Skip to main content

Just Another Number



I'm exhausted right now, and I've only been awake for 4 hours. The problem is the 2 hours I stood inside the Social Security Administration building (and I mean stood) felt like an entire day inside a middle school classroom. For one thing, every time an employee called for a number, you would hear a beep followed by the number. Considering the amount of time we were all spending there, you would think people would listen intently in the hope their number would be next. Instead, the conversations grew louder so they could be heard over the interrupting employee. This is not unlike students at the end of the day who miss out on their bus change because they were too busy talking over the announcement.

Another favorite moment today was when the security guard announced that anyone parked behind the building without a permit would be towed. People started throwing questions and complaints at him. "But I parked on the side of the building!" "Is it okay if I parked out front?" I had flashbacks of assigning homework. "Complete questions 1, 3, 4, and 5 for homework." "What about 2? Do we need to do 2?" Don't get me started on the number of minutes we all lost to people who didn't use their wait time wisely enough to complete the paperwork before they reached the counter. (Can anyone say, write your name on your paper as soon as you start the assignment!)

So in the end, I did something really mean today. One guy, dressed in his work attire of button-down cotton shirt and black trousers kept complaining about how he didn't have time to sit there and wait. I don't know how many times the security guard reminded him that he had to wait his turn just like everyone else (including the people who lined up at the door at 6 a.m.). He was really antsy as we finally neared my number, and he canvassed the room to find out how many people with a number before his were actually there. I happened to have 2 tickets, 2 numbers apart. I gave the second one away from someone who I knew was before him.

And it felt good. I know it was mean, but I just really cannot stand people who think they should be above the system. The woman I gave it to was there just as long as I was, but she didn't complain one peep.

In the end, I will say that I do not begrudge the federal employees when they take their union mandated twenty minute break even when there's a line out front that makes the fire inspector chew his nails. After all, they spend all day dealing with people like me who are irresponsible enough to lose their social security card and then complain about the wait to get a free replacement.
Labels:

Comments

Christy said…
What a nightmare! I would have done the same thing with my ticket, by the way. I probably would have done it in plain view, waiting for the moment when he was most likely to see me handing it over....
6:03 PM
frabjouspoet said…
I almost did that, but it seemed a little too cruel. He was nearby, though.
7:38 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Stalking a Pirate

Prepared we were not to cross Captain Jack's path late in the summer of ten, with the sun bearing down as we wandered the town where the Koreshans once lived. But he nodded. We smiled and went on our way, rolling it all in our heads. We giggled and talked and suddenly stopped to turn back and run after him. You see love for a pirate and sailing the seas rest deep in a gypsy girl's soul, where she dreams of the day he will take her away to find a new place in the world. So we followed his swagger as he wound through the woods and stopped to take in the sights. You know when chance comes to call you must answer with all because sometimes she doesn't seek twice. There we tracked Captain Jack on the seashell lined path and dreamed of the life that he lived With his swashbuckling ways that man made our day late in the summer of ten. You know love for a pirate and an adventurer's life lie deep in a gypsy girl's soul, where she dreams of the world she has yet to explore an...
2 comments
Read more

Trying to Keep It All Together

The title of this post is a bit of a misnomer. Just this morning I said, "I'm having a hard time getting it together right now." I'm in one of those periods when showing up is the best I can offer, and I can't even guarantee that. That said, I just popped on here to share that I'm struggling. I'm dealing with a lot of loss right now. Some of it is easy to spot. Some of it I've tucked away because it's either terribly painful or terribly embarrassing--at least to me. Some of it was inevitable. Some of it was a surprise. All of it rises up into the center of my chest and begs me to stop for a moment to acknowledge it. It's doing that right now even as I type this. I'm having a hard time getting it together right now.
Post a Comment
Read more

Welcome 2010

This has been an interesting beginning to the new year. The evening began with a beer and air hockey challenge, which I handily lost. This was followed with some extreme go cart racing and more beer, a dinner that consisted of leftovers from one of my favorite South Carolina restaurants and homemade fried zucchini. And more beer. I saw "The Hangover" for the fourth time and laughed like an idiot. After the ball dropped in Times Square, I saw pieces of "Public Enemy" and finally crawled into bed around 2:00 a.m. and stayed there until 11:00 this morning. I spent today playing with a dog, watching college football, and hanging out with one of my current favorite people. I don't do the whole new year resolution thing. However, I do believe in taking a look at the lessons I've learned and the experiences that have unfolded for me in the previous year. Anyone who reads this blog can already figure out that my divorce, running, and dating again have greatly influe...
5 comments
Read more