I wouldn't be picking if that jerky customer didn't give me the "are you an idiot, or something" look.    Or maybe I would.  I did notice a fullish moon the other morning, and I've found practically everything irritating. I'll get to that jerky customer in a minute.

The TV weather people really need to go back to school or start consulting with a psychic.  I know they are just guessing but when it comes to snowfall they blow it on a consistent basis.  They guess 6 to 8 inches every time, which results in every grocery being overrun with people and totally depleted of bread, milk, and toilet paper.  Like everyone won't be able to leave their house for two weeks and they might starve. 

We finally got 2 to 3 inches last Monday.  An inch on Tuesday.  An inch on Wednesday.  And so on and so forth.  Now you might think after two weeks of an inch here and an inch there we would have a foot of snow maybe two.  NOT SO.  On those few sunny days in between those inches we've had meltage.  So bottom line is we have about 3 inches of snow in some places and grass poking out in others.  The weather casters are calling for the "storm of death" sometime in the next week.  I'm not sure when, I don't pay too much attention anymore.  It's like the boy who cried wolf.

The only inch I am going to budge on this one is that there are hills.  I came from the snow belt outside of Cleveland.  The forecasters were pretty accurate on snowfall when it came to the east side and west sides of town.  If you were in the snow belt you were getting snow forecast in half foot increments, but they didn't have many hills.  Think Buffalo, NY, lite.

I'm trying to find a picture that depicts the hilliness of this area.

Yea, it's summer, but you can see the hills.  This picture to the right,  shows the garage and the walkway that leads up to the house.  Again you don't get a real good idea of the slope on this walkway but it's just steep enough that when you stand at the top at 3:40am with an inch of snow covering it, you would swear that you were about to descend the expert ski run at Vail, Colorado.  That's the  run that's marked with a skull and crossbones and is probably named Dead Man's Drop or something as equally appealing.

Once you have descended the perilous path, you get to drive down the alley and turn onto the main road.  When you turn on the main road, you are now almost at the bottom of the hill heading up.  Remember that inch of snow is covering the main road.  You have zero traction as you try to climb this hill.  This is happening because A.) snow plows are plowing 4 lane and divided highways at this time of the morning not 2 lane secondaries, and B.) Johnstown's forefathers, in their infinite wisdom, designed the roads to go straight up and down the hillsides instead of winding gently around the hills.  They also arranged the city at the confluence of two rivers that are prone to flooding every thirty years.  Who would have thought?  But we'll tackle that subject another day.  So bottom line is one to two inches on hills is just about as dangerous as one to two feet on flat areas, and your 10 minute drive to work is now going to take 20 minutes, maybe longer.

At least that mornings drive was the only irritation of that day.  Let's get to the jerk, or rather the latest jerk.

I was working on the 600 price changes I had to get done this week when an elderly gentleman and his wife approached me.  The man asked, "Where is (what sounded to the hearing impaired like) CEE-core?"  I repeated, "CEE-core?"  And he says, "No!  CEE-core."  I'm confused.  I can't be hearing this guy right.  I have fresh batteries in my hearing aids but I don't know what this guy is saying.  So I say, "I'm sorry sir, I don't know what CEE-core is."  This is where he looks at his wife with the-where do they find these idiots-look and says to her, "why do they let women work in hardware stores?"  I hear that loud and clear.  Then he turns to me and says, "DEE-core.  You know?  WALLPAPER!"

It's a good thing my co-worker said an extra cheery, "We don't carry wallpaper anymore.  Have a nice day!"  Because, I was contemplating how bad I needed this job or a reference from it. 

What would have come out of me was, "Oh you meant Day-core (décor)!  I know how you Pennsylvanians are about your French.  Let me speak Pennsylvanian so you understand me.  Youns need educated (Youns is plural for you, as in you and your wife, or both of you.  Then, add "to be" between need and educated).  Waddle your fat asses back to North Ver Sales (North Versailles) or Dew Boys (Du Bois) or where ever it is you come from and put some hot, calorie and grease laden french fries on top of your cold healthy salad.  Then instead of having sex with Uncle Daddy, maybe you should try reading a dictionary or learning about your state's French and Indian History!"

Now I'm the first one to admit I'm not an expert on spelling and grammar, and it's been about 35 years since I took French, so this rant really isn't about spelling, grammar, or French.  It's that crack about women working in hardware stores.  I have managed to slip through a tear between twilight zone dimensions and found myself in the land of "It's a MAN'S World."

I used to chalk these incidents up to my imagination, or their rudeness, but I've had too many of them in the last two years living here to think they are either.  On more than one occasion I have stood in front of the product a male customer wants only to have him dismiss me by asking a passing male co-worker the same question.  I've had them ask me why my husband isn't taking care of me.  They ask me out on dates, assuming I'm single because married women don't have to work.  There are even a few elderly men who bring companions with them to ask the questions if the only employee available is a female.  They will not deal with a woman.

I remember my mom and dad getting mad at us kids when we were small because we would say "ain't".  They would point out that "ain't" isn't a word and people who use it speak poor English or using the politically incorrect phrase, they are ignorant hillbillies.  Most of the time I laugh off the lack of "to be."  Sometimes when I see it in notes and memos to the employees, I'll write "to be"  with an arrow pointing to where it's supposed to go.  This is a business after all.  How you talk at home shouldn't be carried over to the business world. 

As for it being a "Man's World",  that ought to be kept at home too.  There is no place for it in the business world.  Last I heard, they even have laws against it.

tags: snow  forecasts  women  work  discrimination  equality  education  grammar  english  french  men  

links: digg this    del.icio.us    technorati    reddit