he and his family received cash and gifts while he was at Southern California.”
Now back to my day. I woke up a bit after 8:00 a.m., trying to get as much done as possible before the pending blizzard. That’s not a joke for those that don’t live here or pay attention to the news. We were trying to get as much done BEFORE THE PENDING BLIZZARD. Went by the bank and deposited some funds and picked up some funds after a short diversion of standing in line, doing some research on human interaction and customer satisfaction whether I wanted to or not. Here’s why.
Standing in line, about 8 of us I counted, all waiting to do our different banking business. In the past, I do this every two weeks mind you, they have not had enough staff to keep the line moving appropriately. Appropriately is an adverb that is subjective, but I think my audience can prepare the subjectivity needed to create the vision o this debacle effectively.
A few things that have happened in past events here, two attendants, one floor manager representative whatever you want to call it, is on duty and they cant move the line along well enough to take less than 15 minutes or so to stand in line. If one of the reps approach you and take you into the back, it will take even longer because they can’t get your money any faster, they still have to go to a teller. Today they had 9 people working. I was sure I would be in and out in less than 10. Nope. Not sure how long it was but it was annoying as to the reason why.
3 tellers in the front 1 in the back, and 4 representatives, yet only 1 can provide money back. The others can only TAKE money. The rub is none of us know this until we saunter up to the window and perch on the ledge, offer up our papers and requests and we’re told politely, “Oh, sorry. I can only take deposits, I can’t give back money.” In my annoyance of hearing this quite a few times I say out loud when the final teller I go to tells me that same phrase, “This is a bank right? You do have money here at THE BANK?”
The teller answers then with, “The only one of us that has access today is down at the end here.”
Yes, I have a response as you wonder inside reading this relating of my day. Why wouldn’t I to such bright, young, energetic burgeoning business persons. My response, “It would be nice if one of your 9 folks standing back there with you doing nothing could possibly come out here and help us understand the best way to route through your maze. The information you just shared would have been very helpful to us about 15 minutes ago. I don’t think it needs to be a secret and if we had two lines and were informed, your jobs may even be easier as well and there wouldn’t be a huddle standing back behind the counter waiting for money from this one poor little girl who has it down here: Just a suggestion.”
This was met with astonishment that someone actually spoke against the Group Think impressments we were pushed into by these young wiper snappers thinking they were doing us a favor by withholding the information from us for a greater good for ourselves: Enough of this location.
We went to the library, picked up and dropped off books. I got the first Dexter book, Darkly Dreaming Dexter: excited about that.
We then trekked over to Sweet Tomatoes where I indulged my self in a verbal sparring match with my wife. That was fun. I had to work up the appetite and get the aggression out before the mall so strangers don’t take the brunt of my frustrations as they are just out doing what I am doing only more annoyingly and with entitlement that pisses me off.
Lunch was nice after our spat: I made my wife cry. Kudos there. That resulted in a trip to Jared. Just kidding. We had lunch, paid too much for the crap we got but I got something cool out of the deal. Through the conversation, which started the argument about purchasing another vehicle in the spring, I have been awarded my old truck back. I will be pursuing repairing my old truck. I love it so much and this really does has me elated. I mean, I was liking the idea of getting a new car but I love this truck and if I can get another year out of it, a new car a year or so later will be welcomed but this truck really means a lot to me. It has been a great vehicle and no other car or truck has ever made me feel like it is an extension of me than this one.
I sat in it the other to start it up and had to jump it off to charge the battery. As I sat in it I could hear it groan as the battery drained saying, “You don’t see me anymore. Why don’t you ever take me out. I have been looking at this stack of Christmas decorations and whatever other stuff you have there for over 6 months! At least put the fishing, hunting, and camping stuff over here so I can remember the good times.” Today as I walked by I heard it say, “Any change? I see snow. You need me in snow.” I haven’t had the conversation with it yet but I may tomorrow so it will know there is a light at the end of the tunnel and possibility of the truck rising in performance and importance again. Very exciting.
I did apologize to my honey for my discrepancies and part of the disagreement that was not right nor deserving for her. And she and I found some things out we knew but had never really resonated. So it was needed and I think it helped. Saved a lot of people at the mall and actually lent to aiding a stranger once we were out in the tussle.
We had to look at the map to find where we were going. Woodfield Mall is a hellish place regardless, but put in Christmas, a mall manager that increases temperature instead of reduces it when it is packed and the idiot mentality with entitlement and you have a recipe for a nightly news show with just highlights of morons behaving badly.
We stand at the map and start looking for our target and this woman asks my wife in a southern drawl near to my forefathers, “Do you know where the Baby Gap is?” My wife immediately keys in and she is from Tennessee. We talk with her for a while and in true southern fashion, we connect but also in American fashion, she shells out most of her life’s story and we shell out some of ours. We use the Laws of Connectedness and Esteem to inform her of how and where to get to the things she wants. We assure her of her routes and efforts while she is here and actually, it was a pleasant conversation. I feel we helped someone who felt alone and immersed a little more than she expected to be in one of the biggest malls in America to have a good shopping experience and a more confident trip to the Chicago area than she was having.
Review Amended Checklist:
Bank
Library
Gas
Sweet Tomatoes
Argument with Wife
Make Wife Cry
Make up with Wife
Go to the Mall
Make someone else happy
Go To home pick up Yarn
Go To Target
Go To Grocery store
Go Pick up Tree
Go home
Relax
You’ll notice one amendment here that is obvious from the first list, “Go Home to Pick Up Yarn.” Yep. My wife is selling some yarn on Craig’s list, pretty-good prices too. She sees an offer come in and this woman wants to meet us around 2:30 p.m. My wife is reading me the email and I notice a trend in the communication. The lady is in sales at a low level and apparently new to it because she is using a sales technique on my wife, that doesn’t work at all by the way because my wife has a set price and that’s it, the technique was used feebly and weekly anyway. But it’s the small commitments up to the main point you want an agreement to and this woman drops the price in half after getting my wife to go through a stage Yes answers and agreements that are very small and then the ultimate motive at the end of the deal WABAM! Give me your crap for way less than you want! No. End of that part of the list. Checklist amended to, Go To Target and ignore moron.
We go to target and obtain the necessary items we looked for, settled on Dinner, BIG ACCOMPLISHMENT of the day. Besides avoiding Jared, that’s up there.
We get home now and the boy is in a mood because he didn’t get to go out and he’s getting pissy as teen-agers do but he was prepared mentally all the way through the point of when we left of what his day would be like. BABY-SITTING! Deal with it! So he’s in the kitchen giving the mother lip and I hear it but let her handle it. He comes out and I try to lighten the mood a little by saying, “Get out of those bags you don’t need to see anything in there anyway. I’ll take care of it.” Met with no response because he’s pissy. I lend the comment of “and lose the attitude.” He responds with tone and saying “What?” I lose it. Both barrels. Send him inside and we discuss further all together where we are at with this attitude and you can imagine how that goes. I have been on him a lot lately for many different reasons and they are deserving, but I try to hold back as well because constant barrage of discipline doesn’t help anyone.
Now he’s getting ready for work and I am not feeling bad about my position at all, but I am feeling bad that he is getting constant stress from me, whether he deserves it or not it is worrisome and I know making him stressful. So as soon as he gets back down stairs and Is ready to go, I made up my mind to give him a hug to let him know, even though he is an ass and pisses me off daily, I still love him. I didn’t say it but I hugged him for a long time, made the wife cry again and bonus! Made the boy cry! Where’s that damn check list?
Review Amended Checklist:
Bank
Library
Gas
Sweet Tomatoes
Argument with Wife
Make Wife Cry
Make up with Wife
Go to the Mall
Make someone else happy
Go To Target
Make Wife Cry Again
Make Boy Cry
Go To Grocery store: YEAH NOT HAPPENING TODAY
Go Pick up Tree YEAH NOT HAPPENING EITHER
Go home THANK GOD!
Relax LAST ITEM AWAITING MY ATTENDANCE!!!!!
Now we are emptying shopping bags, I should say my wife is, and Keira is looking for her gift. She asks when we come home usually, well after she tells us she missed us and welcomes us home, she says “What’d ya get me?” I respond and mommy responds, “Nothing today honey.”
She spots some Zuu-Zuu Pets and is on alert. That damn kid is smart. Crisis averted as it is hidden appropriately now and we distract her with new mittens we got her for the impending Blizzard. Yeah, a call back to a reality that’s on it’s way. I start trying to put the mittens on her and one goes in but the other is giving me trouble. I cant get her thumb in and she is trying hard. I tried for a long time too with her laughing and trying hard with me. I’m telling her a story the whole time about how we’re going to use these to build snow men and forts and snow balls and how they will keep her hands dry and warm and she is loving it and really looking forward to it. I give her to mommy and mommy determines the one glove is just not sized right and wont work. My little girls heart is broke. I just melt as she comes over to me expressing how much she wants to go out in the snow tomorrow and make forts and snowmen and snow balls and how she cant now that her gloves don’t work and she’s sorry. I died inside So, where’s the freakin’ list now?
Review Amended Checklist:
Bank
Library
Gas
Sweet Tomatoes
Argument with Wife
Make Wife Cry
Make up with Wife
Go to the Mall
Make someone else happy
Go To Target
Make Wife Cry Again
Make Boy Cry
Go To Grocery store: YEAH NOT HAPPENING TODAY
Go Pick up Tree YEAH NOT HAPPENING EITHER
Go home THANK GOD!
Make daughter cry. Is this day going to end?
Relax LAST ITEM AWAITING MY ATTENDANCE!!!!!
Finally dinner is here. I sit down with my girl and we have our dinner and its fun and she is being a doll. Dogs are jockeying for food which drives me nuts but is a usual occurrence. Kid gets a shower and I do the dishes. They come down stairs and Keira and I play guitar to some music as I am trying to develop my calluses and improve my rusty twang-chung. She says she’s a rocker and is strumming on anything she can hld and make into a guitar. Very cute stuff. Finally, relaxing. Last item on the list checkedoff and I am tired and fall asleep like an old man at 8 p.m. Now I am up with new energy and awaiting the Blizzard. Oh it will come.
Thanks for sticking out this long to those of you that did. There was much more but I don’t think anyone is ready for a novella today. Maybe I can flashback to what I didn’t cover tomorrow.
ILY XO YM
I LOL'd in 3-4 parts of this post. Great description of our emotionally taxing weekend.
ReplyDeleteYou are 3 for 3, Muffin!
Mucho Love. YB's.
And ya, I look like some sort of snowbeast in that pic...love how the pretty background showed up clear, by my face was a fuzzy mass...bleh.
ReplyDelete