Whatever happened to customer service?

I just got back from a quick shopping trip ....
It's tax free days on clothes this week (ends tomorrow) and a lot of stores are having very good sales, some with coupons, etc. One coupon I have (a magical coupon where you don't know if you save 10% to 70% until they scan it) expires today, so I wanted to go use it. Of course I had a half an hour ... but hey ... I can power shop when I need to!
I walk into the department store in the jewelry department ... I made myself bypass that area because I got sucked in there last week for over an hour and didn't even realize it! What can I say, I have a thing for big clunky silver rings!!!! So where do I end up next ... shoes! So I'm looking at shoes, trying on shoes ... keep in mind, I don't need shoes ... but when did that ever stop a women from getting some? I found some ubber cute shoes too ... but hurried along and thought I'd go back if I had time.
Looked quickly at the clothes, saw some really cute things, but they were making the 5 minutes announcement so I needed to move it. So off to the purses I go. I found a cute purse regular $30 marked down to $17, then I could take an extra 50% off that! So I carried that around, even though I looked like an idiot with it, because it looked like something someone half my age would buy ... but who cares, I liked it. Then I saw some others on my way through, and picked those up so I could decide (0r not and get them all) once I had finished looking. I was down looking at the Tommy purses that were on sale for 20 bucks when they made the final announcement. So I quickly looked so I could make my decision and be on my way. While looking I hear a sales associate say to her co-worker something very rude about the fact they have to make the closing announcement in English as well as Spanish. Usually I'd say something, but I let it go ... I said it in my head and hurriedly looked. Not a second later the rude women was beside me saying in a VERY rude tone, "did you not hear, we're closed"! Can you believe that? I mean we're talking department store here, not a five and dime store (not that it should made a difference, but still)!!! So there I was looking up at her, taken aback by how I was being treated ... then it happened, it always happens, my mouth .... it opens up and words just stumble out of it. Sometimes I think my mouth is run by another brain I'm unaware of!!!! I made the sales associate more than aware that I did hear BOTH announcements as well as her extremely uncalled for racial comment. I reminded her that I was the customer and she was to wait on me, not be rude to me. As I stood up I took my hand and pushed ALL of the small Tommy purses I was looking at off the shelf and looked her straight in the eye (after looking at her name badge) and said, "Mary, I'm sorry if you're not happy with your job; however, just because an announcement is made does NOT mean your closed. There are still other customers in the store making there final purchases, the lights are still on, and the doors unlocked. Do NOT act like you're above me, do NOT act rudely towards me, and do NOT make racial comments." She gave me this look like I had 4 heads .... and then looked at all the purses I had pushed off the rack. (Okay, so a little immature of me, but like I said ... it's that other brain that steps in!!!) I then informed her that her manager would be informed of what had taken place, blah blah blah. I then realized I had the purses in my hand that I had picked up throughout my shopping, I looked at them, then her and told her that I WAS going to purchase them, but since the store is "closed" (and did the " "with my fingers when I said closed) I guess I can't, and dropped them in front of me on the floor. On that note, I stepped over my chosen purses and left the department.
Okay, so I might have taken it a little too far. I am 31 years old, but it's that other brain, I can't help it ... it kicks in, my mouth opens and just stand back and wait for the aftermath. Sure just asking to speak to her manager would have been enough, but it wouldn't have been as satisfying as what I did. More mature ... yes, but it wouldn't have felt as good. And knowing she has to pick those purses up and neatly place them upon the shelves gives me pleasure. Sure she gets paid by the hour, so I'm sure she'll be getting a little extra for my satisfaction ... but I don't care. Maybe she'll use the extra money to buy a new attitude!!!

Nervous night, no sleep, for what?

After a night of restlessness and not knowing what the day ahead held was for nothing!!! Terry was a wreck, I was a wreck ... trying to be strong for him, but I broke down around 0330 because I just couldn't do it anymore.

But all that was for nothing .... to just hear his trial had gotten a continuance!!!! Then he tried to get ahold of his attorney and paralegal ALL day leaving messages to not get a call back at all!!!!! So we're paying a very good attorney for what??? I think I'm more on edge today than I was last night because now I don't know what's going on!!!!

Life ... gotta love it!

The ignorance of others ....

Why must the ignorance of others be such a hindrance on my life?

Some say ignorance is bliss .... and maybe in some cases it is. Knowledge is something we can never get enough of, yet something we can never know all of. I would define ignorance not as the lack of knowledge: because we all suffer from that, but the lack of necessary knowledge. The knowledge one needs depends on what needs you have for knowledge. For example, a doctor (hopefully) has the knowledge of medicine and the proper treatments for diseases, as well as how to diagnose various disease. If this doctor doesn't know who painted a painting hanging on a wall .... that's ignorance to art; however art isn't the knowledge they need to perform their job properly. Someone who states bad statistics is ignorant to math. Those examples are really not the type of ignorance I'm speaking of; however they are examples of ignorance.

Somebody who walks by a little child wearing only a dirty t-shirt, with disheveled hair and a dirty face without stopping to see why they're alone and dirty .... ignorance. Is this child lost? Abducted from it's home and dropped off on the street corner? Homeless? The child obviously needs help, yet I guarantee many would pass by without giving a second thought about the child.

Knowing a parent is not properly taking care of there children and not doing anything ... ignorance. They might live in a nice neighborhood, have a beautiful home, drive a nice car, the kids are always clean and in nice clothing .... yet they don't receive the care at home the need and deserve. Knowing that is going on and letting it continue, ignorance.

Smoking .... I wouldn't call that ignorance, that is just pure stupidity. I have a very hard time believing someone in this day and age that doesn't know the dangers of smoking. I might (MIGHT) call not knowing about smoking around infants and children ignorant ..... but even that is pushing it.
The CDC estimated last year that exposure to secondhand smoke kills more than 3,000 nonsmokers from lung cancer, approximately 46,000 from coronary heart disease, and as many as 430 newborns from sudden infant death syndrome. I think everyone knows secondhand smoke is dangerous, this is why I find it hard to call that ignorance rather than pure stupidity. And for those of you wondering how many smokers die a year, it's around 400,000.

The same goes for drunk drivers ... there's not ignorance there, just pure stupidity! Everyone knows that drinking + driving = stupidity, there's no way around it .... the equation always has the same answer. (Around 17,000 people are killed due to drunk drivers yearly.)


After all that rambling (sorry), comes my dilemma .....
What's the difference between common sense and ignorance? Is it a very fine line?? There are members in my family who are extremely intelligent, yet extremely ignorant (I believe) when it comes to certain matters. Even after being educated, they continue to show ignorance ... so they're given the knowledge (by myself, the youngest one that knows nothing) yet don't bother to use it, or even research it if it's not believed. Is that still ignorance? Is it stupidity? Or is it just lack of common sense????? Whichever it may be is not an easy thing to deal with.

Why is it?

Why can't things in my life remain constant? Everything goes well, and stays well .... does that happen??

I was going along thinking everything was fine .... I was married, going through an adoption process ... looking forward to having my baby daughter from China, buying clothes, getting a room ready, etc. I had friends, one in particular that I cared more for than he'll ever know. He understood me, stood by me through everything, as I did for him. Doesn't sound too bad, really. Not the perfect life, but not bad!

Now here I am, adoption called off .... I hurt thinking about that daily!!!! Today I watched the little girls 2 homes down play as the Mother took the groceries in. I went to get the mail as they were pulling in ... the oldest of the 2, waved from her back seat car seat in the minivan and said hi to me in her cute little voice. As I watched them play, I couldn't help but think ... my daughter could be playing with them. And not only that ... it's a Chinese family, so she would learn about her culture. So I sat here looking out my bay window watching them with tears down my face.

Then there's the friend .... the one that can't even return an call or an email. The one that can't even thank me for a gift.

How can someone's life turn so bad so abruptly??

Something from Aristotle

"Wishing to be friends is quick work, but friendship is a slow ripening fruit."

Just another quote

"When the world says, 'Give up, ' Hope whispers, 'Try it one more time.'"

Author unknown

Today the brown truck should have made a delivery ....

I finally got around to sending Shyam most of the gifts I had gotten him for Christmas, his birthday, and the few items I still had (meaning I didn't use) from the day he got arrested. I still have his 6 month sobriety gift to send him .... it's been more than 6 months now though. I plan to get that to him as soon as I can. I would like to give it to him in person, but I don't see that happening.

I haven't gotten a call, or even an email from him thanking me for the package. Not that it was much ... but still. I don't get what's up with him ... how can you go from best friends to nada? An explanation would be nice ... why things changed so dramatists once he got out of rehab ... not much to ask is it? Someone I care about, love, worry, and think about daily ... I doubt he'd even care if I were dead.