Picture if you will...
You're in the express line at the grocery store, three people ahead of you and maybe another three behind. The next customer has a little personal buggy, covered in opaque canvas so the contents cannot be seen. She begins to unload her selections onto the conveyor belt.
About ten items in, she looks up and sees the "1 to 8 items" sign. She looks at the sign, looks at her buggy, looks at us, shrugs and continues to unload. Items keep coming out of the buggy; 25 or 30 at least. She is no longer making eye contact with anyone, including the cashier who is looking at the rest of us with a helplessly apologetic expression.
SO...
1. What should the cashier say/do, if anything? Keep in mind her position, pay grade, and the constantly reinforced Western customer service mentality of "the asshole...sorry CUSTOMER is always right".
2. What should we, the other folks in line, say/do, if anything? What are the boundaries of politeness?
3. Based on superficial observations, what do you think the woman in line is thinking? She is not old, seems able-bodied, and is not dragging any children. Should she have moved lines? Would YOU, in the same situation? Do you think she even cares?
4. When are we, as a society, going to stop thinking about ourselves all the time and start acting like decent human beings? (Extra points if you can pinpoint this moment, give or take a century)
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
No Place Like Home
I love my apartment, I really do, but maintaining it isn't always easy.
No matter how hard I try, there will always be dust seeping through the cracks and a gradual buildup of waste that needs tending. Regular maintenance is essential to keep it in pristine condition.
Otherwise I very much enjoy my apartment; I like spending time in it, playing games, watching movies, sleeping, eating, writing pointless nothings on the computer...all in all, we spend a lot of quality time together. Even cleaning can be fun, if one is in the mood for it, play some music, get down to business...a real sense of accomplishment.
The key, as I have noted, is consistency. The apartment must be cleaned on a REGULAR basis (capitals are mine). It's amazing how fast something you love can fall apart without regular maintenance.
If I were only to work on it once a year, let's say on an 'anniversary' of cleaning, it would be a total disaster before I could even lift a broom. Even if I doubled that amount and also made a point of caring on the recurrence of the day I moved in (the apartment's 'birthday', if you will), it would be an uphill battle.
Statutory holidays wouldn't be enough, either. I also couldn't get away with 'only when there's company coming over'. No, we're talking a daily basis here...every day I must do something to keep my apartment fresh and alive.
It doesn't always have to be huge; it can be little things like keeping the dishes from piling up or wiping down the sinks after use. Closing the closet doors is a good habit, as it keeping junk off the floor (if it is, in fact, junk, it should be pitched; otherwise I must determine what the item is for and put it in the appropriate spot).
This is important. I mean, it's not like I can just move somewhere else. I've made a commitment; I have rent to pay and lots of furniture to sit on. I can't just trash the place, get tired of it, and haul my stuff elsewhere because keeping the place clean is too much 'hassle'. Like I said, I love the place.
Do you have an apartment? Or a home (mobile or stationary)? Do you take regular care of it, or do you just expect it to be clean when you get back without having to lift a finger? Do you expect it to maintain itself? Pardon me for saying, but that sounds a tad impractical...
No matter how hard I try, there will always be dust seeping through the cracks and a gradual buildup of waste that needs tending. Regular maintenance is essential to keep it in pristine condition.
Otherwise I very much enjoy my apartment; I like spending time in it, playing games, watching movies, sleeping, eating, writing pointless nothings on the computer...all in all, we spend a lot of quality time together. Even cleaning can be fun, if one is in the mood for it, play some music, get down to business...a real sense of accomplishment.
The key, as I have noted, is consistency. The apartment must be cleaned on a REGULAR basis (capitals are mine). It's amazing how fast something you love can fall apart without regular maintenance.
If I were only to work on it once a year, let's say on an 'anniversary' of cleaning, it would be a total disaster before I could even lift a broom. Even if I doubled that amount and also made a point of caring on the recurrence of the day I moved in (the apartment's 'birthday', if you will), it would be an uphill battle.
Statutory holidays wouldn't be enough, either. I also couldn't get away with 'only when there's company coming over'. No, we're talking a daily basis here...every day I must do something to keep my apartment fresh and alive.
It doesn't always have to be huge; it can be little things like keeping the dishes from piling up or wiping down the sinks after use. Closing the closet doors is a good habit, as it keeping junk off the floor (if it is, in fact, junk, it should be pitched; otherwise I must determine what the item is for and put it in the appropriate spot).
This is important. I mean, it's not like I can just move somewhere else. I've made a commitment; I have rent to pay and lots of furniture to sit on. I can't just trash the place, get tired of it, and haul my stuff elsewhere because keeping the place clean is too much 'hassle'. Like I said, I love the place.
Do you have an apartment? Or a home (mobile or stationary)? Do you take regular care of it, or do you just expect it to be clean when you get back without having to lift a finger? Do you expect it to maintain itself? Pardon me for saying, but that sounds a tad impractical...
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