She called me and wished my a happy father's day and then told me I was becoming a white boy which was some sort of disparaging remark.

I was too uninterested to find out what the problem was over my cell phone, so I did not say much. I wanted to tell her that sometimes I have problems too, sometimes things do not go well for me, sometimes I get busy with things, sometimes I need to worry about me but she did not call to hear my excuses.

People talk to me to listen to their complaints, not so they can listen to mine.

I know the words that will bring her back
but I don't say nothing as I watch her pack

...

It always seems to surprise me at how quickly people will throw their hands up with a situation when they encounter a problem.

"Tim, the printer's not working."

"What's the problem?" I have given up any expectations of actually getting a valid reply to this question, I merely ask it to try to get people to think but that never works.

"It says 'feed paper long edge first', or something. I don't know."

The message was 'LOAD MP TRAY - FEED PAPER LONG EGDE FIRST' so I placed paper on the manual paper tray tall-wise and the thing worked and I explained such to person with the problem.

"Oh, I didn't know"

Yeah, I didn't know either until I read the message.

...

I was standing on the middle island of the busy street waiting for a break in the traffic when my cell phone rang.

"Tim, does the AC in your office work?"

I know this is not the question she really wants answered. She really wants to know if the AC works on the second floor so I answer that question.

"It cools the second floor down but it leaks a bit." The condensation water is not draining like it is supposed to.

"Oh, because Sandy said she was up there and it was like a sauna."

"Well, that's because someone shut the thing off. I made a special trip in there to turn it on and when I got back at four it was off."

"So it does work?"

"Well, yes and no. It cools the place but it leaks."

"So it does cool the place?"

"Yes. It takes awhile because hot air rises, all the hot air from downstairs goes up, so you have to let it run a bit."

"So we don't need anyone to look at it?"

"Except for the leak."



I would think I was some sort of super genius if I didn't think a lot of people have lazy minds.

...

I had Friday off. It was a paid holiday for me. I would name the holiday but I fear it being googled by someone who knows me in the flesh and blood. Anyway, I was around the house on Friday and I pulled out from the shed the chipper shredder mainly just to make certain I could get the thing started.

I pulled the worked the levels to the appropriate choke and throttle levels and pulled the start rope. I got nothing but that was to be expected, it's an old machine and it has been started in over two years. I pulled it again and got a slight hint of the engine wanting to turn over so I pulled the rope a third time and heard a thunk.

Thunks are not good sounds. I could not longer pull the rope. I then went to the basement for my wrenches. I have wanted to take the thing apart for awhile, to sharpen things and routine maintenance but I really didn't wish to do it that day.

It turns out that a chuck of wood got wedged somewhere because of some rusted part. I fixed the problem, sharpened some things and worked the rusted parts free and in the process received skinned knuckled, cuts and scratches.

A couple days later and I still have the marks of work on my hands. I've missed those marks.


...

There are two local supermarkets that I frequent, one of which I do not like and I think I figured it out the other day as to why I don't like the one I don't like. I don't like it because the people there shop in groups, you don't get individuals pushing a cart you get three or four people creating a gathering around a shopping cart clogging up the narrow isles and they act like it's your fault that the isle gets backed up.

Just step aside.