Sunday, July 31, 2005

The Misanthrope – Sunday’s Lighter Side
...Patience

A well adjusted executive is one whose intake of pep pills overbalances his consumption of tranquillizers just enough to leave him sufficient energy for the weekly visit to the psychiatrist.
Arthur Motley (1900 - 1984), business executive

No Patience. I don’t know if it is the pressure I feel from work with constant deadlines combined with the stress of bumper to bumper traffic day in and day out, morning and night or what, but I have no tolerance for much of anything these days. I joke that I have congestive heart failure, which I know is no laughing matter, but summing the energy to do things is at times difficult.

A Simple Oil Change. The service rep at the dealership pissed me off. I made an appointment a week ago to get my oil changed at 9 a.m. I had to park outsides the service area. I walked up to the service rep. He had a couple in there that he was finishing up with; I patiently waited. I walked up to him because he was not going to come to me. I mentioned that I was there for an oil change and he told me just a moment. He came back told me to bring my car up, and I asked how long it would be. He said an hour. An hour for an oil change! I figured I had my newspapers I could deal. I drove the car up and he was starting with someone else and told me just a minute. I walked back to my car and left. That guy is jerk. There is a woman I like dealing with there a bit better. But, it’s the same old story everywhere custom service does not exist. There are too many people to provide adequate service to and companies hire fewer people to deal with the larger number of customers. I will reschedule with the woman and just come in later to the office one morning.

The Gym. Wife suggested I get back to the gym, which I wholeheartedly agree with, but when? I could get there at 5 a.m. before I leave for work, if I rush around I can work it out to be out the door by 6:20 on my way to work. After work, I could go when I get home, but I would have to be lucky and find a vacancy of one of the machines. The last time I did that, a big fat person was the machine next to me chatting on the cell phone barely moving the entire 35 minutes on I was on the machine. They probably went home boasting about the workout they just accomplished. I used to wait until late 8ish or 9 p.m., but I am too tired anymore for that.

1 comment:

Bert Ford said...

Just remember "Walley's three truths of the universe"
#1 Most people are stupid.
#2 Most people agree that most people are stupid.
#3 Most people don't realize that they are most people.
When my life becomes complicated or stressed by the actions of others, it gives me an inner peace (if not satisfaction) to remember these truths. When I feel like bludgeoning some miscreant into unconsciousness, I just take a breath and remember "They can't help it they're stupid." If this doesn't work for you, and you decide that a good bludgeoning is in order, I recommend a length of bicycle inner tube filled with a mixture of axle grease and ball bearings.