#1 While having dinner Friday evening with Daniel and Dallas I was disappointed that we were the only people in the entire resturant. This usually does not bode well, but it was actually enjoyable. As we were just finishing dinner a young girl, I estimate her age around 8, came in and sat at the counter and began speaking with the waitress. I was surprised at how detailed and well articulated her argument concerning a video game was. She did not stop at saying "it sucked", but she went on to discuss "the plot" which she found weak and the below par graphics. I missed part of the rest, but at one point near the end I heard her mention Pamida (a local store like K-Mart only with even less quality, selection, and customer service). Then, she exclaimed, "It's not like people understand what kids want anymore anyway!". I was quite entertained by the little girl, and I wish I could have heard more. I realize this is not the empty Seinfeld like conversation the assignment requires, but there is some connection here. I began to wonder if people in the oral tradition were better able to communicate with their children. I am sure that if I took Dallas' computer, headphones, mp3 player, stereo, game decks etc away for long enough she might get bored enough to talk to me. Actually, we talk quite often, but I am doing what mom's do, and wishing I were in her head more. Then, I thought back to a television show I used to enjoy on which people from the USA would go and live with a family in a third world nation. Of course the children, and sometimes the parents, would end up having meltdown without their luxuries they felt were necessary to life while the people who had taken them in as guests would look at them like they could not fathom how these people had survived at all. When one young boy acted out against his parents one of the elderly men from the village (in Africa I think) took him on a walk and talked to him. When they came back, both were very happy. They were told this was the way things were done. I have wondered what they talked about. Did they share stories, did they just talk about why the boy was upset?
My great-grandmother lived next door to us. When I got bored with watching my parents stare at the television after a long day at work, or if something was bothering me, I headed across the driveway to Gram's house. We would sit and talk until mom would call and I would have to go home. My dad used to take Dallas on drives or walks. I never knew what they talked about, but they were always happy when they came home and she has always said he is her hero. Dad is 84 and Dallas is 17, but if something is bothering her, she goes straight to Papa's house. Maybe the communication of the oral traditions is not completely gone. I know she has heard many of his stories, and he has shared a lot of wisdom. Knowing Dad, I am sure the people in his stories had epithets, and the adventures were grand.
The other conversation was not nearly as interesting, but here it is. Dan walked up to the checkout at Pamida. Predictably, the woman asked him, "How ya doin?".
He replied with, "Oh, ya know, another day".
"Did ya find everything okay?" she inquired.
"Nope."
"What did you need?"
"Winning lottery ticket, million dollars, and a new car".
After looking at him like she had no idea what to do, she said, "Sorry about that. Well, have a good day".
This is a habit of Daniel's he constantly gives clerks answers they do not expect. Usually they end up smiling or laughing. I think this person was just confused. I now feel compelled to grab my soap box for a moment and rant. I will try to keep it brief. What happened to customer service? Both my parents worked in sales for many years of their lives. I used to go to work with them quite often, and I noticed that they treated their customers as individuals. The person standing in front of them was not just one of the herd they whose pocket book they were assisting in emptying. They actually cared whether or not the person was satisfied with their purchase and sincerely wanted to assist them in any way they could. Not that there are not people out there that still do this, but it seems that it is on the decline. Some stores require the canned responses like "do you want fries with that" "did ya find everything" etc. Still, it seems that when Daniel messes with their responses they add a bit of personality to their job, and they seem to enjoy it. (The ones who understand he is joking with them anyway). It's not just that, when I go out and pay for a meal, it really ticks me off to have to fill my own drink, hunt for my own silverware, clean up my dishes, and still pay the outrageous prices. The economy is terrible, we should create jobs-let people do some customer service work. I would truly love to see a full service gas station. I hate putting gas in my car, because I am short I get dirty when I try to wash my windshield and I have no idea how to put air in my tires. I am sure at that half the class is laughing (the guys) and the other half will begin complaining due to women's lib standards that I should not only know how to put air in my tires that I should probably be able to build my own car. Back in the olden days of the 1970's people actually cared more about giving the customer a good shopping experience. Okay, I am sure you are tired of my rant and I have other homework. Signing off for now; see you soon. Have a nice day. :-)
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