Friday, October 09, 2009

The most irritating world ever.

Readers, I honestly don't know how to explain what happened today. I can't figure it out. I don't understand it. All I know is - it irritates the fuck out of me.

So, we are suppose to get an early big storm next week. It's suppose to be a big wind event. They are comparing it to the Columbus Day storm of 1962, which was the closest thing the Pacific North West has ever gotten to a hurricane. On satellite it was a hurricane. Only because it was the Pacific North West, they don't call it that. Maybe they are over-blowing it. But, it's an unusual event to compare things to.

Anyway, I got the bright idea I wanted to have some trees trimmed before the event happened. Now up front, I will admit to being impulsive. But, I haven't heard a chainsaw in my town in months. Anywhere.

As a matter of a fact one of the things that bothers me most about the recession is the quiet. Neighborhoods used to be filled with worker noise. Now it's like you are living in some Buddhist sanctuary. So, I figured I'd be able to get someone out this weekend. We are sitting at 12% unemployment after all.

I called 10 tree trimming services. Not exaggerating. Fully 5 did not pick up their phones at all. A couple said they couldn't come out till next week. One flat out said if I wanted someone sooner I might as well go with someone else. One never even returned my call. This is just the quote stage. Not to even get any work done.

I finally did get one guy to come out. Visually he immediately went onto my radar. We was dressed far too nice. Loafers, and a cardigan. Older guy. Way older. I'm sure he hasn't trimmed a tree in possibly decades. I'm used to guys showing up in jeans and the paint they rolled out of this morning. But, whatever - he's here.

So, I tell him what I want. I want the 20 foot hedges trimmed back to the fence line, and cut back away from the house 5 feet. For some reason he doesn't seem to comprehend the part about cutting them back from the house. We go over it about 10 times with hand genstures.

In his defense, this area is on my neighbors side. I already talked the neighbor this morning and made completely sure he was okay with this. He was happy actually because I was paying. My neighbors seem to be fine with anything I want to do. As long as I'm paying. I told the tree guy that I'd talked to the neighbor.

Yet the guy went on an on about this one area. It wasn't going to look nice. He didn't want to get sued. But, he didn't say it in that way that everyone does these days. In a laughing manner. He said he wanted it in writing that my neighbors weren't going to sue him. I told him again, that I talked to my neighbor. He went on to say it wouldn't look nice. He continued. Can I talk to your neighbor? Sure, I said. So, we started walking over. But - he was so odd about the whole thing. I told him I'd had people out a bunch of times to trim those hedges and none of them were so concerned about being sued as he was. He was starting to queeb me out.

At this point he almost started stuttering. Well, I'll take your word for it. By the time we got into my back yard, he'd completely flipped. I'm going to pass on the job he said. Okay, I replied.

And I swear to you - he peeled out of my street. He couldn't get out of here fast enough.

I mean, I was happy to let him talk to the neighbor - but the way he was acting was really odd. I've never had anyone want it in writing that the neighbors wouldn't sue them. This is the world we've arrived at.

I guess everyone is doing fine enough that they don't need the money.

2 comments:

  1. Little known (and possibly even interesting) fact about that 1962 Storm in Seattle is that the funnel passed close enough to Bill Gates' family's home to lift the roof off their carport. Now granted, he was only about 7 and hadn't gotten rich yet and they were living in an average ranch type home, but still.

    John in Pomeroy on the Palouse

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  2. That actually is interesting trivia.

    The air quality was so bad here today. Roof lifting storms can't here fast enough for me.

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