Friday evening things

 *Just really tired. It's been an interminably long week, starting with the whole botched delivery on Saturday.

* I also am once again concerned about my memory and if I'm starting cognitive decline of some sort: there were a couple species yesterday where I struggled to remember the specific epithet for them (could get the genus but not the species, not right away). And then tonight, I opened the fridge to get something and saw a bag of shredded cabbage I had totally forgotten I bought it. And then I asked myself: wait, when did you go to wal-mart. (Best I can remember? Saturday morning? Maybe?). I mean, it's still good for another week AND I am going to cook it, but still - it's alarming now how easily I can put things away and forget I have them.

And no, I'm not taking pain pills, not other than regular old tylenol. But maybe tylenol screws with your brain and maybe I need to quit taking it? I don't know. 

Maybe I need to go for a neurological assessment; this is worrying. Then again: I've had memory problems off and on since my dad died and the pandemic. 

* I finished the first sweater sleeve last night on Chalcedony and I did pick up for the second sleeve; I got up to the first decrease round today while giving an exam today.

* I still don't know about going tomorrow. My knee is fine, I got new feet for the cane (Yes, I am still using it. I wish I could give it up but walking on a hard floor makes me hurt after a while, and I need the added support). I got to the bank to get cash and gassed up the car. But if it's thundering and lightning, or pouring hard enough driving on an interstate would feel unsafe - well, I stick at home again, and probably don't get out here until AFTER I visit my mom in May.

*(maybe my worried-about cognition is that I'm not doing enough "different" things? And I do need to get out or do something different?)

*The yarn shop IS supposed to be open Sunday but I doubt I could get down there during their open hours after church (and especially after lunch, if I go) so that might not work. Also I wanted to run one or two other places if parking isn't absolutely impossible.  

* Did a lot of grading and a lot of exam writing and a lot of prepwork for finals week this week; that could be partly what's going on; maybe my brain is just tired. We also had a late week job interviewee (over Zoom) and that's always slightly stressful.

*Also something I've been thinking about: what's the appropriate balance of shrugging and saying "It's okay" when stuff goes badly/you get bad service vs. getting upset or refusing to use a place? Last Sunday our meals were VERY slow in coming, and one woman said "Well, strike THIS place off the list" (They recently suggested striking two other places off, one for slowness, one because they were having persistent point-of-sale problems (not their fault). I am more willing to shrug these things off - and I am, I think, the only one in the group who isn't retired, and so my time is shorter and less flexible! But also, I didn't push on some things this week I might have, especially with all the problems with the installation. I didn't  mention it on here, but they ran over my foam kitchen-floor mat and destroyed it. I didn't think to complain about it when I complained about the drain hose not being hooked up (which I got a rather lukewarm apology about). 

I found a replacement (OR SO I THOUGHT) on Amazon, ordered it. It came Wednesday. The box was awfully big for the size of the mat, I thought. But I dragged it in the house and started to open it.

And then - instead of my nice, spongy-foam running-chef mat...there was some big ugly tufted grey thing in there, like a stair runner you'd put on outdoor stairs. Totally unsuitable for a kitchen, given it was like a carpet (and would get dirty fast) and was NOT cushioned. So I went on to Amazon, Could not find a person to contact so used their automated "I want to return this" service. Was told, "Well, drive it to a UPS store and show them this QR code and you'll get your money refunded"

So I had to go to that effort - tape the box back up, load it in my car (it was heavy and this was Thursday afternoon, I was tired and hurting). It was easy enough to hand in and get sent off.....but instead of the refund to my credit card, I apparently got Amazon Bux (have to spend them there) instead. I went through an online bot, and hunted around and MAYBE after 2 weeks once they receive it my card will be refunded, or maybe not.

I am not built for a world like this: where you have to do literally everything yourself, so places can cut the cost of paying a human to help you, and when something goes wrong because someone did wrong, you either get the runaround or a very half-hearted apology (like: "I'm sorry you are upset" about the situation that really was unjust).. 

I mean, I'm still trying to be kind and helpful and go a bit beyond when a student needs assistance, but when I need assistance, unless I ask someone I personally know, who is not involved and whose responsibility it is not, I don't get helped.

But what do you do when every business in your town for some category is on your "bad list"? I don't want to drive to Sherman next time I need an appliance, and pay an extra delivery fee. But Lowe's is out because there is literally no employee on the floor to help. And maybe the local place is out because of incompetent installers. (Perhaps if I ever can afford to replace my dishwasher, I buy one from them BUT say my plumber will pick it up to install it, and pay yet another fee to yet another person. Or maybe I just handwash dishes forever now....)

Am I the only one experiencing really terrible customer service, or if this is just how things are now? Or do I have that kind of "stupid gullible she won't complain" face and people feel okay working me over because they do know I won't go Full Karen on them?

* Anyway. I hope next week is better.