small fish, small pond

[Zola Q. LaPlaya]

Posted: 2/13/05 at 8:35am

Petty little people who have positions of assumed power used to really annoy me, but I have grown to feel sorry for them. The meter maid who just really wants to bust your chops and ruin your day. The flight attendant who insists on enforcing the rules about carry-ons for you but not her three friends who just pranced on the plane ahead of you. The performer-wannabe stage door "guard" who officiously bellows "MAKE A PATH FOR THE ACTORS" at 14-year old autograph seekers. The waiter who won't substitute salad for fries on Thursday but was happy to do it on Tuesday.

We all know them. They all eventually fail. They are unhappy, miserable people. And their crashes-and-burns make living in New York City just a little more interesting.

Do you know any?

Updated On: 2/13/05 at 08:35 AM

[Zola Q. LaPlaya]

Posted: 2/14/05 at 6:43am

To purge this weekend's negative energy, I have one more to add this morning: the lunatics who work for the TSA at LaGuardia.

(Still, those wannabe actor/"guards" at Broadway stage doors amuse me the most...)

Okay, I'm done. woooooooooooooooooooosh............

[bongoboy]

Posted: 2/14/05 at 7:20am

i think zola, that you may be dumping your negative energy on others...maybe the waiter's manager chewed him out for varying from the menu or maybe you were rude and the waiter realized doing you a favor gets him nowhere, except maybe in trouble with the restaurant owner. tsa workers and stage door guards are just doing their jobs, probably better than you'll ever understand or care.

[CurtainUp2]

Posted: 2/14/05 at 7:38am

The idiots who work at Motor Vehicles.

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 2/14/05 at 7:40am

tsa workers and stage door guards are just doing their jobs, probably better than you'll ever understand or care.

Well that would be because Zola's job seems to be pretending to be something he's not on this message board. And he excels at that.

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 2/14/05 at 7:46am

i've found that 9 times out of 10 if you take a second to make a joke with any of the above described folks that they will go out of their way to make your experience a pleasant one. yeah, that 10th one makes ya question humanity and briefly understand why postal workers like to avail themselves of the balllistic option now and again, but the other 9 times you tend to make someone's day.

[bongoboy]

Posted: 2/14/05 at 7:47am

new topic header lame people, boring complaints. i've had some rough times at motor vehicles, but i never blamed the workers..it's the system that they are stuck in. and the last time i was there, people were friendly and over-the-top helpful.

calling them all idiots curtain, is ridiculous.

Updated On: 2/14/05 at 07:47 AM

[bongoboy]

Posted: 2/14/05 at 7:49am

right on, papa!

[CurtainUp2]

Posted: 2/14/05 at 9:30am

Hey bongo... THEY ARE PATHETIC IDIOTS! How's them apples? Having just made three trips to my local Motor Vehicles office within the same day (and having ultimately accomplished nothing), due to incompetent, rude, apathetic, and uninformed workers, gives me the right to vent a little. Which, I believe, was the point of this thread. Having spent twenty-three years in the customer service field, I know it's not the easiest of jobs. But being ignorant and down right nasty is completely unacceptable. If they don't like their jobs, they should find new ones. There are plenty of qualified people waiting in line who would be only to happy to relieve them of their burden.

Updated On: 2/14/05 at 09:30 AM

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 2/14/05 at 9:33am

i can't imagine how anyone would find you anything but cheerful, sweet and full of sunshine, cu2.

[CurtainUp2]

Posted: 2/14/05 at 9:35am

Why thank you papa. Right back atcha.

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Posted: 2/14/05 at 9:35am

This thread was aimed at one person and one person only, the rest is smoke and mirrors.

[bongoboy]

Posted: 2/14/05 at 9:45am

i know son, but it looks like zola's net caught a stray crab.

Posted: 2/14/05 at 9:48am

I'm assuming that door guard will respond when he wakes up.

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 2/14/05 at 9:49am

i get it, i get it! damn i need to find a way to have coffee and make mass on time.

[bongoboy]

Posted: 2/14/05 at 9:56am

maybe he's at voice class, learning how to "bellow" better, by using his DIAPHRAGM rather than his throat. gosh what a shame it would be to damage his instrument at his day job.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 2/14/05 at 10:47am

"Customer service" representatives who claim they have no supervisor or boss to which you may speak and keep no records of the previous ten calls you have already made regarding the same issue. It's usually cable TV, but also any phone, internet or utility company. Many thanks to deregulation, which has caused higher rates and lower service pretty much everywhere it has occurred.

Bitter unsuccessful actors who decide to teach, but only serve to demean their students and try to cover up their jealous hostility with such remarks as "if you can't take it, you should give up and go home now" as if cruelty is somehow not only excuseable but expected. Cruelty should not be tolerated in ANY work or social environment.

Posted: 2/14/05 at 1:07pm

"Cruelty should not be tolerated in ANY work or social environment."

Even internet message boards?

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 2/14/05 at 1:18pm

Wow. Oh yeah--this was definitely aimed at me. I can only giggle.

Were you one of the 14yo girls waiting outside for Ms. Foster's autograph, Zola?

Yes, I politely, but loudly yelled for the folks to leave a path for the actors. THAT'S PART OF THE JOB. To take care of the actors and crew. Who couldn't leave for their dinner break because people were blocking the way. I wasn't nasty about it in the least.

But, you obviously don't know that as your ignorant attempt to insult me clearly indicates that you have never worked on Broadway to know better.

You are going to have to work much harder on your revenge for my outting you as a fake.