The day after yesterday

This was in a chemist shop window. For me Christmas stuff should start
in December.

Our lives our just punctuated by marketing and events designed to make you spend money.

• Halloween
  
• Christmas
  
• The sales
  
• Easter
  
• Mother's day
  
• Grandmother's day
  
• father's day
  
• holidays
  
• TAXES
  

From time to time I have to take the train which evitably means spending a long time in confined spaces which strangers.
Although in other circumstances this could be quite an attractive idea, here it isn't.
Some profiles of fellow travellers :
The chatters, these are the people who are going the chat loudly and laugh for the whole journey. In the end it becomes bacground noise.
The phoner, this one is constantly on the phone bringing in other souls in an already crowded wagon.
The smoker, although he doesn't smoke on the train the odeur of cold tobacco surrounds him like an aura. He was also the last to arrive as he had to get the most out of that last cigarette on the platform.
The home entertainement buff, he's fully equipped with enough hifi material to run a small discotheque. The constant high pitched sounds from the headphones complete the audible range.
The journey as usual will be long.

 

I missed breakfast and I never really caught up on my hunger.
At the end of the day I could only think about eating something fast and fat.

For the next two days the car smelled of fast food and I could feel in my stomach for as long.

I'd better buy some milk and cereal.

I’m already dreading it. My car has been having problems this year and has cost as much or more as buying a new one would hence the decision to replace.

OK nice, a new car is always a pleasure. What I'm dreading is the amateur dramatics you have to go through when you have to negociate the trade in and the final price.

For instance, some particular tricks that I’ve already been witness to.

Me : OK so what’s your best offer.
Salesman : Hmmm. Get’s out his price list then spends 12 minutes on his computer trying to bring up a price as if the more time he spent doing it was to represent how hard it is to make me a decent offer. On the 13 minute of silence it’s the normal price less 240 euros.

Up until then I kind of respected him but no need to do the amateur dramatics number to initimidate me.

Another shop

Salesman : OK let’s see you car
I take him outside.
Salesman pretends to get angry because the tyres aren’t new and there a bit of tree sap on the bonnet. “huh, got to replace the tyres and redo the paint… tut.”
Me: How about just washing the paintwork, it generally works when I do it. (and it did this time when I finally took the car back home).

Please salesmen, just give me a price and I’ll decide, I really don’t want to spend 3 hours with you for something that you already know.

Other times, what you’re asking is so much that he has to see the boss then leaves for 10 minutes to plead your case to his director. I know very well that he’s just gone to drink a coffee and smoke a cigarette. The he’ll come back with a pittance as ‘the best he could do’ and that his boss was angry at him for asking.

So cut out the stereotypes and just be honest. I can handle it, I know you have to make some profit.

Sometimes, I just can't say non.

If anyone ever worked for Disney then they know that "we never say no, we always find a solution".

I'm a leisure park all on my own. Just need someone to anything ask me I don't seem able to say no.

Today in the midst of many other very pressing projects, I've been asked to go and take some pictures by the pool. Just call me Jack (of all trades), I'll brush up afterwards and empty the bins. No, don't bother paying me, I know how to do it so you'd be crazy to pay a pro.

Well I've got to get back to work. I might post a picture later.

Anyone for the ride...