One of my first jobs out of college was in a library mailroom. It was a good job that combined plenty of exercise with a plethora of reading material—this was back in the day when bound and printed books were still a primary source of information. The one downside was that I had to deal with a building manager—this was an office building that housed lots of different companies. I’m being nice when I say the building manager was a bit of a jerk. The truth is he was a really big jerk. The first time we met he started, for no reason I’ve ever been able to figure out, telling me things about his girlfriend I didn’t want to know and which I did everything I could to block out. One of the work-related areas where we butted heads, though, was over a construction company that also had offices in the building and whose guys frequently blocked the loading dock so the company I worked for couldn’t get its deliveries in or out.
One day one of the construction guys asked me, “Why don’t you get a real job?” and ever since then I’ve been trying to figure out what a real job is. If he was an example then a real job is starting renovation projects then disappearing for months so they never get finished, but that’s another story.
Once when I was trying to get the building manager to get the construction guys to move he just blurted out, “You know what I’d like to be? A UPS delivery guy because they can park anywhere they want.” That was the kind of non sequitur that was typical of him and meant I had to go talk to the construction guys, if I could find them, myself.
All this came back to me one afternoon when I was on my way to the bus and had to maneuver around a delivery truck that was parked over the crosswalk.
This driver was not stopped at a light. This was where the vehicle was parked.
I don’t want to impugn the Mrs. Grissom’s Salads company or its line of quality luncheon substances, but their delivery drivers should know that at a busy intersection, especially one where cars regularly run red lights, a delivery truck driver shouldn’t make crossing even more difficult for pedestrians. Delivery truck drivers can’t just park anywhere they want, and ones who think they can should get a real job.
I commit to memory every business of every truck that’s ever pissed me off. Ten years from now when my house needs a new roof, I have no idea who I’ll hire but I know at least 3 companies who I will NOT hire! If you’re going to put your name on a moving vehicle, you’d better be confident about who drives it.
That’s a really good idea and there are quite a few companies I’ve crossed off my list. Unfortunately one I can’t cross off is UPS, which really has some inconsiderate drivers, but there are times when they’re also the best option for shipping something and making sure it gets where it’s going. And I’ve known some fantastic UPS delivery people too, so I guess they balance out the jerks.
That is one crappy parking job. And what you do for a living is more real than most things. Except for Puppy Inspector. That’s the realest job of all.
Now I want to list my profession as Puppy Inspector, although most days when I get home from work I get inspected by puppies rather than the other way around. And if I’ve been somewhere with dogs or other animals, or just to the pet store, I get really inspected when I get home.
Great job, Chris. Thanks for another special delivery.
Your comments always deliver.