in line, game, lunch

I was going a little stir crazy last night after a difficult day at work, so, I headed out to target to pick up a few things - nothing critical, just something to get me out of the apartment for a few. As I was getting ready to check out, I discovered something of a truth:

"There's no such thing as a good line"

As I stood there, patiently waiting my turn, I watched several people attempt to jockey for position. In every case, they ended up in no better position than before.

It's the human element. Unless you are first in line and actually at the register, there's a significant chance that a human will do something to disrupt the flow of the system. Check writing with a non functional pen or missing ID. Spills. Forgotten items or price disputes.

In my opinion, the best way through these is to just pick a line and wait it out.

Now, while I believe there is no such thing as a good line - I've convinced there is such a thing as a bad line.

And yesterday, I was in one.

The woman in front of me had an "aroma". And while I could avoid looking at the mass of flesh on the backs of her upper arms after the initial glance, I could not "un-smell" her. She was trying to make small talk with the cashier while being passive aggressive with the bagger about how he was loading her cart incorrectly - something about the heavy items being actually in the cart as opposed to balanced in the child seat area so that she wouldn't have to lift it out.

I waited quietly. She had to purchase a gift card as well and was chatting with the cashier about how good the orange flavored chocolate was that she was buying.

And then, the problem. She put in the wrong pin number. Completely flustered and helpless she became. It was, clearly, the very end of the world. The cashier had to lean over and walk her through the steps to undo her mistake - all the while she went on and on about how she used the pin from another card.

She looked at me for support, as though expecting I would chime in about a similar incident in my life where I too had entered the wrong pin number.

Instead, I looked through her, then through her very soul and on out the other side. Utterly dismissing her very existence. Because there was no way I was going to get dragged into her life in any way, shape or form.

Pin number correctly entered, she collected her receipt with something akin to reluctance. As she carefully folded it and worked her way through her purse for the correct location to place it, I realized that she was upset that her performance was ending so soon and that the audience - namely me - did not appreciate the show.

When she finally cleared the way and headed for the exit, I moved into position and placed my items on the belt - rotating them so that bar codes were easily accessible. Card swipe, pin entered, receipt gathered, bags collected and out the door. Moments later I was passing her in the parking lot.

Is there a deeper lesson to be learned here? Not really, except that people annoy me. I think even the Buddha would have sworn under his breath.

In other news... I'm still playing through Okami on the second time around. Kicking some butt and finding new areas. I'm going to try and get all of the ultimate weapons this time around.

Finally, I'm a little dressed up today. The team is having a luncheon with the UA president and the boss has asked us to wear the shirts we got for a division-wide award. So, we're all going to be dressed alike and, perhaps, all looking like complete tools. Should be fun - at least lunch is free.

back to work... later...