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Friday, June 15, 2012

The True Gentlemen or Is Chivalry Dead?

Yesterday was just kind of awful, mostly due to encountering a rather horrible man at the post office. My day starts well, I have sales, woohoo! Then starts the hectic trying to find boxes, get things packed securely enough so the postal workers don't break them, but not so securely that the customer can't get them unwrapped. It takes a couple hours. I take a minute to water my flowers and CRASH! The statue you see behind the flag falls over, smashing the blue luminaria to bits and her head goes rolling down the driveway. It is hot, I have to pick up the heavy pieces and get them in the trash, then back to loading the packages. We drive to the post office. Grace goes in ahead of me, she is carrying 2 boxes, Anna has 2 and I have 3, all very large boxes. A man walks in after Grace, ahead of me. I peer over my stack of boxes to find my way to Grace and join her in line. This guy actually yells at me "Hey, what do you think you are doing?" Sweat pouring down my face, I try to point to Grace who is standing in line in front of him (not an easy feat when you are laden with large boxes) and say "this is my daughter". He keeps yelling that he would excuse me if I only had one thing to mail, but it was really rude of me to expect to hold him up while I mailed everything I had. I told him to please go ahead of us and the jerk refused, like a pouty 2 year old. So, I guess one is not allowed to be with one's family now when you are waiting in line and being a gentleman and actually helping a woman and her children is out of the question. What really gets me is I am sure he has not a clue of what a nasty mean person he is, and totally sees me as the one in the wrong here. One more mean man story, wondering if this is an Iowa City phenomenon. The girls and I are standing in line in a very crowded coffee shop. We are by the door and someone is trying to leave so I step back to make room for them, not realizing someone is behind me trying to get to the door and I bump into him and he spills his coffee (in a to go cup with no lid....) I say "I'm so sorry.." and start to say I didn't realize he was behind me, but he actually screams at me that he's sure I am sorry in a very sarcastic mean loud voice. I was so shaken I got the girls and left, I mean, honestly, how is this acceptable behavior? I'm really not a rude person, I hold doors open for people and say please and thank you and excuse me and I'm sorry, and this is what I get back. I really do know that these guys are the exception and not the rule, just wondering why I'm the one meeting them!



3 comments:

  1. Wow, Elaine.... it's too bad that you ran into two very angry people on the same day! But believe me, you are not alone....these people are everywhere.... and I just don't get it. My husband says that they are trying to make themselves feel better by putting others down... I guess that could be true.
    Hope you have a better day today.... and a wonderful, happy, Father's Day weekend!!

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  2. Oh no, Elaine...that beautiful Statue and lovely Luminaria...you must have been really fed up last night...especially after encountering not one, but TWO dickheads in one outing!
    Chin up hun...at least your ruined goods are selling! Is this an old customer or a newbie to the 'We-just-love-and-adore-Elaines-truly-fabulous-one-off-pieces' Club?!!
    Have a great weekend and Happy Fathers Day to James!
    Love Karen xx

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  3. You are a meanie magnet! Here's to a meanie free week!
    I am trying to hatch a plan to be visit Hansen's Grove on the 4th.
    As for today, I am sewing. It is too hot to do anything else.

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