Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Bad Behavior

It's been one of those days, denizens.  Everywhere we turn, we're confronted with bad behavior.  It's enough to make a girl cry.

TBG took me out to our (formerly) favorite bistro for lunch.  He took a big bite of his burger and found a long hair amidst the ground beef.  We left.

It would have been nicer had the manager made an effort to apologize, rather than just whisking the plates off the table,  The brand new waitress was as sorry as she could be, but she wasn't involved in the preparation so her kind words were of less consequence than those of the owner would have been.

Now I have to find a new place to eat.

ESPN is filled with grown men acting badly, too.  The Rutgers men's basketball coach was fined but not fired for cursing, demeaning, and attacking his players with basketballs to the head.  The Athletic Director says those "are not firing offenses."  It leaves me to wonder what it would take for someone to lose his job under that regime.  These are boys under his tutelage; racial and ethnic slurs surrounded by foul language is not the kind of education I'd want for my son.  Worse than that, the assistant who recorded and reported the actions did not have his contract renewed.... until he did.... after the brouhaha made headline news.

(UPDATE: The coach was fired this morning, 4/3/13)

What are the student-athletes to take away from a situation like that?

The next story on ESPN concerned Ed Rush, the head referee for the Pac-12 Conference.  He offered $5,000 or a trip to Cancun for any ref who called a technical foul on Arizona's head coach, Sean Miller.  Apparently, Mr. Rush feels that Coach Miller is too big for his britches and needed to be taken down a peg. This might have worked in the NBA, Rush's former employer, but, again, it's not what I'd like to see around student-athletes.

There was a reprimand and there was an explanation - it was said in jest. I'm not sure that is the best excuse.  If the boss jokes about something, employees are sure to take notice.  Plum assignments might not come your way if you are seen to lean away from the angle the boss is promoting.  Being a ref is a difficult job under the best of circumstances; this is not the best of circumstances.

Following the pattern, my Samsung Galaxy S3 no longer uploads pictures to my computer.  I have a few picture posts for you, but they are stuck in my camera's memory card.  A call to the tech support center left me fuming.  How many times must "Your camera is not recognized by your computer" be repeated before my answer ("How would I know that?") garnered a reply.  "Yes, ma'am, I am going to work with you on that," starts to get old really fast.  "I will have to get you technical support on your phone" apparently means that they will charge me for helping me.  That was not clear to me (was it clear to you?) the first few times the young man said it. Only when he told me that I would see a charge on my bill did I cancel the call.  I hope that I've also cancelled the charge; his English was only marginally better than my Hindi.

I'm not listing the drivers going ten miles under the speed limit in the left lane, or making a right on red through a "No Right On Red" sign, or texting and narrowly missing the elderly lady and her walker in the parking lot. I chalk those up to snowbird mistakes, and calm myself by remembering that they bring needed dollars to our economy.

Of course, that economy is being hammered by the Modern Streetcar Line which was to have been ready this summer but which may take yet another year... or more.... in addition to costing nearly twice its original price tag.  And that still leaves open the question of whether the cars will really work, once they are finally delivered.

We have legislators who are so afraid of NRA funding that regulations regarding assault weapons and large magazines will never be brought to the floor of the House or Senate.  None of my tweets or phone calls or emails or snail mails have received a response, and there have been enough of them for someone to have noticed that I care about the issue.  My Senators are supposed to represent me.  I'd like to hear the why's of their positions on the issues I've raised.  Apparently, ignoring the voters counts as representation for Arizona's senatorial cohort.

Am I too grumpy for words?  Am I over-reacting?  I've tried, since 2011, to be calmer about the things that aren't really that important.  I've just re-read this post and I've come to the conclusion that enough is enough. I have to speak out when I'm offended.  I can't keep it inside any longer.  I just hope that I haven't offended any of you.

It's time for me to work on some Ben's Bells and remember that kindness helps.  Perhaps that will have an effect on my attitude, if not on those people who've been behaving badly.

13 comments:

  1. I'm not offended in the least. In fact, I'm releasing a big sigh of relief. It's not just me that gets annoyed by these types of things. Is it too much to ask for good customer server? And why the heck do I have to pay for support? Shouldn't that be included in the product that I buy?

    Don't even get me started on Congress. I've been calling, tweeting, Emailing. The only thing that will get a response from this is if I withhold my donations. That's the only thing I can think of to get to them. It used to be that people wanted to serve for the common good, but now it's all about who can buy them. One of my Senators has an "A" from the NRA and he tried to tell our MDA group that it's complicated. It's not complicated in the least. He's a shill for the NRA and he doesn't want to lose that funding. What's so damn complicated about that. Either he represents his constituents or he represents the NRA.

    I'm off to have a cup of tea and calm my nerves down.

    Sending hugs,


    Megan xxx

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    1. :"Complicated" is a code phrase, just as you say, Megan. It's fairly simple to me: you are either in the pocket of the NRA or you're not.
      a/b

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  2. I meant to say good customer service.

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  3. I thought of you when I was forced to replace my old 'stupid' phone with a new smart one. I chose the same model you named. The voice command did not work. I called for tech help and although the rep spoke good English, he was clueless as to how to fix the problem. A google search proved that my problem is extremely common on that model. Why sell it if all its bells and whistles don't work? I took it back and got a much less intelligent phone. I can dial 911 on it-lickety split! No swiping, tapping, searching etc...

    On the day I purchased the Samsung, the person who waited on me was flat rude. It seems to me that rudeness from people supposedly giving customer service is as common as spines on a cactus these days.

    Sending hugs back.
    Sharon
    p.s. I've been able to go to sleep for two nights in a row! I'm rather amazed and very, very grateful!!!

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    1. The kid in the store was no more help than the kid on the phone. Is it Verizon? Is it the culture? Is it me? So glad you got a phone that works... and that dials 911!

      So glad you are sleeping well..... you're in our thoughts <3
      a/b

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  4. I feel the thoughts, A/B and I'm grateful for them.My son pointed out that over the next weeks, I might have nights when I have no trouble sleeping and nights when I freak out completely...and everything in between.

    Right now, I don't care what tricks a phone can do if it can't call the cops in a NY second! LOL

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    1. PTSD is a sneaky fellow, jumping up and hitting you over the head when you least expect it. As Little Cuter's therapist suggested, you need to "embrace the witch" and let it run its course. We're here if you need to vent <3

      Let's hope you don't have to call 911 in any kind of a second at all.
      a/b

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  5. It's so beneficial to vent frustration, no matter how big or small. Sharing is therapeutic. It can get to be toxic if too many gripes mount up...It's like "taking out the trash". LOL

    I share your outrage regarding that bully of a coach & Rutger's handling of that situation. What he did is unconscionable to say the least. He should've been fired immediately & without hesitation. What an abominable human being...to relentlessly berate and abuse those boys the way that he did...causing immeasurable and lasting damage to those kids! They're KIDS!!! What a shame, I couldn't imagine having my son play for a guy like that, it's unthinkable. A coach is supposed to bring out the very best in their players!!! Their job is to be a role model who parents trust when they send their kids off to college. Coaches are to develop, inspire, mentor and otherwise positively influence young lives! Good coaches instill greatness and inspire an athlete to reach their very best potential!!! I will always be grateful for the good coaches I had who developed me as a young athlete. They taught me what it takes to be successful, both on & off the court. I learned so much more than what it takes to "win". They taught responsibility, teamwork, how to achieve my goals and MANY other invaluable life lessons!
    What happened there is an absolute disgrace all the way around. How Rutgers kept him on is insane. Bravo to the whistle blower who put his ass on the line & exposed the truth...it takes a lot of courage to take on a bully like that. Now that it's hit the press, they really have a mess on their hands...what a disaster! :(

    Sorry about your unfortunate lunch experience...It can be really disappointing when your go-to place lets you down! We had a similar experience on Easter Sunday. For almost a year, we've gone to a place I love(d)called Chelsea's Kitchen. We've loved everything about the place, however Sunday our service went from "WTH?!" to worse to HORRIBLE!!! Took me a good 24 hours to come to terms with the fact that we'll never be back!!! I really tried not to let it ruin our day...Ugh.

    Could add to your list of gripes, here in this space, that goes with the theme "BEHAVING BADLY"???

    My beef is this whole Jodi Arias Trial that is becoming an absolute circus. The taxpayers of Maricopa County are forking over a $hitload of money to pay for her defense. I'm not a proponent of capital punishment, but I wish she'd drop dead right about now for what she did & how much we're paying for her to exist on this planet! I get SICK to my stomach to think of how those dollars could improve EDUCATION, among other things. OUTRAGEOUS, I say! The way it's dragging on for so long MAKES MY BLOOD BOIL & I can't even stand to see her face on the news anymore. Sometimes it's pathetic how expensive and ridiculous the justice system can be...sigh.

    Now that I've gotten these few things off my chest, I get to go tackle the workout I've been procrastinating for over an hour! Isn't it amazing how exercise seems to almost instantly neutralize the stress & frustration we carry around!?

    Hope everyone has a productive, WoNDeRFuL WeDNeSDaY! :)

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    1. Ah, Liz, I am so glad that The Burrow gave you a place to vent... and procrastinate :) I've not been following that trial (just as i avoided Octomom and Casey Anthony) but it's been on the edges of my consciousness for a very long time, as you say. Better uses for our tax dollars... here in AZ that just makes me laugh... through my tears.
      a/b

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  6. You are definitely not overreacting. You, of all people, should know.

    I wrote a paragraph about that coach today. I am so glad they fired him (long overdue) and I think he should be brought up on charges.

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    1. And the AD left... and I think the president should follow them, as well. What kind of lessons were being taught?!?
      a/b

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  7. I think my biggest beef is the number of drivers WITH ARIZONA LICENSE PLATES running red lights. When did a red light become just a suggestion? We'll be gone soon, it's getting too warm for us.

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    1. Traffic in Tucson is awful.... lights and signs are suggestions, as you say. I've had to be much more aware driving here than anywhere else... you can't count on others to follow the rules.

      Travel safely to your cooler destination, Allison.
      a/b

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