tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557458849091969678.post626086340228947522..comments2023-06-15T09:13:45.467-04:00Comments on Liberty's Torch: Pet Peeves Dept.Francis W. Porrettohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05862584203772592282noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557458849091969678.post-15195826518096587922020-12-29T18:20:54.730-05:002020-12-29T18:20:54.730-05:00I'm right there with you, Francis. Three of my...I'm right there with you, Francis. Three of my top peeves are all related to time.<br /><br />One is, as you stated, people who are constantly late. Not occasionally late, but *always* late - for everything.<br /><br />My second peeve are professionals to whom their time is most valuable, but who have contempt for yours and mine. Doctors are the worst of this bunch. There was a move years ago to allow doctors to charge for missed appointments. I was all for this. But, I also wanted the flip side of that particular coin. If I have an appointment and I am on time, I would like to charge the doctor (...or get a credit on my bill) for the excess time I spend cooling my heels in his waiting room. (Professionally, my time might not be worth as much as his, but it's not zero.) <br /><br />I once had an appointment with a well-recommended ENT. When I made that appointment, his office was empty, but the doctor was booked out for over three months. I went ahead and made the appointment and when I arrived three months later for that appointment, on time, the office was standing room only. Over an hour and a half after my appointed time, I was still waiting with no explanation forthcoming. So I approached the receptionist and asked how long before I might be reasonably seen by the doctor. I watched as she counted out 14 patient folders until she got to mine and stated "About another half hour." Now think about that. Fourteen into a half hour comes out to a few seconds more than two minutes apiece. So, she was either lying, or he was expected to spend about two minutes per patient. He might be good, but nobody is THAT good. I asked her for my patient paperwork and then abandoned the place never to return, and just dared them to charge me for a missed appointment. (They didn't)<br /><br />And last, but not least, there is the contractor/professional who has agreed to come and do work for you. You have a mutually agreed upon appointment time. So, you have taken time off from work for that plumber/electrician/landscaper/tree removal service etc. - AND THEY FAIL TO SHOW - AND WORSE, FAIL TO CALL!! Those people - unless they have a very good excuse - lose my business immediately and irrevocably, and I tell anyone and everyone to avoid them at all costs.<br /><br />Royhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10108430731483801350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557458849091969678.post-71237281197235599422020-12-29T12:38:47.445-05:002020-12-29T12:38:47.445-05:00One interesting thing I discovered long ago, is th...One interesting thing I discovered long ago, is that these young punks crave correction, at least under some circumstances.<br /><br />Back in 1976 I was in graduate school, a teaching assistant in a very large class we called "Physics for poets". It was a required course for pre-meds. The professor would ask for homework to be turned in, then he would go over the homework questions and show the solutions. One day three boys came up to me and handed their homework in late. When correcting it, I noticed that it followed exactly the solution the professor had put on the board. As I was naive about cheating at the time (it never occurred to me that people would do that) I took my pen and gave them a big red "0" on their paper, and added, "You Cheated!".<br /><br />Funny thing was, those kids came up to me later and had a talk with me. They all agreed they had done the wrong thing and promised never to do it again. It was a bit strange to discover they appreciated what I had done.<br /><br />It's almost as if people who have grown up without behavioral limits, feel uncomfortable without them, and want someone to tell them where they have gone over the line.Paul Bonneauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15279129269584372919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557458849091969678.post-63998803276360430992020-12-29T09:47:29.300-05:002020-12-29T09:47:29.300-05:00That is a huge pet peeve for me as well. I to bel...That is a huge pet peeve for me as well. I to believe it is the mental thrill of it for those types of people. Had a very close friend and was unwilling to dump him even when the 30 minutes early did not work. Due to another thing he did it put me over the edge and done with him. Now I do not hesitate to dump the tardies and poor craftsmen and those who recommend them. It has been liberating from the frustration that goes with it.Bear Claw Chris Lapphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01190524236686025884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557458849091969678.post-90106867930051231732020-12-29T07:46:32.871-05:002020-12-29T07:46:32.871-05:00-- We do vote with our wallets, afterall. --
Oh i...-- We do vote with our wallets, afterall. --<br /><br />Oh indeed, Gas. And a wallet vote is far more likely to be respected than an election vote.Francis W. Porrettohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05862584203772592282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557458849091969678.post-73532527275645718762020-12-29T07:17:43.685-05:002020-12-29T07:17:43.685-05:00The same is true for people who provide services a...The same is true for people who provide services and do poor or shoddy work. You know, the I don't give hoot kind. They work for someone and I call them on it, their poor performance. I ask them why they did what they did or failed to do what I expected. I might then ask to speak to the manager and ask why employees are not better trained.<br /><br />Too many people accept poor performance and do not expect better and everything continues to decline. Time to invest in pointing out that things are not right and that it will cost the busines if not corrected. We do vote with our wallets, afterall.Gassius Maximushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04150895136081101615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557458849091969678.post-73691530830493640382020-12-28T13:47:18.883-05:002020-12-28T13:47:18.883-05:00Not SURE if this is relevant, but the other day I ...Not SURE if this is relevant, but the other day I was at the supermarket when a man approached me and, from perhaps 30 feet away, said "Excuse me, sir, would you please buy me a coffee"?<br /><br />WTF?<br /><br />Something struck me as just plain odd in that. Back in my day, as a man about his age, it never would have occurred to me to approach a total stranger and ask that.<br /><br />---<br /><br />As to upholding the law, please forgive me if I've posted this before but it's relevant IMHO:<br /><br />Clay Christensen on Religious Freedom (His personal views, not HBS)<br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjntXYDPw44<br /><br />We have a functioning society because we choose to cleave to norms. When normal behavior is not just discarded, but outright disdained, things fall apart.NITZAKHONhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04110716447757507226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557458849091969678.post-58658004593672305692020-12-28T13:12:37.490-05:002020-12-28T13:12:37.490-05:00My motto and what I live by vis a vis time is. I&#...My motto and what I live by vis a vis time is. I'd rather be 30 minutes early than 5 minutes late. And believe it or not, sometimes it pays off in getting into appointments early. If I'm even a minute late, I feel as if my whole day is ruined.<br /><br />I'm guilty of playing loud music because I like the front row seat concert sound as I'm driving, although you can't really hear it more than a few yards from my vehicle because I don't have or care for those car rattling bass speakers. I also turn it down when driving through a residential area.<br /><br />Some of the Bums on the sidewalk might properly be called might properly be called panhandlers because they have homes to go to at the end of the day. Some of the more successful ones drive nice cars and apartments.<br /><br />Public shaming works. Too bad it's not a popular form of punishment anymore. Corporal punishment also worked wonders for our youth in their tender years, as I've mentioned before. (We can thank Dr. Benjamin Spock for that.)Mike Guentherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13760305520055214986noreply@blogger.com