Few things make me feel so readily like a loser as using the telephone, which is why I don't use it much. However, yesterday I had to to ask some auto insurance questions. The guy was pretty nice, even offering a "You're doing fine" encouragement as I stumbled over my words so much I had to stop and start over. He was a little jerky when I asked about all the discounts listed on their site but other than that it was fine and I've got a new policy.
That should've been the end of it, a relief after days of research, quotes and calls; but the whole phone interaction left me on edge.
I played 20 minutes of DDR in an effort to get it out of my system before dinner and discovered I'm skilled enough to play and still be tremendously preoccupied. (Time to up my DDR difficulty level.)
Later, I ran some errands but only realized after I'd gotten home that I'd forgotten to use a coupon I'd had with me because I'd paid with a credit card instead of cash. (I put coupons in my wallet with my cash so, in theory, I won't forget them.) Instead of putting the days frustrations aside, this minor screw-up put me on tilt.
I woke up this morning feeling slightly better until I remembered yesterday. Found myself running through the math of driving up to see whether they'd still take my coupon if I showed them my receipt. With gas mileage and assuming they'd take the dollar coupon, I decided I'd probably only come out 30 cents ahead if I had no other reason to drive that way.
This reminded me of Dave2's post about bending over to pick up a dollar bill only to drop and scratch his $80 sunglasses. Correction: his $180 sunglasses. I started to envision getting into a car accident before my new policy goes into effect totally screwing up my premium to costly effect.
Nonetheless, that there was minimal gain to be had didn't reduce the real problem: my frustration at myself for not using the coupon in the first place.
A hangnail was driving me crazy, so I tried to break it off. A gentle tug did not work so I gave it yank which removed it and a slim line of skin, not enough to bleed but enough to make it hurt like a son-of-a-bitch every time water hits it. All this before my shower, naturally.
Regarding the coupon, the simple answer would be to call ahead to see if they'd take it, but I was still too edgy to deal with the phone and felt better taking my chances in person. Someone kindly offered to call for me, which made me feel a bit ridiculous, but the good news is that they will take my coupon if I have my receipt which I do.
So...feeling less crazy just now albeit perhaps more dysfunctional than I'd been thinking. C'est la fucking vie.
A year ago on TTaT: Twice, seriously?
Huuuuug!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Voix! Thankfully, the day made a shift for the better with a couple small good things after I posted.
ReplyDeletethe telephone can never make you feel like a loser if you lose it.
ReplyDeleteor something.
i am probably even worse at the phone. i don't even have a cell contract. i have a pay as you go phone and almost never use it.
/brandon\: ME TOO!!! I don't even turn my pay-as-you-go cell on most days. I try to remember to once a week or so in case there are messages.
ReplyDeleteMostly, I avoid the phone which is no doubt why it can be so awkward. There's also a chance of smooth sailing, if I'm the one with the answers, but that doesn't come up as much these days.