The Best Spring Break--not so much

So this week I've been off work for Spring Break. But because my partner couldn't get off work, we didn't get to do anything special, although I was supposed to go see my parents. Monday I was very productive getting chores done and I got to the gym too, very early in the day, so there was hardly anyone there (the joys of a small gym). Tuesday I had jury duty--FUN! I was sent with a panel to a courtroom after about an hour of waiting, then we stood in the hall for about 20 minutes. The bailiff then came out and told us the defendant had plea-bargained, so we could leave. However, on my way into the parking garage (they charge you $5.50 to park for jury duty, but pay you $6--how kind), my car had overheated. So I filled it up with some more coolant (when you drive an old car, you carry this kind of stuff with you all the time) and drove straight to my mechanic. He thought it was the thermostat, but said he probably couldn’t get it finished that day. I called my friend John. He and his partner had to go do some shopping, so came and picked me up and I hung out with them for the rest of the afternoon.

The next day (Wednesday), they were going to go to the museum, so I was going to hang out with them again. It rained like crazy and after the museum, we ended up driving through some dangerously high water trying to get to some place for tea and coffee. We chilled for a while for the water to recede. Then they took me to pick up my car. On the way home, it wasn’t running right—missing something fierce.

So Thursday morning, after doing the make-up session with my trainer at the gym (she’d canceled the day before because of the rain), I took the car back to the mechanic. He had one of his workers drive me back home, and then took the car back to the shop. Another day with no car. But by the early afternoon, I was feeling sick—sinus mess, maybe just allergies, but I was feeling feverish and wiped out. I called the shop about 6pm and they said the car was ready. I told them I would pick it up the next morning.

Gary was off on Friday, but I was still not feeling up to speed and some of his co-workers were supposed to come over for pizza that evening. So we had house cleaning to do. About 12:30, Gary dropped me off for the car and then went to do the grocery shopping; I was doing the bank and the cleaners. But—can you guess—the car wasn’t ready! I ended up having to wait about a ½ hour while they finished it up. Grr. But he didn’t charge me for anything this time, even though I think it was a new problem. This is why I go to John (I take care of you) the Greek. And the car runs fine now.

Saturday, I actually got some work done at the house, getting the office and guest rooms reorganized, and then we went out for an old-married-couple’s date: a movie, dinner, home by 9pm. But it was nice and relaxing. But I still have work to do here and grading before school starts back up tomorrow. So that’s what I need to work on today. I need to get back to the gym, now that my legs have recovered from the killer leg workout Melissa put me through on Thursday.

I didn’t get to see my parents because of the car trouble, but my grandmother ended up in the hospital, so I would have just spent time running back and forth to the hospital or hanging out at my parents house with no one there, so that worked out okay. Mamaw fell and has a hairline break in her pelvis, but will be okay after some physical therapy.

So all in all not the spring break I would have hoped for. But whatcha gonna do?

Crappy Customer Service

So what's the deal with people in service industries who don't seem to care about giving good service? Do they not realize that if they don't give good service, people won't come back and they'll soon go out of business? Maybe people have lowered their expectations and so keep using businesses even if they don't provide kind, courteous service. This all comes out of my frustration with having to go to three UPS stores to finally find one that still had a pick-up that day. The first store I could excuse, because they were dealing with two horrible customers and so didn't have time to focus on me yet. But the second store, who I called to ask if they still had a pick up, and then told them I was on my way--to get the "oh, he just left a minute ago" reply when I got there just 12 minutes later?!? I was so pissed off.

And all of this after a long Saturday, of Spring Break, working.

So I needed a movie. I went to see Little Children. I would give it 3 out of 5 stars. The acting was good, and it was pretty, but the character development was lacking. And the trailers made it look like it had a lot more sex in it than it actually did. Even though the lead male was very sexy. My goal is to see at least 5 movies this week. We'll see if that happens.