Are people stupid in general?

I dont know where to start with this entry, so let me just haphazardly go through it and then you can try to figure out what the hell I’m talking about. You know, like usual.

I’ve been trying to wire some money to a friend for a week now. Last Tuesday is when the whole ordeal began. I went in and asked to wire some money to a friends bank and they seemed to be okay with it. Just fill out these forms and put the persons bank information on these lines and we should get it to them in 24 hours or so.

Great, I think, how easy was that. So, Friday rolls around and my friend still hasn’t received the money. Strange, since it’s only supposed to take 24 hours or so. So, I go to my bank and ask the lady that I orginally spoke to about it, and her face turns white and she nearly starts sobbing. “Ohmygod, I put it on my desk and totally forgot about it! I’m sooooo sorry, I’ll take care of it right now!”

So, I’m trying not to start screaming at her, because she’s practically crying and all, so I tell her to do it right at that moment in front of me, because I’m not going to leave until I get a receipt. Fine, she does it and hands me a receipt. The transfer should be there on Monday or Tuesday (because of the Memorial Day holiday).

So, today is Wedesday of the following week and my bank calls me, telling me they can’t find my friend’s bank. “What? What do you mean you can’t find it!”, I ask. The bank lady says “We can’t find the bank.” So, I ask, “Did you call them, I gave you their phone number?” She responds, “Um, no.” Now, I’m totally frustrated and ready to rip her head through the phone, “Well, why dont you call them and ask them where they are?” She responds, “Oh, okay!!”

At this point my confidence is dwindling. Have these people never contacted another bank before? I dont know about you, but if I can’t find the bank, and I have a phone number in front of my face, then the next logical step would be to call them up and ask where they are, or for information I need to make the transfer.

So, about ten minutes later, the bank lady calls me up and tells me that she called and got an answering machine for the bank. I told her to listen to the message and press “0” and an operator would get on the line and talk to her. Again, she responds, “Oh okay” and hangs up. Freaking A! What the hell is wrong with these people? Twenty minutes later, she calls me and tells me that she needs my friends bank to fax her their address. I’m like, “I gave you the address!, it was on my friends blank check and then also written out on the paper I gave you, plus I rewrote it on the paper you had me fill out!! You have it three times.” After a bit, I just say, “Fine, I’ll have them fax you their address.”

Now, I was in customer service about ten years ago, when I worked for a grocery store and I’ve always tried to be really patient with people who deal with the public, because I know how hard it can be. But OHMYGOD, I was ready to rip this ladys head out through her ass. In the end, I just cancelled the transfer because it was obviously too hard for the bank to do.

Over the weekend, my family did our annual birthday celebration combination party. Basically, since there are three May birthdays, they do a combination birthday party and call it a day. I guess it’s easier and actually I dont mind because then it’s less embarrassing than having to deal with being singled out and having people make a big deal over you. I hate birthdays in general, and worse, I hate having people make a big deal about mine.

So, it was nice. My aunt had it at her boyfriends house on the lake. There is a paddleboat that could be used if anyone wanted to, but no one was interested. I was getting over a cold/allergy/something in my head type of thing, so I was pretty quiet. Of course, nobody lets you just sit and be quiet. I sat at the table and one by one people came over and would talk to me for hours on end. My cousin loves to talk and I’ve never met anyone that can talk for three hours straight and never repeat anything and never run out of topics. So, I sat there with the taquitos in front of me and ate and listened.

I was finally able to escape, erm I mean relocate when a flower pot suddenly caught on fire. I looked over and saw flames and said, “Is that on fire!”, and everyone ran over and doused it with the hose. Thats what happens when you put smoldering cigarette butts in a wooden flower pot.

Anyhow, I spent the rest of the night with my younger cousins in the television room. They left me alone pretty much until the end, and then began pouncing on me.

Here is the cutest part, they are addicted to AOL Instant Messenger and now that they have my screen name they send me a message the second they get online. I spent an hour yesterday having my youngest cousin sending me little images she downloaded from the web. Plus, I’m feeling old, trying to decipher their little word codes. I mean I know BRB means Be Right Back, but I had no clue that TTYL meant Talk To You Later. I’m so 1992, you know. They are really cute though.

Not much else really going on. I’ve had the apartment to my self for the last four three days or so, because the roommate is out with her friend from Pennsylvania. They went to Los Angeles and should be back tonight or tomorrow night or something. I dont have classes on Wednesday nights anymore, because the class ended, which is kind of nice. I’m enjoying not having something to rush to after work tonight.

Get ready for something really cute now … (I am getting so soft, it’s not even funny anymore!)

Now look at your hand, and imagine that in your hand … ohmygod, I can’t believe something could be that small.