Still kicking.

       I meant to respond to my last post sooner but... things came up.  Sound ominous?  It was.  First off, I was a victim of a hit and run.  I was hit, the other guy ran.  Second, I found him the next day and he's being charged on 3 counts: leaving the scene, failure to report and careless driving.  Part of the reason I didn't post this before is because I am in the process of turning it into a story.  I wrote down the basics (in about 7 pages) and need to let it sit before I can touch it.  

       The other thing is that I have been spending my past days after becoming a crime-fighting, vengeance seeking vigilante dealing with the University of Pittsburgh mail system.  Let me tell you, Kim and Amanda make up 2 of the top 10 dumbest people I have ever had personal contact with.  I bought something on E-Bay and told them to send it to me in NJ.  My receipt said it was coming here and I figured I had nothing to fear.  In this day and age, fear is the new black.  Everything should inspire fear.  It was sent to Pitt.  Pitt would not send it to me because it was insured.  I argued that since it was no longer in the custody of the US mail service, being signed for and "delivered", the insurance was no longer valid.  To this Kim asked me "If it was so important, why did they deliver it to the wrong place?"  I immediately came back with, "You realize that doesn't make any sense, right?"  Over the course of 3 days Kim proved not to know that.  She proved to not know a great deal, most of it dealing specifically with mail and other such documents, ironically enough.  At one point she questioned my identity.  I told her I would send her a copy of my student ID, my drivers license and passport, along with a notarized letter giving a friend in Pittsburgh permission to pick up my mail.  To this she asked, "But how would I know the letter was from you?"  "You don't know what notarized means, do you?"  Dead silence.  Fucking geniuses.
       Her boss, Amanda, was less of a help, though instead of getting indignant and insulting she simply repeated key phrases to keep herself calm.  
       "We can only forward 1st class mail."  
       "Why?"
       "Um........ because the shipping fee.  Your package would cost another $6 to ship again."
       "No problem, my friend can drop off the cash for shipping today."
       "No.  We can't do that."
       "Why?"
       "......... Because we can only forward 1st class mail."
Another nugget of gold"
       "What if I send you a notarized letter giving permission to give the package to someone else?"
       "No, I asked about that and we can't do it."
       "Why?"
       "Well, because anyone can sign a notarized letter."
       I exploded at this point.  "What?!  No, actually, they can't.  Notarized means the person signing it is trained, licensed and accountable.  The seal they use is unique so as to be traceable.  Notarized, by its very definition, means that it can't be signed by anyone."
       "...... But we can't do that."
I swear, at this point I think she was crying.  My hand to god.
       Here's the plan.  I'm going out to visit people in the 'Burgh probably in early November.  I will get a rock, glue googily eyes on it and write "I'm with stupid --->"  I will go to the mail office on the Pitt campus and ask for Kim.  I will then hand her the rock and say the following:
       I know things were rocky on the phone.  I was angry, you were frustrated.  I made you this to bridge the gap.  The next time you're here and you get a problem customer, like me, look at it.  You can tell it's a dumb and goofy rock, even by rock standards, by the tacky slogan on it.  Look at it when dealing with this person.  Take a deep breath.  And remember: no matter how frustrated you get, no matter how many questions you find you don't know the answers to, on your best day this rock could do your job better than you, you worthless bleeding cunt."
       I'm shopping for eyes right now.

       Final thought of the night.  Isn't it strange how certain people will always pop up in your life?  No matter how "done" you thought you were with them?  Either they come back or someone else brings them up?  It's strange.  I know, the most vexing and difficult people can teach us how to better deal with anyone but that doesn't stop them from being a complete pain.  Obviously I'm speaking about a specific individual, but I think this holds true to other people.  It has to be a thing, a universal constant.  There are people that you can't cut out completely.  I don't know.  Maybe I'm being a little paranoid.  Maybe the other person has specifically been watching me and stalking me and it's not the universe's fault.  But that would mean that in this situation the less paranoid conclusion is that I'm being watched.  Makes me wonder....