When going to the shipping depot on weekdays, I make sure to arrive at least 5 minutes early. I park in a good spot and leave the car running. I connect my phone to the car speakers and find Santa Esmeralda’s “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”. I fast forward to the 3:52 mark, both the volume and windows all go the way up, and then I press play and clap as hard as I can to the rhythmic beat until it hits 4:27. That gives me a rush that makes it easier to handle all kinds of idiots until 6pm, at which point Howard Stern takes over. I guess I should note that I don’t really need to do the clapping routine, but it’s kinda fun and really gets some stress out. At the bank job, my routine used to be simple. I would hide in the vacant building and chill for the day, breaking to do my rounds in the parking garage. But things have gotten complicated at the bank job now. I’ll explain.
Our new janitor who I can’t stand, let’s call him Janitor Pedro, likes to hang out in the vacant building. When he first started working here, he liked to show me pictures of girls on his phone. I never understood the point of that, and it’s one of his many traits that led me to stop being friendly with him. My new supervisor Eddie goes to the vacant building to take shits in the women’s bathroom and to sleep at my favorite eating spot. Maintenance guys go in there and pretend to fix stuff and look busy. And the bank has a real estate agent who comes around once in a while to show the building to prospective tenants. Add those god awful meetings into the mix, and it became clear that my precious vacant building has been tainted and is no longer a safe getaway. So I had to find a new place to go. Enter the Acura MDX.
The other day I did some exploring in my MDX. I found that, if I put the second row down and lift up the 3rd row, I can turn the MDX into a nice relax area. See?
 |
| Second row of the Acura MDX |
 |
| Second row down, Third row up |
 |
| Chillin' like a villian |
I get maybe an hour and a half break between rounds, so I can pretty much do whatever I want. I can do online research, watch movies on my laptop, or write a post on the blog, like I’m doing now.
 |
| Doing "my job" at work |
When the winter comes, I’ll simply warm up the car for the first 15 minutes of each break and I’m good until the next round. What bothered me was that, even with my new area to relax, I still have to deal with idiots.
Janitor Pedro came by my vehicle while I was in it the other day, just to see who was here. He was pretending to sweep and I could tell what he was doing as he approached. He couldn’t see through the tint so he broke the sweeping façade and got closer. I made the window go down and stared in his direction.
Janitor Pedro: Oh! Hey amigo! Didn’t know who was in there!
Me: …
Janitor Pedro: Alright man, I see you later.
Me: …
No matter where I go, there always seems to be some asshole trying to bother me. I guess he’s one of the few people that think Curious George wouldn’t get fucked up if he got into the same trouble as an adult monkey. You know, when I first started working at the bank job I confided something to my boss Sandra. She told me that she wanted me to work in the lobby, where I would just sit there and basically act as customer service. I knew they needed someone desperately, so I told her the truth. I remember saying something like, “I’m not a good people person. I’m not rude or anything, but I’d rather not have people around me. What about the garage?” She warned me that the pay was 40 cents lower but I didn’t care. I picked a job that kept me away from people, yet I’ve got this Janitor Pedro looking through my fucking window. It never ends.
Thankfully, that appeared to be an isolated incident, as he avoids coming near my car when sweeping the garage floor. This looks like I’m complaining but I can assure that I’m not. I’m writing this to remind myself just how important it is to have a routine at these menial jobs. With no end to the overtime in sight (currently working 93 hours a week), it’s important I have a system that alleviates my feelings about people in general. I’ll be around them for a while.
P.S: I think it’s important to note how much better it is to simply say nothing in confrontational situations. It worked with Mercedes and again with Janitor Pedro. I don't do it to intimidate (as I don't look directly at them), but I rather stay quiet and let them hear how stupid they sound until they're embarrassed enough to shut up and go away. Hmm, I wonder how many more situations can be resolved by shutting up.
No comments:
Post a Comment