Every once in a while even bad TV has good moments.

From Still Standing:
"Isn't that what faith is all about-- believing in something without a guarantee?"
"Oh, like the Cubs. I get I now."

***

Now that I'm home, with food in my stomach and my knee brace on, I feel almost human again. There for a while it was pretty touch-and-go. It should never, never take over an hour to drive 13 miles. Ever. I could bike 13 miles in that time. Humph.

It didn't help that I left the office in a bad mood. I know I should be glad I have work to complain about (and I am), but really, people are just stupid. Part of my job involves customer service. Granted, I don't deal with a lot of actual "customers," but whether or not they are spending money, I do represent the department, and I have to be nice.

Today I had trouble with that.

There was a woman coming to campus to meet with one of the professors. I got stuck trying to give her directions over the phone. I've worked there three weeks. I didn't know what the hell I was talking about, but I still did a damn good job. She kept talking about how she'd heard it was a really bad neighborhood, and she didn't want to go through any dangerous areas. Driving, mind you, not walking. I promised her that it would be perfectly safe, and I even took her a little bit out of her way just so that she wouldn't have to see any sketchy sections of town. And then she called back from the road after she went the wrong way, missing a very clearly marked sign. And then she called again. And again. And again. And she just kept saying how she was scared of bad neighborhoods. And then she had the nerve to ask if she had to go such a roundabout way on the way home. At one point I had to stay on the phone with her while she drove, saying yes, that is the next street you should be passing. Yep, still right.

Now, I'm not saying I've never gotten lost. I know sometimes you can get turned around in an unfamiliar area. I would look at a map first... Actually, this crazy woman said she tried to mapquest our address and couldn't find it, which is ridiculous because I've mapped it before. And hey, they make paper maps these days... What really drove me insane was that she seemed incapable of thinking for herself or making decisions. I mean, if someone told you to head away from downtown and turn onto 89th street (hypothetical numbers here), and you hit 91st street, wouldn't you kind of figure 89th had to be behind you somewhere? C'mon, it's simple math.

***

I also get to deal with academics all day long. I know they make a lot more money than I do. I know they're more educated than I am. I know what they're doing is more important than what I'm doing (well, sort of). I have a lot of respect for them. I know for a fact I can't do what they do. But really, is it that difficult for them to do their own menial tasks? One guy took time to come down to my office and describe a problem he was having with his phone. The solution? Press pound-6. Took about three second on the phone with tech support for me to get the answer. It took him longer to walk to my office than it would have to call for himself. I just do not understand that mentality.

***

And now my neighbors are playing ridiculously loud-- and bad-- music. And I can't go run because I need a rest day. GRRRR.