Thursday 13: Splendid Complaints

OK, so it's "Friday 13". I'm a day late. But I must be feeling better because I'm hankering to enjoy complaining. That's a sure sign of my improving mental health.

Here are some things that bug me:

1. Blogging is the ultimate in cause and effect. Fail to reciprocate visits to people who visit you and your fan base will shrink. (Please note: I am not referring to myself, right?)

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2. Speaking of bloggers, my least favorite trait (besides moodiness, which would not easily show up in Blogland) is self absorption. I don't like it when a blogger showcases her/himself too damn much. (Please Note: I am not referring to myself, right?). See # 1 for the expected result of such an approach.

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3. I am ripping rooms apart trying to cut through the plastic around my printer cartridges. The scissors are wimpering. Why in the world are plastic encasements made so damn thick???

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4. Has any one noticed that house flies have strengthened their gene pool so that they fly faster and die slower even after several swats?

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5. You're a cashier in the grocery store. Fine. You tell me how much I owe and I hand you my money. Fine. You hand me my change back while you are talking to Johnny at the next register. My change falls all over the counter. Um, not fine. Did you notice? No.

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6. How long have I been on hold? 7 minutes? Oh, it felt like 7 hours, because 7 minutes is a LONG time to wait on the telephone. Don't get me started--because then if I cannot understand the person who FINALLY answers the phone, (I speak American English--an accident of birth), I'm out of luck again.

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7. American Hospital Emergency Rooms are a disaster. Imagine a woman in her 90's lying on a gurney for 6hours--6 HOURS!--not in a cubicle but against an open corridor wall, waiting for an X-Ray to be read by a Physician's Assistant (not a doctor). Here's the worse part: several hard working good people a certain person spoke with--including the ER Nurse and the Ambulance EMT--justified the system, the process, even the wait. Health care has had a deep and gruesome fall. It barely works. Really. I kind of know.

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8. When did people stop holding doors open for those just behind them? Actually, that's the wrong question. When did people stop NOTICING that someone might be behind them? This one's about AWARENESS as well as courtesy.

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9. I like awards and recognition as well as the next person (ok, maybe even more), but how about letting them speak for themselves? Start bragging and my mind's wondering what to have for dinner.

10. I wish I could more easily forgive and forget. I'm pretty patient and mostly loyal, but if pushed too far, I'm apt to check out and stay away, even if it's self defeating and I don't want to. That's PRIDE steering that train.

11. How come I've never had a truly quality can opener that quickly and efficiently opens cans? Could it be because if they're too good, I won't have to buy another one? Come to think of it, how come there aren't tires that don't wear out? Or toasters? And how come I upgraded my cell phone today--same phone company, basically same phone--and I had to pay $ 29.00 for a new charger? How come the old charger conveniently no longer fits?

12. And speaking of phones, I hate the phone companies. Verizon. Sprint. Comcast. Every one of them. I hate all the confusing plans for minutes and service contracts. Don't tell me all the confusion is not purposeful, because I won't believe a word of it.

and finally, # 13: My complaints have dried up. It's a sunny day, I have fun plans, and the weekend's coming. I'm wrapping up by remembering my favorite piece of advice: Ride the horse in the direction she's going.....