...a mixture of surly and manic, with a helping of rudeness.
Boy, was it a weird way of doing things--long line outside of the gym, then they brought everyone in in a long snakey line that wound around the perimeter of the gym then back around to the tables set up by the door. Add to this the need of certain teacherish sorts who want to do ANYthing, simply to appear to be doing SOMEthing--one lady had the line splitting up into four smaller lines at the intake tables. Having taken one class in queuing and distribution, I knew this was a false effort at making the line seem to move quicker. It didn't make the process any faster for the people at the tables, and it also angered someone like me, who'd been standing in the hot sun, then saw someone who'd gotten in line WAY after me manage to get AHEAD of me. Do it like the bank, folks--multiple clerks, single queue--first in line gets served first.
Got to the front of our mini-line when the sign blew off the table due to the giant fan blowing behind it. "Uhm, here--your sign came loose."
"WELL FINE!" said the lady at the table, "--just give it here. Everyone knows by now to come here anyway--COME ON, COME ON, NEXT!"
Look, woman--first of all, I'm already standing right in front of you and was just trying to help you out a bit with your silly piece of cardboard, and second, you might speak to a snot-nosed punk kid that way, but have a little sense of decorum when it comes to talking that way to THE PEOPLE PAYING YOUR FRIGGIN' SALARY.
I don't think any of that breached the Angry Internal Monologue Barricade.
Next stop, schedule. If I remember right, there was Latin (hehehe), advanced placement history and algebra/geometry and chemistry, honors English, choir, and business tech (learning to type--hallelujah).
Next, ID photo, which was blessedly quick, then on to the fee person--locker, yearbook, parking, grade mailing, Latin, choir, computer, and chemistry. No total yet, though--that's at the NEXT stop.
Which ground to a halt just as we go there. Computer breakdown. Wait. Wait. Wait.
After about fifteen minutes, which I spent screaming in my head "JUST TURN IT OFF AND TURN IT BACK ON AGAIN!" things were rolling again.
"NEXT! NEXT! COME ON!"
I am fixing to get all real angry about all this perfunctory treatment crap, folks. I didn't cause the problem, and I really don't care if the people behind me have been waiting, because I HAVE BEEN WAITING LONGER THAN THEM! So stow it!
ANYway, total tab? $224. For that much money, I want dinner and a show, dadgummit.
On then to pick up the parking tag, which was quick, then the locker card, which was quick (and thank goodness she got an upper locker--she's complained forever that she has suffered immensely due to having a bottom locker.)
Left her there--she has to stay until 7 tonight--found one of the teachers to talk about some church-related stuff, then headed back here.
Oddly enough, no one even knew I had been gone.
Posted by Terry Oglesby at August 1, 2006 03:44 PMThis is a public school staffed by public servants ... hmmm.
"on to the fee person--locker, yearbook, parking, grade mailing, Latin, choir, computer, and chemistry" = $224?!? Whew.
I can see the yearbook costing about $30, and I suppose you need parking stickers and the administration that goes with that ($25?). Paying for a locker and grade mailing? I don't recall having to pay for the other 4 areas way back when, but then again I went to HS in the 70's. It's incredible to see how the public school system has "evolved".
Oh, you just oughta see it--yearbook $60, parking $30, locker $25, then all the rest of those classes had fees ranging from $20-$35. Luckily, it only cost FOUR BUCKS to mail her grades home. We had marked that without realizing how much it cost.
For that much, I want it delivered by the Postmaster General.
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at August 2, 2006 11:33 AM