Suntana's Blog Trek

Have you ever apologized for something and NOT really meant it? For example, have you ever called someone a clueless, worthless waste of space, Donkey-brained LOSER … and then later gone, "Oh, I'm Sorry! I really didn't mean that?" Have you done that, knowing full well you weren't sincere with your apology? WHAT? NEVER? Ahhh, C'mon now. Why are y'all looking at your feet? Can y'all look me in the eye and now claim you've never pulled that stunt? Have any of those of you who are married ever apologized to your spouse … just to shut 'em up, pacify them and get them off your back? Well, I'm not married and never have been. I just thought I'd get a kick out of watching this Blushing Fest. Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that. Or did I?

Worse than that though, have y'all ever apologized to someone … for something that you don't even have a clue for what exactly it is that you're apologizing? My Post for this week involves such an incident. It took place back in my Junior year in High School. This incident features an old nemesis of mine. Some of y'all will be familiar with this quick-tempered, personality transplant-needing, Pain in the Ass adversary. He is none other than my ole Ag teacher who was featured in my Spring Break Tangled Web Plot Busted Post. http://my.opera.com/Suntana/blog/2008/11/29/spring-break-tangled-web-plot-busted To recap y'all, this character of an Ag teacher was a Rookie, a Newbie .. a total Green, Wet Behind the Ears NOOB in the teaching world. He had a quick temper and a very non-friendly, mean demeanor. Oh, what the heck, from here on, I'll just refer to this Ag teacher as Mr. NOOB.

Some of the Ag classes had been working on this project, rebuilding the Stock Pens. Mr. NOOB had already engineered this detailed Master Plan for the layout of the Stock Pens. There were many Railroad Ties serving as End Posts there in the Pens. As per the Master Plan, only certain ones were supposed to be taken out. Mr. NOOB had arranged for this guy from the County Maintenance Crew to come over with a Heavy Equipment Loader to knock down specific End Posts, while leaving other specific ones intact.

The End Posts knocking down task was going to be taking place on a Saturday morning. Now … you would THINK that with Mr. NOOB having chosen a Saturday as the day for that task, HE should have been the one to be there at the Stock Pens to make sure all the work was done 100% correctly as per his Master Plan. But, Nooooooo! He had who knows what other thumb-twiddling priorities to take care of on that Saturday. Mr. NOOB decided he needed a no life-having Lackey Volunteer to direct the County Maintenance dude, oversee things and ensure that only the specific End Posts were knocked down. Mr. NOOB probably asked some of the other guys in the various classes if they wanted to Brown Nose … Err, that is to say, if they wanted to volunteer to Shit Can their usual Saturday morning routine away and instead go handle the Stock Pens project. Those other guys probably told Mr. NOOB where to stick his Stock Pens project supervision task. Oops! I mean, they were probably quick-thinking, threw guilt out the window and told Mr. NOOB they were busy. So, Mr. NOOB came to me and asked if I could handle the task for him. I don't remember the details, but I'm sure his "favor request" had that guilt trip-y "I can make things hard for you and get revenge … if you don't accept" aura to it.

Yadi Yadi Yada … One, Two Three … Zip, Bam, Boom! The next thing I knew, I had been Suckered, strong-armed into being the volunteer to oversee the Stock Pens project … on a Saturday morning. I was informed by Mr. NOOB that the County Maintenance dude was going to be there at 7:00AM. For some reason, I took the liberty of NOT believing that the County Maintenance dude would really be there at 7:00AM. I was like, "C'mon! REALLY? The dude's gonna be there at 7:00AM … on a Saturday morning? Yeah Right! As Daffy Duck would say --- It is to laugh."

Saturday morning came around. I could have made it in time to my thrust upon task. But, Nah! I decided to sit around watching TV. I was convinced the County Maintenance dude would show up more like closer to 8:00AM. And I was sure the dude would no doubt WAIT there until someone told him what was to be done. Instead of being at the Stock Pens promptly at 7:00AM as I had agreed with Mr. NOOB I would do, I more like headed on out walking to the Stock Pens at 7:30ish. As I was getting to the Stock Pens, I suddenly heard the distinct sound of the Heavy Equipment Loader. I immediately got a sense of panic, "Oh Shit! I sure hope he's barely getting there and is going to wait!" I started running to possibly avert disaster.

I got there and immediately saw that the dude had already knocked down several of the End Posts that weren't supposed to be knocked down. I shouted at the dude, "WAIT! HOLD ON! STOP!" I then tried to inform him as to which End Posts he was supposed to knock down and which ones not. He said he had been told to knock them ALL down. I inquired, "Who told you that?" He goes, "The Principal just happened to have been driving by and I asked him if he knew anything about this project. He told me just knock them ALL down." I go, "I'm the one who as per Mr. NOOB's plan, is supposed to tell you exactly which Posts to knock down. You already knocked down some of the wrong ones. Don't knock down these over here and those over there." Instead of being cooperative, the dude goes, "The Principal told me to knock them ALL down and that's what I'm gonna do." ZOITS! Ruh Roh! Knowing Mr. NOOB was such a Hot Head, I knew I was in serious Shit.

I didn't enjoy the rest of my weekend, dreading going to Ag class on Monday morning. Monday morning of course eventually came. And Ag class unfortunately also eventually came around. Mr. NOOB quickly called me into his little office. Very much Pissed Off, he just succinctly blurts out, "WELL? What happened?" No doubt stuttering some, I had the audacity … or ingenuity to lie … Errr, I mean, to improvise and augment reality. Yeah, that's it! I went, "I overslept." Like Mr. NOOB was going to accept that and go, "Ohhhhh! You overslept! Oh well, in that case, let's just get back to class." Heck no, Mr. NOOB, still furious, goes, "Did you or did you not tell me you would handle that task for me?" I had no choice, but to reply, "Yes sir, I did." Out of the blue, Mr. NOOB goes, "I think you owe the Principal an apology." All perplexed, I went, "WHAT?" Mr. NOOB reiterated, "You owe the Principal an apology." I go, for what? Mr. NOOB goes, "For inconveniencing him. Now get going! Go apologize to him." All baffled, I ever so slowly walked to the Principal's office. The Principal goes, "Hey, Carlos! What's up?" Very awkwardly, I go, "Ummm, well, as per Mr. NOOB, I'm supposed to come here and apologize to you." The Principal puzzled himself, inquired, "For what?" In the Mother of All Understatements, I reply, "I'm not sure." I explained to the Principal what had brought about this awkward apology order from Mr. NOOB. It practically made the Principal laugh. He told me, "Ehhh, don't worry about it. There's nothing to apologize for."