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So On Friday I trek downtown to the government office to renew my passport. Good times. Woot-woot.
So, the system at our passport office is that you line up for a clerk to pre-check your papers and you are given a number and sent to a general waiting area to wait to be called. Each clerk has a window with a huge digital display over it that displays the number they are serving. There is a also a huge electronic sign directly in front of all of the chairs in the waiting area that displays which number is being served and at what window. Every time a number changes it makes a very loud BING-BONG noise that is pretty much impossible to miss.
So basically, if you have your shit together at all, you are not going to miss your number. Especially on a day like Friday, where the room is 3/4 empty and there only 3 windows open. Definitely not too hard to keep track of, in my opinion.
(I know you all realize exactly where this is going, and thank you for your patience!)
So, there is a guy in the row of chairs in front of me who is gabbing on his cell phone at top volume. "Blah-blah-, yay Friday, goin' to take the boat out, Billy needs a new jet-ski first, I am an entitled wanker and everyone is really gagging to know about MY weekend plans."
He finally hangs up and looks up at the HUGE, noisy electronic sign that is directly in front of his chair. Then he looks at this ticket.
Back to the sign.
Makes a puzzled "Whubba?" noise.
Looks at ticket.
Back to the sign.
Ticket.
Sign.
Just for fun, he turns his ticket around and looks at it from a different angle, in case this changes things.
Nope. Doesn't.
Sign.
And...then he proceeds to lose his shit.
He goes storming up to one of the windows where a clerk is serving someone else, (someone who was capable of keeping one eye on the HUGE, GIANT, Bing-Bonging electronic sign) and lets loose.
Some highlights:
"For Christ sake, you people are supposed to keep an eye on things around here!"
"If someone doesn't show up when their number is called, doesn't that seem WEIRD to you? Wouldn't you INVESTIGATE that?" - I swear, I can't even convey the tone of voice he was using when he said this. Just, total disgust at the incompetence that he is forced to deal with. It made me feel so stabby.
He ends up talking to someone who I assume was a manager, and unfortunately, they decide that whichever clerk is finished first will see him next. (total BS, in my opinion. Make the guy take a new number. Ass. )
But even that's not good enough for assport man. He wants one of the clerks to stop processing someone else's paperwork, and take care of him immediately. Yep. Make a paying customer, who managed to keep an eye on the GIANT RED GLOWING BING-BONGING SIGN gather all their paperwork together, leave their business half-finished and go back to their seat to wait again.
Yeah, not happening, thank goodness.
So the guy walks back to his chair, but the entire time he is looking around the room, trying to make eye contact with people so they can commiserate with him, all the while shrugging his shoulders and making this exaggerated "isn't this CRAZY" face. No-one backs him up, mainly because they are all paying more attention to the GIANT EXTREMELY NOTICEABLE SIGN at the front of the room.
And then, the best part. There is a lovely couple next to me and it is obvious that English is not their first language. They seem completely perplexed by this idiot, and they are worried that there is something else they need to be doing besides watching the HUGE IMPOSSIBLE TO MISS SIGN. The man turns to me and asks me in broken English
" We only need to look at sign?"
Me: Very loudly, and very much directing this towards Captain Assport " Yes. That's all you need to do"
Nice couple confer for a moment, but I think they still can't figure out what just happened. Nice husband shows me his number: "So sorry, but this is all I need?"
Me: "YEP. You only need to watch for your number. It's pretty simple, actually."
Short silence while nice husband processes this.
Then he says " Why didn't that man watch numbers?"
Me: "Good question! I guess he was too busy on his phone!"
Captian Assport actually turns around his chair to make sure I can't miss the death look he is giving me, and almost misses his turn again as the clerk is waving him down from her window!
Me: pointing to the clerk" You're going to miss your chance again Buddy!" (said with a big bright smile)
My god. What is with people?
So, the system at our passport office is that you line up for a clerk to pre-check your papers and you are given a number and sent to a general waiting area to wait to be called. Each clerk has a window with a huge digital display over it that displays the number they are serving. There is a also a huge electronic sign directly in front of all of the chairs in the waiting area that displays which number is being served and at what window. Every time a number changes it makes a very loud BING-BONG noise that is pretty much impossible to miss.
So basically, if you have your shit together at all, you are not going to miss your number. Especially on a day like Friday, where the room is 3/4 empty and there only 3 windows open. Definitely not too hard to keep track of, in my opinion.
(I know you all realize exactly where this is going, and thank you for your patience!)
So, there is a guy in the row of chairs in front of me who is gabbing on his cell phone at top volume. "Blah-blah-, yay Friday, goin' to take the boat out, Billy needs a new jet-ski first, I am an entitled wanker and everyone is really gagging to know about MY weekend plans."
He finally hangs up and looks up at the HUGE, noisy electronic sign that is directly in front of his chair. Then he looks at this ticket.
Back to the sign.
Makes a puzzled "Whubba?" noise.
Looks at ticket.
Back to the sign.
Ticket.
Sign.
Just for fun, he turns his ticket around and looks at it from a different angle, in case this changes things.
Nope. Doesn't.
Sign.
And...then he proceeds to lose his shit.
He goes storming up to one of the windows where a clerk is serving someone else, (someone who was capable of keeping one eye on the HUGE, GIANT, Bing-Bonging electronic sign) and lets loose.
Some highlights:
"For Christ sake, you people are supposed to keep an eye on things around here!"
"If someone doesn't show up when their number is called, doesn't that seem WEIRD to you? Wouldn't you INVESTIGATE that?" - I swear, I can't even convey the tone of voice he was using when he said this. Just, total disgust at the incompetence that he is forced to deal with. It made me feel so stabby.
He ends up talking to someone who I assume was a manager, and unfortunately, they decide that whichever clerk is finished first will see him next. (total BS, in my opinion. Make the guy take a new number. Ass. )
But even that's not good enough for assport man. He wants one of the clerks to stop processing someone else's paperwork, and take care of him immediately. Yep. Make a paying customer, who managed to keep an eye on the GIANT RED GLOWING BING-BONGING SIGN gather all their paperwork together, leave their business half-finished and go back to their seat to wait again.
Yeah, not happening, thank goodness.
So the guy walks back to his chair, but the entire time he is looking around the room, trying to make eye contact with people so they can commiserate with him, all the while shrugging his shoulders and making this exaggerated "isn't this CRAZY" face. No-one backs him up, mainly because they are all paying more attention to the GIANT EXTREMELY NOTICEABLE SIGN at the front of the room.
And then, the best part. There is a lovely couple next to me and it is obvious that English is not their first language. They seem completely perplexed by this idiot, and they are worried that there is something else they need to be doing besides watching the HUGE IMPOSSIBLE TO MISS SIGN. The man turns to me and asks me in broken English
" We only need to look at sign?"
Me: Very loudly, and very much directing this towards Captain Assport " Yes. That's all you need to do"
Nice couple confer for a moment, but I think they still can't figure out what just happened. Nice husband shows me his number: "So sorry, but this is all I need?"
Me: "YEP. You only need to watch for your number. It's pretty simple, actually."
Short silence while nice husband processes this.
Then he says " Why didn't that man watch numbers?"
Me: "Good question! I guess he was too busy on his phone!"
Captian Assport actually turns around his chair to make sure I can't miss the death look he is giving me, and almost misses his turn again as the clerk is waving him down from her window!
Me: pointing to the clerk" You're going to miss your chance again Buddy!" (said with a big bright smile)
My god. What is with people?
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