Some rambling stuff

There's something about services that are interesting.  Sometimes they're great, sometimes not so efficient.

Take this morning, for example.  I've experienced both ends of that spectrum this morning.  On my way home from my normal Tuesday exercise routine at my senior fitness place, I had to stop at the local blood taking facility for a routine test.  Inefficiency prevailed there.  I took my number at 7:55 and was third in line.  Not bad.  I waited.  And waited.  And waited.  At 8:35 I was called in for the draw.  The person performing the task was excellent.  I felt nothing and it took longer for her to put the information on the vial than the time it took for the actual draw.  I was home at 8:45. 

I have no idea what took so long.  I was third when I arrived and when I left there were 11 now waiting.  I've never had to wait even half that long at the facility before. 

On the other end, with temperatures in the 90s forecast for later this week and my central air unit not yet serviced for turning on, I called the company and reminded them I had a contract but had not yet  been scheduled.  The scheduler was apologetic and asked if she could call me back.  She's going to try to get me worked in either today or tomorrow.  I can't ask for anything more.

Another topic.  I think that among the shallowest words one can hear on the telehone are, "Please hold.  Your call is important to us."  I've heard those words three or four times recently.  There are many other ways to put someone on 'hold.'  Sometimes you hear, "Please hold.  Our representatives are busy and one will get to you shortly."  I especially like the ones that tell me where I stand in the queue and about how long the wait would be.  And then there are those that give me the option of leaving my number and a representative will get back to me.  But that call is important to us.  If it were that important, the company would have enough people on hand to answer the phone.

How about that Weiner guy?  The congressman at first denied having phone sex, then said his account had been hacked, then it was a joke.  Yesterday he admitted it was all true and he had had several such calls.  But, he's a Democrat and those folk rally around their guys.  He says he won't resign over this scandal.  Yet when a Republican, and they're not perfect people either, gets involved in such scandals, that individual is out within a week.  There are, of course, a few exceptions, but those exceptions appear to be more one sided than two.

There just has to be a better way to resolve a divorce problem than murder-suicide.  Kids were left without parents as a husband shot his wife and then himself after he was involved in high speed police chase.  Very sad.

The Republicans in the Maine Legislature continue to baffle the people who elected them.  Sometimes their actions make me wonder if we really did elect Republicans to improve Maine or if a bunch of Democrats simply saw the handwriting on the wall in the last election and simply ran with an "R" after their names.

Gator