Aug 29, 2009

I ran into a conspiracy nut in the store this morning. Not totally unusual, given our clientele, but odd considering that he wanted to interrogate me. This guy comes in from time to time and is a bit on the creepy side anyway. He asked if working in the store had made me crazy yet? Then he went on a long-winded rant about how no one can last more than a couple of years in our store, before they quit in frustration. The source of the frustration was never articulated. He knows this because he has been a customer for eight years, the told me. He asked how long I've worked there and I told him a couple of years. In fact, I added that Bill has been there for 16 years and John for 6. Among the actually Helpful Hardware types, I'm the junior member. "That", he said, "is very unusual." He wanted to know what I liked about the job. I mentioned a lack of pressure and that 90% of customers are pleasant and grateful for the help I provide. Plus, it keeps me in walking around money (as long as I don't do too much walking around). "90% pleasant", he wondered? "Really? I doubt that." He made the mistake of extrapolating from his personal sample size of one. He added that he is "semi-retired", which I took as code for can't hold a job. He said he is considering applying at our store. I think the store on the planet Zork might be a better fit. I believe this says it all. Something else. I am a Netflix subscriber and I choose many of my movies based upon the ratings of other subscribers. I have noticed that any movie involving the Holocaust gets a very high rating on Netflix. Presumably, excluding the latest stink bomb from Tom Cruise. Maybe I'm just a shallow person, but I cannot bring myself to watch movies about six million of my fellow human beings being exterminated. Even if it about those who tried to save them. Life will hand-deliver enough pain and suffering to my door with me seeking it out. Things in this blog represented to be fact, may or may not actually be true. The writer is frequently wrong, sometimes just full of it, but always judgmental and cranky

4 comments:

Barbara said...

Let's hope you don't end up having to mentor the pessimist with all the questions.

I'm with you on the holocaust movies. They are my people (now), but I have always had a hard time facing the reality of what happened. I can read about it, but I just can't watch it. I still have the picture of Meryl Streep having to choose between her two children etched in my mind. I'm sure it happened just like that.

Kurt said...

Whereas i cannot get enough of Holocaust movies. "Shoah," at 9 hours, is a personal favorite. That said, I still won't rent the Tom Cruise thing.

Coffee Messiah said...

Is Zork one of the new planets?

Anything with TC in it has to be bad ; )

The Bug said...

LOVED the David Souter Retires clip - hilarious! And if that guy gets hired at your store I'm sure you'll get to hear even more "interesting" theories about what's going on in the world.

In general, I try to avoid reading or watching anything sad for the reasons you mentioned. Gratuitous violence? I'm there! Comedy? Count me in. But sad? I'll be the one hiding in the bed with the covers over my head...