Exchanges with People that Make Your Brain Hurt

[Dazi]

She finally left, deciding to try the coffee shop as she was in desperate need of caffeine...I ran into her shopping a few days later, long enough for her to yell at me that I have ruined Starbucks forever for her. 

Wait, the fact that you personally have never been in a Starbucks ruined the place for her? I...I don't even know what to do with that...

I took it to mean that the non-Starbucks coffee was just that much better than Starbucks. Most people are happy when they find a really good restaurant/cafe, but I can conceive of people who would be mad at being introduced to something great.

Ah, I get it. Still, lady was a bit special if she was actually mad...

Yeah, she was pissed because it is so much better than any Starbucks and she doesn't live here.  Whereas Starbucks has been her favortie coffee forever.  The local place sells their coffee and tea blends and she had a several bags...so she was maybe mad because she spent a bunch of money on coffee.  Overall a weird encounter though.

[violinp]

She finally left, deciding to try the coffee shop as she was in desperate need of caffeine...I ran into her shopping a few days later, long enough for her to yell at me that I have ruined Starbucks forever for her. 

Wait, the fact that you personally have never been in a Starbucks ruined the place for her? I...I don't even know what to do with that...

I took it to mean that the non-Starbucks coffee was just that much better than Starbucks. Most people are happy when they find a really good restaurant/cafe, but I can conceive of people who would be mad at being introduced to something great.

Ah, I get it. Still, lady was a bit special if she was actually mad...

Yeah, she was pissed because it is so much better than any Starbucks and she doesn't live here.  Whereas Starbucks has been her favortie coffee forever.  The local place sells their coffee and tea blends and she had a several bags...so she was maybe mad because she spent a bunch of money on coffee. Overall a weird encounter though.

Great googly moogly. Of all the things to be mad over...

[Adelaide]

She finally left, deciding to try the coffee shop as she was in desperate need of caffeine...I ran into her shopping a few days later, long enough for her to yell at me that I have ruined Starbucks forever for her. 

Wait, the fact that you personally have never been in a Starbucks ruined the place for her? I...I don't even know what to do with that...

I took it to mean that the non-Starbucks coffee was just that much better than Starbucks. Most people are happy when they find a really good restaurant/cafe, but I can conceive of people who would be mad at being introduced to something great.

Ah, I get it. Still, lady was a bit special if she was actually mad...

Yeah, she was pissed because it is so much better than any Starbucks and she doesn't live here.  Whereas Starbucks has been her favortie coffee forever.  The local place sells their coffee and tea blends and she had a several bags...so she was maybe mad because she spent a bunch of money on coffee.  Overall a weird encounter though.

I can't drink Starbucks. When I was a kid I would go in and get the sugary drinks that have one shot of espresso, tons of sugar, and were 300+ calories apiece because it was where the cool kids hung out. Their regular coffee is made for people who drink Starbucks on a regular basis. If I ever need to stay awake for three years, I'll go back.

I have also been "ruined" in terms of having different coffee from Starbucks. But I can't imagine actually getting mad at someone over it.

[lkb]

Just remembered this one from years ago (VHS era, not DVD, when video stores were on every corner):

I go to look for our evening's entertainment and while browsing, I get inspired to look for a certain classic adventure movie. I look in the Action Adventure section. I look in the section categorized by star. I look in the clearance section. I look in the classics section. I wander through the entire store just on the off chance someone changed their mind and put it back on any old shelf. No dice.

So I went to the counter and the clerk was about my age (that is, not a teenage kid who wouldn't know this title): "Hi, I'm looking for 'Raiders of the Lost Ark".

Clerk (looking at me all squinty eyed): "Raiiii-derrrrs...?"

Me: "Yeah, you know with Harrison Ford...?"

Clerk (again, all squinty eyed): "Harrr...?"

Ummm, okay.


While I was typing the above exchange, I remembered another video store brain-hurty exchange:

About 25 years ago, when my husband and I were newlyweds in our new neighborhood, we decided to rent a movie. The nearest video store to us was owned by an Asian/Mideastern couple (FWIW, I live in a very white-bread area of the U.S. Not against any race or culture and actually love multi-culturalism. However, at that time and place, it simply did not exist). We looked around for a bit but didn't find anything to suit our mood.

Now, I should explain that when it's my turn to pick a movie, our household jokes that the movie will probably be black-and-white and/or a musical. You know, Fred Astaire, Clark Gable, Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart etc. So before we gave up on this store, I went to the counter to ask if they had any "classic" movies.


"Yes, ma'am, we have 'Star Wars'. We have 'Rocky.' (Which were no more than 10 years old at the time, certainly not my idea of classic.)

Sigh.

[exitzero]

After complaining to my boyfriend that he didn't listen to me, he replied, (completely serious, BTS)"I listen to you. I just don't pay attention."

Oh, that helps.

[CakeBeret]

This one hurt my brain and also made me pretty flipping amazed at the rudeness and stupidity of people.

I was outside my work when this woman drove into the car park pulled up next to me wound down her car window and just started shouting a number at me. (For argument sake '74')

I looked at her strangely thinking I may have misheard her so she shout it louder over and over again getting more and more aggressive each time. Finally having had enough and having no idea what she is trying to communicate I tell her 'Look. I have no idea what you are saying or what you want from me so you may as well leave.' She then shouts it a few more times and finally says 'I'm looking for number 74. This is 180 where is 74'. Ah so she is looking for an address. I just told her I had no idea and walked back inside. Stuff her. She can drive around all day looking for it for all I cared.

Because shouting a random number at random strangers is the best way to find an address you are looking for?

[ladyknight1]

Had a woman reply to my email for ASL club with... "What club is this for?"
 O.o

Note that the name of the club was in the email and in the subject heading. Oh and on top of that... she signed up for the club. which is how I got her email...

Students sign up for our program all the time, then freak out when they get the emails they signed up for.

[magicdomino]

This one hurt my brain and also made me pretty flipping amazed at the rudeness and stupidity of people.

I was outside my work when this woman drove into the car park pulled up next to me wound down her car window and just started shouting a number at me. (For argument sake '74')

I looked at her strangely thinking I may have misheard her so she shout it louder over and over again getting more and more aggressive each time. Finally having had enough and having no idea what she is trying to communicate I tell her 'Look. I have no idea what you are saying or what you want from me so you may as well leave.' She then shouts it a few more times and finally says 'I'm looking for number 74. This is 180 where is 74'. Ah so she is looking for an address. I just told her I had no idea and walked back inside. Stuff her. She can drive around all day looking for it for all I cared.

I'd be tempted to yell back, "42."

[ladyknight1]

Okay, I had a really brain - hurty conversation the other day with a close friend. He's a college senior, in a high - level history class, studying a fairly specific subject. Friend told me that he had to really help one of the people with him in the class. What kind of help? He has to explain to this guy what the U.S. Congress is, and what happened in the 20th century. He seriously does not know what World War I or II are, who Hitler is...and he's taking a class on the Holocaust.

Apparently, this guy only knows basic life skills and how to translate and speak foreign languages. He's not mentally handicapped. He's not autistic. He doesn't have any kind of disability that would keep him from learning this stuff. He just doesn't care enough to learn what one of the governing bodies of our country is. The kicker? He's a senior as well. 

How in the blue blazes can anyone get to that level of collegiate studies and not know this stuff?

There are seniors in their graduating term taking basic humanities courses with me and they are the biggest whiners ever.

[still in va]

This one hurt my brain and also made me pretty flipping amazed at the rudeness and stupidity of people.

I was outside my work when this woman drove into the car park pulled up next to me wound down her car window and just started shouting a number at me. (For argument sake '74')

I looked at her strangely thinking I may have misheard her so she shout it louder over and over again getting more and more aggressive each time. Finally having had enough and having no idea what she is trying to communicate I tell her 'Look. I have no idea what you are saying or what you want from me so you may as well leave.' She then shouts it a few more times and finally says 'I'm looking for number 74. This is 180 where is 74'. Ah so she is looking for an address. I just told her I had no idea and walked back inside. Stuff her. She can drive around all day looking for it for all I cared.

I'd be tempted to yell back, "42."

i'd yell "Hike!" or whatever it is they yell at football games when the center snaps the ball to the quarterback.

[alkira6]

There's a boy at my school who is physically flawless. He's naturally dark blond, very fit, and his face is absolutely perfect. The weird thing is that girls aren't flocking to him. I've had several conversations with people and whenever he's mentioned girls inevitably end up saying "He's too good-looking. I don't trust him." I have literally never heard that said about anyone else. He's a nice enough guy, you'd think girls would be falling all over themselves. Maybe he's too intimidating or something.

I think a lot of women have had bad experiences with overly good-looking men who have a matching over-inflated sense of self-importance. I can't entirely blame them for not wanting to risk it just for hotness.

Sadly, this is true. Lots of women I know would say about that guy, "There just has to be something wrong with him. He has to be a serial killer, or a cheater, or something."

I know guys like that who are very aware of how good they look and it shows. But this guy is just...mild-mannered. He doesn't radiate that "Let's all bask in the glory of me" vibe that some people have. Okay, I see what you mean. Ted Bundy comes to mind, although I think Ted was supposed to be pretty charismatic. This poor kid. It's not his fault he's so freakishly handsome. There is one girl who seems a little obsessed with him, but he doesn't pay her any mind. She's the only one who openly flirts with him though.

And this attitude, ladies and gents, is why short, fat me had several very hot BFs in college.  I am soooooo not afraid of the hotness.

[ladyknight1]

Twik wrote:

"Problem is:

The law says you must be trained.  It's a multi-step procedure. There is a reference book, but you need to know how to use the reference book.  If you mess up, you can go to jail. Or worse.  Would you really want your training to be, "Here's the reference book. It's 980 pages. It's got a table of contents, and an index. I'd show you some examples, but your boss doesn't want to waste your time. Bye!""

This reply makes the situation about a thousand times worse.  You're saying that a reference for this procedure takes up nearly a thousand pages, knowing how to do it is a legal requirement for the job, failing to do it correctly could result in jail time (or worse?), they're only going to do it twice a year so they won't get a lot of practice with it and you train people for time equivalent to one single business day for this task?  As you describe it that sounds very nearly crazy.  I think I'd quit long before I had deal with that.  Do the one-hour people you reported to us not realize the ramifications of failing to learn this task?

Virg

Virg -- I understand where you're coming from. However there are certain procedures that must be taught, due to legalities, for certain jobs. Like mine.

I have one of those positions where I need to go through annual training for a certain aspect of my job. It doesn't matter that I won't implement that aspect more that once or twice a year. What matters is that I went through the training as a refresher course every year.

For me, it is always stressed that "If you get anything out of this training session at all, know where your manuals are kept, how they are organized, and know who you can contact for help. Here are the details."

Think of it as general knowledge that's being ingrained during the training classes. "Okay. I heard something about that in my training session. I'm aware of what needs to be done, but I forgot a couple of the rules. OH! I know where the manual is at! I know who to contact if I have questions!"

Snip

For an organization I volunteer with, I recently went through a 32-hour course for Wilderness First Aid. Completing the course certifies me to teach it and CPR to others (WFA is required for certain back country activities). Every 3 years, I will have to take a refresher in order to stay certified.

Now, for CPR, I take a refresher every year, and I have to take it from someone else, even though I teach it.

It is very time consuming, but I knew that going in. I see the value of refresher courses, because things do change. For example, CPR procedures have changed three times in the last decade.

[Luci45]

ladyknight1

Now, for CPR, I take a refresher every year, and I have to take it from someone else, even though I teach it.

We had a friend EMT in Illinois who had to do the same thing. It really made us roll our eyes.

Then I remembered that I know from experience that teaching something is the best way to remember it.  (That is how I learned to do the proof for the Pythagoriam Theorem! No, I don't still remember it.) It's sort of a 'use it or loose it' situation, so I get it, now.It forces one to review even the stuff you haven't really used, but is a matter of life and death at the one time in your career.
   

[suzieQ]

turtleIScream My guess is that many people tend to over-estimate their intelligence. They think training takes so long, because the instructor is teaching to the lowest common denominator. If all the stupid people are out of the room, the instructor can teach at a faster pace and not waste so much time making sure the idiots are keeping up.


Well that was certainly the case in insulin pump training for my son. Classes were supposed to be one on one but we had to share with another family.
I went into the class having already watched the DVD that came with the pump, already put the batteries in the pump and already programed the info I knew into it. (His insulin to carb ratio)

The other family? They hadn't even taken their pump out of the box. Yea, it took a lot longer than it would have if it had just been son and me.

(Of course, I do understand this was a hands-on training session, not just a lecture.)

edited because I got absolutely stupid with the quote tree and trying to get my post out of the blue box, only to discover turtle's quote was below mine. Ugh

[guihong]

My son hurt my brain 

He announced that he needed me to rent him a "trumpet" for his band class.  I duly set out across town to the music store that dealt with his school and brought home a trumpet.

"Mom, that's not a trumpet!"
"Of course it is"
"Mom, that goes *twiddles his fingers as if pushing the stops on a trumpet*.  I want the trumpet that goes like this *moves his right arm rapidly out and in from his mouth*

He meant a trombone  .

When I went back to the store next day, the clerks were rolling at this story.  Apparently, it happens all the time.