Have you ever been caught not listening? Someone is going on and on, telling what is probably not only an interesting story, but a significant one that you need to know. And then when you belatedly leave your happy place in your brain and tune in, storyteller is now on the pronouns and you have no idea who did what to who. And then the dreaded happens...storyperson asks a question. Shit! Brain scramble, you quickly gather all the word echoes you just heard in the last few minutes and try to patch together a semblance of what he/she was going on about. I hate when that happens. And I find as I get older I am getting much worse and I am doing this way more.
Another thing I am doing more and more is get angry. I mean really pissed off. On the phone. With government peeps. They just piss me off.
Today I tried to call Service Canada here in Kamloops. I got three irrelevant menu choices. Every single freaking one of them was for unemployment issues. I don't have unemployment issues. I have passport issues. But that wasn't one of the three options. And to talk to any gum smacking moronic broad at the front desk that they seem to hire here in Hinterland, you have to put in your S.I.N. and your Unemployment file number. I headed out to get into Tank and go down there and yell until security was called.
You see, yet again, I can't get forms to download off Canada Passport site. Kathy tried and failed and when she phoned them they admitted they were having a problem. Jesus! I had that problem with them months ago when I needed to get a copy of my passport. You'd think it would be fixed by now wouldn't you? No. No its not. Fortunately, as I jumped into Tank to go down and start screaming, my phone rang. It was April, and due to their ancient browser...it worked and she downloaded and emailed the forms to me.
I noticed in one of my umpteen calls to Passport Canada, that one of the menu options was "if you are having trouble with the forms" push five. So I decided to do that. And this is how it went:
Her: How can I help you?
me: Yes I would like to report a problem with downloading forms from your website.
Her: What? a website? do you mean...like what...your .....what website?
me: YOUR website! I need to download ttpc 203 to explain how my passport got damaged. It won't download. And this happened to me months ago too. Certain forms just simply won't download.
Her: uhhh...like....uhhhh...your website?
me: NO!!YOUR website!!!!! Passport Canada. you know. Don't you work for Passport Canada? Who are you anyway?
Her: Well yes. Oh, I see, forms won't download? On Passport Canada? What form are you trying to download? The application forms?
Me: NO. NO. I am trying to down load the form ttpc 203. Its in the Damaged or lost or stolen passport section.
Her: Oh Oh In the damaged section?
Me: YES!!!!
Her: Oh yes, I see. Well it is downloading on my computer.
ME: OH MY GOD!!!! IT DOESN'T DOWNLOAD OUT HERE IN LALA LAND WHERE WE THE PEOPLE NEED TO DOWNLOAD FORMS TO GET OUR FREAKING PASSPORTS. AND WE TRIED ON EVERY COMPUTER POSSIBLE. YOU KNOW, THE KIND THAT ORDINARY CANADIAN CITIZENS OWN? AND THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR MONTHS NOW AND YOU GUYS HAVEN'T FIXED IT. WHAT THE HELL DO WE PAY YOU FOR AND HOW IS IT YOU ARE ANSWERING THE BUTTON THAT TAKES US TO 'TROUBLE WITH THE FORMS' AND YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE A F*CKING CLUE WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT. DON'T MAKE ME HAVE TO GO TO GLOBAL AND CTV AND CBC...BECAUSE I WILL. WHERE DO I PHONE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT STUPID PEOPLE ANSWERING PASSPORT CANADA PHONES?" Then I hung up. (shovel list)
Okay, now I'm mad all over again. I abhor stupid people and stupid systems. I was just informed that I have to have a specialty lawyer to deal with the IRS. Its likely to take a very big expensive bite out of the bit of money I may get back from the capital gain hold back. So not only can I not complete that sale myself, but my accountant can't either. The more government institutions I have to deal with, the stupider I feel. And as I said, I abhor stupidity, my own included.
Well the big overhaul of the house has started. Graeme has been staying here for a couple of days so I solicited him and his muscles to give me a hand with the heavier stuff. Some things I simply cannot move.
Anywhoo I started in the garage. So far I have gone through a thousand junk boxes and filled my garbage container and the recycling bin. I put up three Costco tables (the smaller ones) and have piled them with stuff I am getting rid of. I think when I have finished going through all the boxes upstairs here, and clearly have added a bunch more stuff to the piles, I am going to have an everything free garage sale. I don't have time to sit at the tables and dicker with people. Its such a good feeling to get rid of stuff. I think that after garbage day next Monday I am going to fill it with ninety per cent of my kitchen stuff. I hope the next place I own has a really little kitchen. Its like a woman's purse, no matter what the size, its always full to the top.
So now its time to quit writing and get to tossing. TTYL
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