Sold my car. Good move, given the unbelievable regulations pertaining to foreigners here. They squeezed and squeezed and squeezed the foreigner for years, made it well nigh impossible, except for big money - so colour this blogger gone.
First reality check - had to physically go over to the post office, first time for years, to pay phone and flat - had my own system before. Uzhas! It means "horror", "awful", "nightmare".
I'll never do this again.
The inefficiency sends me apoplectic - 42 minutes to take money from 7 people; she cleaned out her till completely and took all the money somewhere else for ten minutes, then came back with two people left to serve and theefore had no change.
So five or six people in the post office surrounding us were trying to find the right money - I just paid for the woman ahead of me in the end to get her out of the way. Uzhas. People coughing and spluttering and drunks breathing on you, wanting to chat - what a great test of Christian compassion. What a reality check. Uzhas.
Never again.
Whilst looking around the place, waiting in line, it struck home - the poor old people, the poor young people, this is the old soviet union still fiendishly being clung to by state institutions. What it must have been like before - uzhas.
Seems to this blogger that there are four increasingly major things in society required to preserve one's sanity:
1] Time - we must create a situation where we are not rushing. Rather than paying for time-reduction, we should contract our sphere and not take on so much. It's peace of mind;
2] Space - having an empty flat, empty thirty metres on a beach or under a tree, wide open spaces, empty, free, breathing space;
3] Reality checks - realize that as we age, we firstly lose resolve, secondly memory and lastly reasoning power;
4] Resistance to other people's agendas, whoever they are. No matter how much we might love them - they can send us out of our tree. We must learn to sweetly smile: "No";
5] Refusal to be sucked in. Idiot cuts you off on the road or blocks you, causing you to miss the lights, woman in post office closes up shop when you're two people from your turn - resist them.
Had a client three years back - a walking wreck, came to me more for peace of mind than anything else. Told me of a mate who'd had a heart attack at 49 - had everything that opened and shut in his life, multiple cars and women, plus a wife - for what?
My friend himself was shaking like a leaf. Uzhas.
Sanity, people - number one priority.
The new way to travel
I couldn't agree wiht you more.When people have an agenda , I just walk away. The most important thing in life is peace of mind followed secondly by good health, the latter often being directly influenced by the former.
ReplyDeleteI am sure you were a large G&T for the shaking man. You truly are a kind soul, James.
If the post office isn't the Italian one, it's one remarkably like it. I can't face going and delegate such duties to the ever helpful "paolo The Peasant" who being a local has the patience of 10 Jobs.
ReplyDeleteOh no, you and Welshcakes can commiserate together, and Tuscan Tony too.
ReplyDeleteThe old days, yes, lining up for bread and food, after working all day.
You're absolutely right, James and I really empathise, as you can imagine, about the post office! - Sounds even worse than here. I see that Tuscan Tony feels the same. I have friends in Britain who will not retire a year or 2 early, though they could well afford to and they are always ill with stress. They may not make it to retirement age at this rate, I tell them.
ReplyDeleteJames,
ReplyDeleteI seem to be always OT on you blog now, buuuut...
My main query is, does bloglines auto-update? I'm currently using Sage and it has to be refreshed. Any help re an auto-updater welcome.
Some previous post you asked why your more considered posts get such little comment. My reasons are:
So many references (a positive criticism) that by the time I've checked what I do not know, I've read so much that immediate comment is redundant. Remember, your refs also ref. I have to have time to assimilate, cogitate before commentate.
That means that sometimes I think that commenting is itself redundant inasmuch as I am not bringing anything new to the subject. So why waste everyone's time?
This does not mean that I do not read your blog. I mainly do though some things I avoid e.g. I do not care what you said about the latest Bourne film I simply do not want to read anything about it until I've made up my own mind. I admire Ludlum and equally admire a good interpretation by a director so, hey, I'll criticise afterwards if necessary.
I know you have the courtesy to reply to belated comments and I do appreciate that so, belatedly, may I suggest something for your next update? (heh, heh, always delegating! Have I ever managed something?) How about a once every six weeks or so doing a post referencing updated comments, linking to comments posted, say, two days after the original and substantial enough to warrant more comment. Your judgment on what's important, ours to follow up? Some subjects beg more thought so it's worth returning to them more often even if you have referenced them - nothing beats pushing your agenda 'til even the thickest of us (moi aussi cf D.Rumsfeld above) get it?
Oh, and, well, you sometimes write so much that I, and, no doubt, others, think that, we have to get to, the other blogs, without, commenting.
I love abusing the comma.
STB.
p.s. I am now about to read thi post so, oh no, I may be back.
James,
ReplyDeleteYep, I just knew by the title this one was ripe for the comment.
Think of uzhas as the currency.
Maybe I should have put that in later but, what the hell. I started working life as a civil servant and because of my natural people skills(?) was assigned to the desk of the local DHSS (Department of Health and Social Security). I would have people come in and rant at me. I would ask them 'what's your point?'. Nobody ever really answered that one except to say 'my rights are blah-di-blah etc'. I would say.
'No, they are not and this is why...'.
What is happening here is what happens everywhere - there is an important job to be done here but no-one is ever going to do it for the money offered unless you can accept a brain-dead existence. Most people just move on and those who are left just try to, over the years, make life more interesting for themselves. In other words, if you are thick as the proverbial you will stay where you are and nothing but nothing will make you more intelligent. And, at some stage in your life, you will understand this. QED. Queue, James, take the consequences.
I am thicker than thou, thou is thicker then I. Such is the way of the world.
I'm surprised you're surprised.
SURPRISE!
STB.
Two things here, people - one about the P.O. and yes, it does seem universal. The other about STB's idea. Good, if I have my thread system working. It would take some organization but could be done.
ReplyDeleteWe pay all our bills on line, with only the gardener getting cash. Very convenient and you spend the money before you have it in your hands, even better for somebody like me.
ReplyDeleteYou employ a gardener? Tell me about your chef, Jocko? And how about the between stairs maids?
ReplyDeleteJames,
ReplyDeleteBldy Hel, I have, of course, conflated the last two comments.
Grrrr.
'til anon.
STB.
Grrrr.