“We’re A Travel Bookshop. We Only Sell Travel Books.”

I was in U-Haul today, renting a trailer, when a man walked in and asked the employee for an adapter to connect two hoses. The employee told him that they don’t sell that sort of thing because they’re a rental shop. The man looked around and then explained that someone at Harbor Freight said they didn’t have anything like that. “It’s for a water pump,” he said as if explaining what he needed the adapter for would jog something loose in the employee’s brain, and he would be suddenly able to produce it. The employee explained again that they were a rental shop and they didn’t sell stuff like that. The man turned around and began to peruse the merchandise as though he didn’t believe the clerk.

It annoyed me that the employee didn’t say, “This isn’t a hardware store.” That’s what I would have said. The world would function so much more effectively if everyone were direct and specific.

I Got Out Of The House Today!

I rented a trailer today to help Bonnie move some shit for work. We had to pick up a Hoyer Lift that her company found on the Nextdoor app. A Hoyer Lift, if you don’t know, is a sort of crane for lifting and moving people around. It looks like a sex swing but a very industrial-looking one designed by the Soviets.

It’s Not The Size That Counts

Once she got me into her office, she put me to work. JCAHO is coming soon, the file room had no lock on the door, so I changed the knob to a locking one. I wasn’t sure what I would need to change the lock, so I packed a basic toolbox. This was a pretrial for when I get rid of my rollaway. I might be able to get away with a much smaller toolbox than I previously thought. I don’t quite have the words to describe my excitement about that. I’ll get back to you on that one.

The star of the show was a 27-piece screwdriver set that I picked up at an estate sale many years ago. I’ve kept it around because I thought it was cool, but I’ve never used it until today because I wasn’t sure if it was any good. I’m sold! It’s 10 nut drivers, 10 Allen drivers, 2 Phillips, and 2 flat-head screwdrivers, a normal-sized handle, a shorty, and a T-bar. It’s got my bases covered for most jobs, and it takes up a fraction of the space that a set of 22 drivers would. It did exactly what I needed it to do today, so it stays.

I didn’t have everything I needed, though. I could have used a chisel or a jigsaw because the new doorknob didn’t quite fit into the existing hole. Fortunately, I always have my pocket knife on me, so I was able to carve just enough wood out of the way to get the knob in the hole.

We Don’t Need No Stinking Pickup

Next, I loaded two file cabinets into the trailer. You can talk all the shit you want about Tesla, but this is the best damn car I’ve ever driven. I ordered it with a tow hitch so I could put a bike rack on it. The fact that it can tow a trailer is just icing on the cake. It also ties into my current mindset of letting go and not keeping shit around “just in case.” I don’t need to own a pickup truck just in case I need to move something. I can rent a trailer. Being reminded of that will help me tremendously in the process of cleaning out my garage.

I Can’t Be Left Unsupervised

Bonnie and her coworker left me to get a client’s signature on some documents, so I hung out at the office by myself until they got back. I immediately began to regret not having any videos planned for an office setting. I could have taken advantage of this set. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, I racked my brain. I came up with an idea for a photo of a heated board meeting.

What Happened To Service?

When the ladies returned, we all left. Bonnie and I grabbed a bite to eat before we headed back home. Lots of things have changed since COVID, but I’ve realized lately that one of the major ones for me is that I no longer have patience for eating out. I can’t stand waiting around for someone to come take my drink order and then bring my drink. Then, I have to wait for them to come back and take my order, then wait for the food, and god forbid I might need anything after they bring my food. I’ll never see them again.

The worst, though, is waiting for the check. Why does it take so fucking long? I don’t remember it taking so long before COVID. Now, every time I go out to eat, it seems like I have to wait at least as long as I took to eat for them to bring the check, not to mention the time it takes for them to come back to get it.

So, I spent my Saturday working, but it was nice to get out of the house and focus on something other than my own neurosis. I got to test run my streamlined tool collection, I got a free meal, and I got to spend the day with my wife. All in all, I would have to say it was a, well, umm, actually pretty nice little Saturday.