Just Needed the Proper Motivation

So I've been in a bit of a blog slump lately...and yeah I've had a lot going on but it's really no excuse. I've written many a blog in my head and even have a few in my blogger account in the "Drafted" status...

But today something happened that I just had to write about. And for those who have been following my travails (TY BTW!), it should come as no surprise that it relates to another run-in at a local business. And this time I'm naming names!!!

To give you a little background on the story, this summer I suffered the relative tragedy of watching my second hookah break before my eyes. And it was a most beautiful hookah!!

Anyways, weeks ago, I came up with the idea of getting a replacement base. This idea seemed more like a reality after checking my favorite online hookah retailer (http://www.smoking-hookah.com/). However, before placing an order online, I first tried to support the local economy. There's a store in the South End (Syrian Grocery Importing Co., Inc.) that prominently displays a large hookah (among other things) in the window so I went in one day and inquired if they had replacement bases in-stock or if they'd be able to order me one. After much unnecessary commotion, I was advised that they occasionally have spare parts and that it's a hit-or-miss proposition. They called in the resident hookah-supply expert from the back, who located a spare base. I very quickly saw that this base was way too small for my hookah's shaft (TWSS!). They suggested I bring my hookah but I knew there was no need. They asked me to check back after a few weeks and re-try my luck.

Fast forward to today. My replacement base is already en route, but given my ill-fated history with hookahs, I think it would be wise to have a back-up replacement on hand. So I go back to SGIC,Inc. and remind them that I'm looking for a replacement base if they currently have any in-stock. After advising them that I did not bring my hookah with me, I'm shocked to hear one of them mutter, "who would try to buy the base without bringing the hookah?" Well I guess that would be me, the guy who knows how big his hookah is because I've personally seen it and have held it in my hands. I also am the guy that is willing to purchase one, should I be so lucky that you actually have one!! So I let that comment go unchecked and wait for them to make the call to the bullpen. Out comes the expert again from the back who asks if I brought my hookah with me. I gesture with my hands to indicate the size of the hookah and assure him that if I see a base, I will know if it's the right size and have no problems committing to purchase it. He responds by saying they don't have any in-stock. Immediately afterward, one of them chimes in that they normally come as part of a set and they don't usually have spare parts. Ironically, it was the same guy that questioned why someone would look for a base without bringing their hookah...I am completely and utterly flabbergasted!! And it takes quite a lot to flabbergast me!!!

Was it too difficult to cut my visit short by about 5 minutes and say you don't have any in-stock at the moment? If I had made the mistake of bringing in my hookah so the three of them could have each personally attested to it's size, (should I ever need to subpoena them in a potential missing hookah case) would a base have magically appeared in-stock? Or do you have some inside bet going amongst the employees whereby the challenge is to see how long you can keep a customer engaged, whilst not having the product they are clearly, obviously, and exclusively looking for?

My point is, if you don't have any in-stock, why waste my time asking me questions? The Closer didn't go in the back to confirm if they had any left, he knew it. So I blame him for wasting my time.

Sad thing is, having gone inside this establishment now a couple times, I noticed some things I would come back for. But since I think the place is swarming with jackasses, I'll go find some other Syrian importing company to purchase my gourmet and ethnic foods from.

Rule # 89. Don't patronize me when I'm looking to patronize your establishment!!

Holla if ya Hear me!!

From New Beginnings...to Re-Occuring Happenings

I intended to write my next blog (this one actually) about New Beginnings...my new apartment...my new neighborhood...the awesome people I've been meeting and hanging out with recently...how 2008 has simultaneously presented me with the most difficult challenges and also opened my eyes and heart to the possibility of falling head over heels again...how I've embraced change in various facets of my life and welcomed many new experiences...but I had such an eventful morning that I decided it would be much more fun to write about this morning's events instead...we can talk about New Beginnings when you see me out and aboot (<-- My Canadian accent :-) or at the local watering hole, where I am quickly becoming a fixture... I wake up this morning in pretty bad shape. I vaguely remember being advised last night that Friday's are trash day in my new hood. I gather up the recyclables and get them outside just in time to meet one of the locals making the rounds collecting the valuables out of the bins. I start to reach out my hand to introduce myself and offer exclusive rights to my future recyclables but I immediately wise up, realizing this guy has been handling various bottles, cans and jugs (not the silicone kind either!) which most likely have not all been washed...we chat it up for a bit but leaves names out of the conversation... Fast forward to 45 minutes later as I'm stumbling (literally) out of my new place (shoutout to CBP!!!). I grab a gatorade thinking it will help the re-hydration efforts. Before I'm too far away from my spot, I pass an eating establishment of sorts. Though I have been warned to avoid this particular establishment, the next eatery on my route to work is at least 15 stumbling minutes away. As I approach the door I immediately become concerned with the gatorade in my hand and that they may want to charge me for it. So I crack it open and am drinking it as I enter so as to avoid any confusion. I order a breakfast sammie and ask for a take-out menu. Despite the warnings I've received, I figure it may be a necessary evil for mornings such as this one. Having the phone number handy, would allow me to call ahead and save a few minutes of waiting and you know what I always say...A minute saved is a minute earned!!! Anyways, a lady appears behind the counter and we're small talking while sammie's getting prepped...I tell her I'm new to the area and she suggests I frequent their establishment because they have "lots of good food"!! I think to myself, I'll be the judge of that! But Thanks Anyway! She rings up my order. I almost pass out when she tells me my total is $6 and change...For a breakfast Sammie!?! WTF?!? I look to the guy that took my order with what can only be described as bewilderment...he advises the lady that I brought the gatorade in and should not be charged for it...I'm not crazy about the $4 Sammie but desperate times call for desperate measures...I pay up and think no more of it...until I look to my right in the coolers and realize they don't even sell gatorade!!! Not Cool!! All I can say is...C'Mon!! You're Better Than That!

A few more mildly amusing notables occur on my commute but the one I will mention specifically still has me scratching my head:

I get off the Silver Line (which is a bus for those not familiar with Boston Public Transit) and pass the line of people waiting to get on. Suddenly, a cab screeches in front of the bus cutting it off like I've seen cops do on those high-speed-chase reality shows. A guy jumps out of the cab and then motions for the bus to remain there so he can board. The cabbie does a U-turn going back from whence he came, and the bus pulls off continuing it's normal route. Having a vivid imagination, which was only heightened by the state I was in at the time, I tried to figure out what just occurred...

My best guess was that the guy missed the bus and hopped a cab to catch up with the bus. Though this seems to be the most logical scenario, it would also require that the guy NOT know that the Silver Line runs like every 5 minutes at that time of day. So unless you're in a life-or-death crisis, you can and should probably wait the 4 minutes until the next bus comes instead of paying a cab to drive you howmanyever blocks it took to catch up with the bus. Speaking of, did he even pay the cabbie? Was the cabbie one of his boys perhaps? Why not just have the cab take you to your destination if you're in such a rush? Surely the cab would get you there faster than the bus (though slightly more costly depending on how far he was going)...

At the other end of the realistic spectrum, I wondered if the cabbie and the passenger were both undercover agents and he was hopping on the board to make a bust or to investigate a possible terrorist threat. Hey, if you see something, say something!!! Though the mantra of the hood these days is "Stop Snitchin" so that's what makes me think that scenario is unlikely.

I continue on to work, very amused and slightly hungover...

Holla if ya Hear Me!!