A little bit of this and that!

My 8 year old daughter bought a McDonald’s Drive Thru playset with money she had saved from her birthday and Christmas.

She was very excited. It took me almost and hour to get it all together. It should not have been this difficult. After a little while I realized why it was difficult, I had two right sides (or maybe two left sides, depending how you looked) when I should have had one left side and one right side.

The girls couldn’t wait to play with it so I hobbled it together as best as possible, figuring to take back the part and get it exchanged for the correct side.

Ok I dropped the ball here slightly, I was a little while before I got around to taking it back apart and returning to Toys R Us. By that time I had no idea where the receipt could possibly be. Really all I needed was the correct piece. Open up a new box, take out the correct piece, insert the wrong piece, I go home, they send off the bad box to the company.

I arrive at Toys r us and am nicely told I must have a receipt, company policy. I understand policy, and I do mean it when I say the two women at the counter were very nice. There have been issues concerning fraud with returned items. Of course I’m talking about one piece that needs to be replaced. Not sure how much fraud I would be trying to accomplish here.

I did get the right piece, but it was an odd way to get it.

I walked through the store and got another playset.

I returned with the playset to the front counter.

I gave the young lady two twenty dollar bills.

She rang up the item, and put the change on the counter.

I took the box, opened it and removed the correct piece.

I put the wrong piece in the box.

I handed the box to the young lady behind the counter.

She took my change that was still sitting on the counter.

She returned my two twenty dollar bills.

I left the store with the correct piece, and it better be the correct piece because I ain’t going through that again!

Com’n Toys R’ Us! What happen to a little logic here? Not leaving your managers with enough rope to simplify a correction to a product . Somewhere out there is a playset with two left sides! (or right sides) Maybe that person doesn’t want to go through this hassle! (Or they could save the receipt I guess. Really though, I think they would have been required to bring the whole blasted thing back to get the one piece!

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My favorite story today in the call center:

Customer who didn’t pay electric bill: I need my power turned back on! Tell of one person in this day and age who can survive without electricity and I will leave you alone! You can’t can you?

Call center rep who is tired of being yelled at: The Amish.

Of course in classic call center reaction, the caller then wanted to speak to a supervisor because the rep was being a smart ass.

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The Position - Meg Wolitzer

I’ve never done a book review here before and maybe I should do more. I read enough. Anyway, I finished reading this book and loved it.

You can read all the book reviews that go into details on the story, but I think what got me was the person who wrote it Meg Wolitzer. I heard an interview with her on NPR. Actually I heard it twice. The second time I acted and got the book.

There was something in her talk the seemed real. After I started reading the book I was hooked. The family was real. I could see traits reflecting in real life. Ok I’m getting ahead of myself. Can’t help it this is a great read.

Imagine that you are growing up, maybe age 12, and find out that your parents wrote and stared in a book about sex. Think The joy of sex. Imagine the effect it would have on you at that age. Then imagine it years later. Would that still effect you in your adult life. Meg says yes. This book is about the children, and the parents, years later.

What got me hooked was Chapter Two, When we see Michael the eldest son as an adult. This is as real as it gets, perfect. The relationship he has with his mom, his dad, his siblings, and his girlfriend are dead on. It would not be believable any other way.

It gets better too. The oldest daughter Holly becomes the lost member of the family after the first chapter. This is illustrated so well not just by the little that is said about her, but that you don’t see her from page 22 (hardcover edition) until 195.

This is a real world that exist between the covers. Where Love may or may not be defined by indents made on the wall by the headboard.

I am tired and not up to the task of giving this book justice. For a summer read I suggest it!

Night all!
Larry

Deep Side of the Pool

Lately I have been feeling small. Insignificant. Not in the “oh woo is me I‘m unloved ” type of way. I have a life, I have loved ones and friends, but beyond that, nothing. Everything out of my reach just seems to not really matter.

The only thing the matters is what I do for myself and mine. I’ve been on the emotional trip. Saving the world, doing the right thing by people, treating everyone how you want to be treated. I went into the navy, I’ve been to war. I’ve helped build homes for the homeless, spent the day at an orphanage in France, donated time and money to the right causes. Spent time and effort with my children, paid my child support, kept a job, been faithful, supportive, everything a good friend is suppose to be. I’ve voted, protested, and listened.

All of this has made me who I am today. I’m not unhappy with who I am, just feel very small in the world. I guess I’ve circled the wagons here. Ready to keep my sanity intact.

It doesn’t matter to me who is president anymore then who the English Prime Minister is. The world will save it self, it doesn’t need or want my help. If a giant asteroid hits, I can’t do anything about it. The troops in Iraq? They got there the same way I did, they volunteered.

It is the same on the telephone a work, I can’t bring my self to care. With some people I won’t let myself care. I do not need to put myself out there for most people I know. Yes, I have friends at work, but if they disappeared on me tomorrow, I wouldn’t feel anything. I would wish them the best, but I’ve given up on attachments with new people.

I don’t care that you haven’t paid your electric bill in 3 months and now you are being shut off. It does not help when you tell me you didn’t get your shut off notice because you just spent the last two weeks on vacation in Florida. And look at the big picture, I paid my electric bill, my power is not being shut off. Of course I didn’t go to Florida either.

You don’t like your hours in the call center? I hear S-Mart is hiring.

Bring the union in so we can get higher wages! We are underpaid compared to other call centers! Um, no we are not. I’ve worked in the other call centers. Anyway, go work for them then, I’m staying here and voting no on union.

I’m late to work cause my car is broken. Yea mine too, still manage to get there on time.

I used to care. Anyone had a problem I would help, first to lend a hand. Not anymore. Sorry did my time, now it is just me and mine.

This all leads to a question. I used to care, now I don’t. Am I right now or was I right then.? In our life times have any of us found the meaning of life? Is there a meaning?

Ok a little deeper then my usual, but this has really been bugging me lately. Even watching Superman on the huge Imax screen, just looks small. Like the whole world has shrunk. Maybe just my world.