About five years ago, we adopted our first dog, Maggie. I never really had pets when I was a kid. Well, that’s not completely true. We had a small, black cocker spaniel/French poodle puppy for five minutes (I think they’re now they’re called Cockapoos, but I don’t like that name because it conjures up pornographic images). His name was Zola, short for my dad’s favorite cheese, gorgonzola. I wish I was kidding. Zola was only with us for a few days because my obsessive-compulsive mother wasn’t down with the housebreaking thing so she gave him away while we were in school one day (though the official story – which my sister and I bought hook, line and sinker – was that he had been ‘sent to obedience school’). We also had a parakeet for a few years, but that doesn’t really count.
Anyway, I was never a big fan of dogs before I got Maggie. They kind of skeeved me, to be honest. In fact, the only reason I begrudgingly agreed to get a dog was because Mat wanted one and I thought that every little boy should have a dog at some point in his life (he may be a towering 6’3” now, but he was still little at 12 years old…or at least slightly shorter than me). So, off we went to the SPCA where I saw any number of acceptable small dogs, but Mat saw Maggie (a lab/pit mix) and decided that she was the one. It took me about 24 hours to completely fall in love with Maggie and commit my life to making her happy. I vividly remember my friend, Brett, telling me “Don, you’ll see, one day you’re going to like dogs more than you like people”. I thought he was crazy. Turns out he wasn’t.
In the interest of full disclosure, I should probably tell you that my mood is being influenced by a couple of things. First, this is PMS week (or as Mat likes to call it, Shark Week) which means that a simple ‘Good morning!’ from Jack could be met with an attack. Second, I am in the throes of a war with summer. I declared a jihad on my astronomical electric bills and have refused to turn on the air conditioner for the past few weeks. Summer has been trying to break me ever since, but I’m holding my own. There have been some very nasty skirmishes, but I have not relented. I almost buckled the night before last, but, with sweat running down my back, I opened my electric bill and it was only $120 – that’s electric AND gas. It’s usually between $250-300 this time of year. That totally reinvigorated the troops, so the battle continues. Anyway, I’m cranky and I’m hot (and not in the good way), so maybe I’m overreacting a bit, but I think I might hate almost everyone.
Last night, I went to visit a friend who had had a particularly difficult C-section earlier in the day during the course of which the anesthesiologist administered a spinal tap that traveled all the way to her neck instead of just to her mid-back (yikes!). It caused some very scary moments in the delivery room and several very difficult hours in high-risk unit of the maternity ward where my friend had difficulty seeing, hearing, breathing, keeping food down and keeping her heart rate normal. She couldn’t even hold her baby. She was scared and sick and, well, pathetic, but her nurse could not have cared less. She was a nasty, heartless, cold witch of a woman with a perpetual scowl on her face. Seriously, if you can’t even freaking be remotely warm and nurturing to a sick person, maybe you shouldn’t be a nurse.
Tonight, Jack and I went to Borders (Christiana). When we got there, we noticed that someone had left their lights on. I took the time to memorize the license plate number and went to the information desk to ask the stoners there if they could maybe make an announcement about it. You’d have thought I had asked them to explain quantum physics to me. They just kind of stared at me then started consulting with each other on how to magically make the voice come through the speakers.
Stoner #1: ‘Uh…I don’t know, man, do you think we could do it with the intercom?’
Stoner #2: ‘Uh…I don’t know, dude. Maybe.’
Stoner #1: ‘Huh-huh-huh’ (stupid pothead laugh)
Stoner #2: ‘Uhhh’ (stupid pothead thought)
I walked away in an effort to keep my lady-rage in check and to prevent an outburst that may have caused a scene. I assumed they would somehow figure out the magically mysterious intercom system, but, alas, they didn’t because no announcement ever came. I guess they just couldn’t be bothered. It’s not like it was something important like their car.
Those are just two examples of the shitheads I have encountered in just the past two days. I think I could handle it a little bit better if I had at least had the pleasure of experiencing even one random act of kindness to offset them, but, no, no, that would be asking way too much of the universe. I know that neither of those incidents is really all that awful in the grand scheme of things, but I think they speak volumes about the fact that almost no one puts any value on good customer service anymore. It also says a lot about the state of our society as a whole – lazy, rude and inconsiderate are now replacing hard-working, polite and thoughtful. What’s wrong with people? Why isn’t anyone willing to have a pleasant attitude at work, occasionally take a moment to do something kind for someone, or even just be a decent human being?
Brett was so right. I like dogs way more than people.
Posted by Dominique in General
