Ms. CRANKY'S HAT, well, one of them

Ms. CRANKY'S HAT, well, one of them

Friday, June 17, 2011

Ms. Cranky on JUST 'ROLLING' ALONG


Today was a no-brainer, a real easy day, even the Metrocard machine worked without sending Ms. Cranky’s charge card back innumerable times.  So, Ms. C. was on a roll, until she tried to get a roll at a place in Penn Station that advertised --- “We now have peanut butter!” on a big sign.  Ms. Cranky was on a trip out to Long Island to help teach with a friend.  She needed some sustenance for the train so ordered a roll, there were a gazillion rolls in a case right in front of her and she ordered a multi grain roll with the thus advertised peanut butter.
The woman at the counter said --- “You have to go to the other counter for peanut butter.” So Ms. C. dutifully went to that section, ordered a ‘multi grain roll with peanut butter’ again and the guy at the second counter said --- “You have to go back to that counter, pointing to the first counter, for multi grain rolls, we only have white here.  So, Ms. Cranky went back and got a multi grain roll (why are they separated?  Are they catchy?)  But, then back at the second counter, they couldn’t find the peanut butter at all so Ms. C., still not grumpy because she loves getting out of town, ordered something else.  To tell you the truth, the whole thing was silly as Ms. Cranky has her own peanut butter at home and would never have ordered it if it hadn’t been for the big sign hanging over her head.
The above situation was not really aggravating but a curious person like Ms. C. has to wonder --- ‘Why would they bother having a sign advertising peanut butter if they don’t have any?  And, why would that particular sign be hanging above the counter that only holds multi grain rolls and not peanut butter? And, why are the whole grain rolls in a separate area from the other rolls so that the orderee has to keep running around?’ There were enough rolls in this place to sink several ships. And, she wondered on --- ‘Why are the poor cute little round rolls kept from each other and how is the ordinary buyer supposed to figure this all out?’
But nothing was going to spoil Ms. Cranky’s day --- no way, because she was excited to be going out to Long Island, an area she doesn’t know well and she loves seeing new things. 
On the train, Ms. C. ate some of her roll which did not have, of course, peanut butter on it when a large woman sat down beside her and began screaming at full throttle into her cell phone.  We weren’t even out of the station yet and Ms. C. always hates listening to other people’s calls --- and, why should she???
The woman was screaming to her mother who probably could have heard her without the aid of the phone and when she lost her signal, she got more upset and looked to Ms. Cranky for help.  Help?? --- are you kidding, help you pollute the world?  If you’re bleeding, I’ll help, if your husband is Arnold Schwarzenegger, I’ll be glad to listen to your problems but to help a yelling woman keep on yelling? --- No, no!!! 
Ouuiii.  And, to think that Ms. C.  thought she had left all the screamers in the Walgreen’s in Brooklyn where they seem to follow her from aisle to aisle so she gets so befuddled she can’t use her coupons. But here Ms. Cranky was on the hallowed Long Island Railroad going to the great suburbia of the world but, no, still she seemed to be followed by the Walgreen’s women, though this time in a lot larger frame but with the same outcome and attitude ---‘ I will scream my life in public and you’ll  just have to listen.’  Cranky was so upset that she couldn’t even eat her peanut butter-less roll.
But, that’s minor, that’s how the new world works and how people show us their ‘power’ --- their power to take over several aisles of a train with their loud, personal, often angry, drivel.  Ms. C. often wonders why so many people on cell phones are angry.  Is it the electronic vibes?  Do they permeate the angry part of the brain?
But, Ms. Cranky soldiered on as she is good at doing, taught a really good class (hopefully, she loved the students) and set out for home.  On the train back, there were only minor mishaps --- a young woman talking but not screaming so that every word was apparent only for several rows.  (You know these days you have no time for your own thoughts because you’re being bombarded by someone else’s.)
When Ms. C.  got up from her seat to walk back and see what this young woman looked like, the couple in front of the cell phone talker looked up at Cranky with this “Help Us” plea on their faces but, you know, everybody has to be in on this, everybody has to speak up, not just weird Ms. Cranky.  Why is she the only one, and, then when she speaks up everybody says ---- “Thanks, thanks, oh, that was so upsetting” --- well, if it was sooo upsetting, then why didn’t they speak up in the first place? 
But, you’re all welcome to borrow Ms. Cranky’s time-honored screaming cell phone ruse --- “Excuse me, please, but I have a horrible migraine headache today and I wondered if you might lower your voice?  The pain is intense.  Thanks so much.”   Not bad, huh?

Hey, thanks for stopping by.  See you next time.
In hopes for a peaceful, kind, joyful life,

Ms. Cranky




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