Do you ever go to the post office? Do you have fond memories of it? When I think of the post office, I associate it with any other government ran office; long slow lines and employees that have been grumpy for so long, they forgot how to smile. I don't usually do much business with these people anymore. I do most of my bill paying online now days, and I hate opening the mail unless it I know there will be a money surprise in it for me.
I'm bring this up because I went to the post office twice last week. We needed to change our address and the online system that is suppose to be MOST reliable, wasn't working. Grrreeeeaaaaat. I bit the bullet to hand write the old-fashion form, but when I walked in, the line was outrageous, and there weren't any forms laying around. Nope. In their place were post cards advertising the online system (that costs a dollar to use vs the free version, by the way). I thought, hmmmm, maybe they did away with the old fashioned way. So I continued on with my errands for the day, and had Patrick try the online system when he got home. Didn't work.
The next day, I returned to the post office with a form I printed from online. (After filling all my information out twice and it not registering, the alternative instructions where to print the form with my information, and either mail it in to the address listed, or to give to my carrier.) I looked to my left. The line was long, and only one person was behind the desk. "They're telling their entire life story. We've been standing here forever," the little elderly lady next to me said. I looked to my right. A single man was behind the packaging counter. I went up to him to ask him about my form. "You've got to get in line," he replied. Faaaaabulous. I watched a lady walk in with a sealed and addressed package. She arrived at the drop-off door and rang the door bell, three times. No one answered. No one payed any attention to her, even though you could hear the door bell ring in the whole building. She inquired with the packing counter. "Get in line. If no one answered, then there's no one there," he replied. All this went on, and the line had not budged.
Twenty minutes later, I was next in line! I did it! I held myself together! The packaging man called me to his desk. I showed him my printed form.
Me: I don't know what to do with this. I need to change my address, and this says to "give to carrier, or mail in."
Package Guy: Oh, you need to change your address? You can just fill out one of these forms. (Pulls the old fashioned change of address package out of a drawer and hands it to me.)
Me: I came here yesterday looking for those, and couldn't find any!
Package Guy: Oh, ya. We have to keep them behind the counter now because people kept coming in and taking handfuls of them.
Me: Wow. Okay, well I'd rather not have to fill that out, since my form already has all that information on it.
Package Guy: Okay, no problem. (Hands me a pre-stamped envelope for mailing.)
Me: (Fills out the entire envelope, and then has a realization. . . . .) Excuse me. . . . .
Package Guy: Yes maam. . . . . ?
Me: Am I. . . ? . . . ? . Filling this mailing address out to your actual address?!?!?!?!
Package Guy: Hmmm. . . . . What does the mailing address say?
Me: Blah, blah, blah
Package Guy: Oh, well yes you are. Let me see that form.
Me: (Annoyingly hands him the form.)
Package Guy: You could have just given that to me. We are the carrier. We take those, and change your address immediately.
Me: That's what I was trying to tell you since the beginning! I said it says, "Give to carrier or mail in."
Package Guy: Don't worry about paying for that envelope. I got it.
No way? You "got it"? Sure you did. About 25 minutes of my life is wasted, and you're not going to make me pay for the envelope? Geez, how lucky am I? I always get in trouble for talking to too loud. I think I talk loud enough to be heard, preferably on the first time. But, sometimes I feel like I need to yell at people through a megaphone!
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But then I came home and made this. Three cheese ravioli with alfredo sauce and sauteed mushrooms, butternut squash ravioli with nutmeg butter sauce, creamed spinach with parmesan crust, grilled chicken, and sough dough bread with olive oil/balsamic vinegar dipping sauce.
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And then I cuddled with these cutie pies. . . . . .
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And this little cutie. . . . . . in my new amazingly soft and warm fleece pajama pants. . . . . . . .and all was better.
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Do you have any ridiculous experiences with government offices? Do you ever feel like people just aren't listening to you?!?!
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