Doing The Right Thing

"... uuhhhhhhhhmmm ... I can't see the hologram on this bill ..."

I got the message. loud and clear. The guy behind the counter was intimating the note I'd given him and which he was scrutinizing wasn't genuine. But he didn't want to come right out and say so. It was as if he was holding back that information. Why? Was he making an attempt at saving me from embarrassment? Anticipating a confrontation if he called it out? Did he fear I might throw a fit about it?

He didn't know me. He was simply preparing for the worst in a possible bad situation ... but I wasn't going to react to his timidity.

"Huh," I commented. "That's all I've got to pay with. I'll zip over to the bank and see what's up with it," I told him.

He handed the bill back to me and apologized. I told him it wasn't a problem, there was nothing to apologize for. And I meant it.

Off to the bank I ran.

Was it true? Was I trying to pass a fake bill? I looked at it while on the go and he was right: The hologram was obscured.

Arriving, I walked through the doors and went right up to one of the two tellers standing around doing absolutely nothing. "Good afternoon. How can I help you?" the teller asked as I approached the counter.

"What can you tell me about this bill?" I put the note on the counter in front of him.

"It's counterfeit" he responded.

"You can tell that just from looking at it, laying there on the counter?" I asked.

"Yeah ... the paper alone ... you can see it's not paper used for currency ..."

"Maybe you can see that, I cannot. I'm nowhere near that qualified. So ... what can we do about this situation?"

"Well ... I have to confiscate this bill and write up a report. I'm going to need some information from you about it ..."

"That's fine. But ... what will be done about the funds themselves?"

"I'm sorry to say: Nothing. You're out $100.00. If it's any consolation, you never had the $100.00 to begin with ..."

"I had a feeling that might be the case. So ... had I simply run the bill through an automated teller machine I would have at least been credited the hundred bucks." (I'd heard someone had done that when they had come upon a similar situation with possibly counterfeit money and it jogged my memory while talking to the teller.) "By coming to you and being honest, I'm SOL ... right?"

"Right on both counts," the teller confirmed.

Instead of the various sundries I had planned on purchasing that afternoon, I went home with a copy of a report on its way to the Secret Service.

.......... Ruprecht's ( counterfeit bill passing efforts STOP now )

Accountability

Really: What's so difficult about being accountable for simple mistakes?

If you're going to make a mistake, a business is one of the best places to do so. So you get your hand slapped, big deal. When you're dealing with the public, you want to put your best face forward. Makes the customer feel good, makes you feel good for helping out ... right?

Overall, no one wants to screw up, especially when it's personal. But at least if you do so in a business atmosphere, when you're at work? It tends to be not quite as painful. Especially when it's a simple little thing. Depending on how you handle it, that is.

And if you're going to come up with an excuse? If it should come to that at least have the wherewithal to make it appear legitimate, something that has an inkling of plausibility.

Case in point: A friend posted this a few days ago ...

"And so I think I just heard the most original excuse why important paperwork is 2 weeks past due for delivery. Mail with streets, avenues, boulevards, etc., not abbreviated are returned by the US Postal Service. I think I would have believe the company dog ate it."

I couldn't help but question this.

"... wait ... wait ... what ... ??? Are you saying that if you address something "Monkey Business Road" it is more likely to be delayed than "Monkey Business Rd." ... ?!??? I want to make certain I'm clear on this ..."

Come on. The individual who made up this malarkey really thought they could pull this off?

.......... Ruprecht ( STOP )

Still Celebrating ...

I asked myself today: "When does it become inappropriate to wish someone a Happy New Year?"

And by inappropriate I don't mean "inappropriate." I mean inappropriate along the lines of "ill-suited." More so I wondered about it in a general sense of the correctness of acknowledgment.

Currently? It's still all right to "Happy New Year" whoever you choose. I mean ... we're a mere two weeks into 2015 for Pete's sake. And when you haven't yet seen someone and stumble upon him or her in February and such a hail greeting strikes you? I don't see a problem with that. Do you?

But ... get past February and it can get a little weird.

You wouldn't say it in April, definitely not on Flag Day ... and you wouldn't even think of mumbling it at the mid-year mark ... right? And it doesn't even occur as a weird mind quirk come autumn, even at the most awkward of meetings, does it?

If you think about it, most months of the year (the latter 10, let's say) get the metaphorical cold shoulder when it comes to offering such a salute. If you're one of these months you drew the short stick.

But ... I don't know if this necessarily needs to be the case.

Of course, you wouldn't greet someone you see every day with "Happy New Year." That's just dumb. You wouldn't say it to your fellow office worker down the hall every time you bump into him. You wouldn't offer it to your barber each month you get a hair cut. Nor would you give it any thought when you say hello to the cashier at the grocery store every other week. Or at your favorite fast food joint. Or when you jauntily step yourself into the bank and belly up to a helpful attendant. 

But you would do so to those individuals you haven't yet seen in the new year. That makes complete sense, doesn't it?

So why don't you do it? "Why don't I do it?" I asked myself.

Well, I'm not asking any longer. I'm forging ahead and committing to it each time the chance arises.

I'm certain, no matter the month, an enthusiastic "Happy New Year" will beat "How's it goin'?" or "What's up?" or "Fancy meeting you here!" or a goofy "I wondered if I'd bump into you" each and every time.

And that goes double with strangers, too. (Yes ... I'm known to talk to complete strangers often, out of the blue and in the most interesting places.)

And if it raises an eyebrow or two? Nothing wrong with that ...

.......... Ruprecht ( still won't STOP )

Will It Go 'Round In Circles?

True life conversation:

"He's seen you angry ... right?"

"Yes."

"No. I mean ... he's seen you really angry ... right?"

"Yes. He has. It's not a problem."

"And ... he's seen you freaky-scary angry too? Because that's kind of important ..."

"Of course ..."

"Let me elaborate to make sure I have a bead on this: He's seen you the kind of angry you get when you're freaky-scary angry ... the 360° head-spinning, pea soup-ejecting Linda-Blair-in-The-Exorcist kind of freaky-scary angry ... right?"

"... well ... not exactly ..."

"So ... I'm just putting this out there for your own good. Not having seen that? And having it thrust on someone all of a sudden? That could be a real sticking point in a relationship. I've seen it ... and it ain't pretty. You might want to consider that ..."

.......... Ruprecht ( STOP scaring people )

A Little Improvement ... Perhaps

Out with the old and in with the new they say.

And that's what I'm going to attempt once again with the start of two thousand fifteen.

I did my fair share this year of the "out with the old" part. I made that exact statement one year ago this very day. And (here's some of the preaching part) I didn't do half bad a job of it, either. New ventures, different attitude, etc.

But I'm not going to gloat and back slap myself for the year's accomplishments, great or small.

I am going to rid some of a bad habit of mine, though - yapping about things incessantly. I'm going to attempt to slough off some of the niggling things I've harped on and squawked about throughout 2014. And do a little bit more of that preaching at the same time.

Understand, however, I'm not completely delusional; not all I am going to crow about will magically disappear or change miraculously with the shedding of the old year. But maybe, just maybe, in putting it out there the intention (at least) of putting some of these things behind me I can fool myself into starting start fresh.

So ... people ...

Use The Turn Indicator On Your Vehicle. I don't know what the deal is of late but over the last several months I seem to have the "good fortune" of getting behind motorheads who have no clue how to use that stick on the side of their steering wheel. And, naturally, I make comments out loud to myself (and others if driving with passengers) about the folks ahead of me. "Must be one of those economy cars that comes without a turn indicator." "I get it. The 'need-another-bite-of-my-Big-Mac' was more important than letting me know he was going to turn right." "See that chick there? I trust she saved a bundle when she bought that Mercedes by nixing the 'turn indicator option' on her purchase." "Buddy? If you're going to turn left, let those behind you know your actually going to turn left. No ... I mean your other left ... not right as indicated by your blinking right light." "I'm just going to pull up alongside Mr. Backward Cap up there and politely let him know his turn signal lamps are out and he might want to take a quick trip to Auto Zone and get them replaced." Yeah ... you get the idea.

Diet Soft Drinks. Stop drinking them. Remember when Sweet 'N' Low came out and there were those studies done on lab rats concluding cancer was more likely to develop from Sweet 'N' Low's consumption rather the use of sugar? That was back in the 1970s ... and the studies continue to come forth today for not only that product but all the sucralose additives in soft drinks and gum and baked goods and more. Besides, seriously ... diet soft drinks taste like crap anyway. Develop a taste for iced tea without sugar. You'd be surprised how good it tastes ...

Taking The Lord's Name In Vain. Stop it. One of the ten commandments says not to do that. What? You don't practice Christianity? So why not use some other deity's name in your epithet? Here's a thing: How about respect for any religion or faith, not just those who believe in God? That's just good manners. You're an atheist so it doesn't make a difference to you? I understand that ... but still, good manners if nothing else. Good manners are universal, you know.
 
And ... speaking of epithets ...

Stop Cussing So Much. You sound ignorant when you use them to excess. Blurt epithets for emphasis. You'll get more mileage out of them, trust me. Their minimal use will punctuate your intent with a lot more *umph* if you curb their frequency.

And, speaking even further about words ...

Stop Saying "Like" Every Four Words. You're not a teenager. And while you're at it, stop with the overused "awesome." And "awesome sauce." And "crap ton." (What is that, anyway?) Thankfully, we saw the death of "Oh, snap!" long ago. Remember how annoying that phrase was? "Like" and "awesome" are right there with it.

See? Just a few little nippy things are all I have to complain about. Little things that are fixable. At least I think they are. Now? I'll stop barking about them.

On the flip side, how about doing some things for your ownself? Again, little things, completely doable by your lonesome ...

Learn Something New Everyday. Use your cell phone much? Good. How about utilizing it to better yourself instead of SnackChat (stupid kids) or gaming or inane texting or whatever other dumbass application you have on your phone and download Dictionary.com. Use the "Daily Word" feature, program it to pop up every single day so you increase your vocabulary throughout 2015. No ... you're not going to remember each and every funky word that pops up, Nor will you use them in everyday conversation. But you just might become a little bit smarter. And becoming a little bit smarter every day just might ward you from Alzheimer's disease. (You're welcome.)

Talk To Strangers. Speaking of cell phones, get off them and converse with a stranger when you're in the grocery line ... or in line ordering that Subway sandwich on the run. Or in the checkout at a department store. Climb out of your social cocoon and live a little. You just might learn something from someone new. It won't kill you.

Hold The Door Open For People. And be conscious of doing so. Courtesy: Exercise it. It makes you look good. It makes you feel good. And - good news - it's free.

Slow Down When You Drive. You don't need to go so fast, trust me. You'll save gas. Your sanity. Your nerves. You'll have a better outlook on life, too. Life is fast enough ... isn't it? Take it easy.

Set Your Clocks 10 Minutes Fast. Seriously. In your car. Your watch. Your phone clock if you use that. The clock on your stove, in your living room, in your bathroom. Guess what? When you're late? You'll realize you have 10 more minutes. It sounds kind of stupid, I know. But you'll find it's liberating. And you'll feel better about yourself. And? It's free as well.


One more thing: Share this stuff with someone. Of the couple hundreds I know who read my blather, a few of you will act on a couple of the above things. And the fact of the matter is you'll be all the better for it, I know. Not "world changingly" better ... just personally. Just a little bit. 

Happy New Year, folks.

.......... Ruprecht ( won't STOP, even going into 2015 ... )

Whine Not

It's something I've come across often.

People who seem normal ... outgoing ... sociable. In general, they are pleasant to be around.

But some? They turn (and quickly) into whining, annoying, self-absorbed crybabies focused on the most miniscule of infractions.
 
I'm not talking about verbal body tackles to their person. Or snide remarks tossed their way debasing their characters. Nor am I talking about sarcastic one upsmanship. I speak of whining for whining's sake. You know them: It appears they have nothing better to do than complain about the smallest thing.

I'm sure they think they have a reason for it. But in reality it's simply for their justifications.

Or it's because the person is truly self-absorbed and believes they're entitled.

Or they're happy in their misery and uncomfortable when removed from it - they know the feeling too well and don't like when they're not inside that bubble.

Hey, I complain. I complain all the time. You've been to this blog before ... you've seen me do it. When I do it's with a comedic bent. Or with an incredulous "I had no idea." There are several other categories when I grouse, too ...

... but I don't do it just to do it. I don't do it simply for the sake of whining. It's not because I know whining intimately and it's my natural state of being.

Quite the opposite: I'm a happy-go-lucky sort of guy. I'm mirthful and upbeat and I enjoy smiling. A lot. It's too much trouble to be unhappy. It takes too many muscles to frown. It makes for an unpleasant air when I'm around whiny, unhappy people. 

I'm not stupid or ignorant of such, though. All situations and conditions cannot be joyous or pleasant.

But why in the world would you force such a state on yourself? When there is absolutely no need to do so? To hear yourself complain? To moan and foster that "woe is me" attitude ever forward?

Stop it. No one wants that. No one wants to be around that ...

... well ... except other whiners. Because misery does, indeed, love company ... and whiners support other whiners.

.......... Ruprecht ( STOP complaining )

Get It Right

People of Earth!

Get it right, already! It's "Daylight Saving Time" ... not "Daylight Savings Time" ... !!!

November 2nd we turn our clocks back an hour. We get an extra hour in the early morning to party a little longer or to get in an extra 60 minutes of our favorite program or absorb a smidgen more sleep for our overloaded bodies.
 
It's called "Daylight Saving Time."It's not time to visit the institution where deposits of daylight are stored away for a rainy day. There aren't any "savings," either daylight nor of time. In other words it's not "Daylight Savings Time."

Got it? Get it? Good ...

.......... Ruprecht ( STOP using it incorrectly )