a good healthy dose of confidence

lately i've been having a confidence issue with my running and preparation for october 22nd.

i just watched this three times.

every time that air horn blows, i get some serious jitters a big grin and then that burning feeling hits my stomach (i call it the 'angry juice').

so now, with the angry juice flowing, i'll tell you what's going to happen on october 22nd.

i will run harder than i have ever run before.
i will find a new level of stubborness to carry me through the 26.2.
i will qualify for boston.
i will run 2:59:59. i've decided that 3:10 is not good enough.
i will hurt like a motherfucker.

and zack, i will run the last mile with you if it fucking kills me.


ok, now lest i waste this motivation, i'm off to make some pavement my bitch.

how to ship a package

the idiocy of customers continues to amaze me. just when i think i've seen everything, i get blown away by how dumb people can be and yet still manage to survive in the world.

on friday a customer comes in wanting to ship some halloween gifts to her friends. she asks for some paper and a pen and starts browsing around the store writing down what she wants to send. she hands me a list of about 15 items and tells me she wants to keep it "around $10". um, yea...ok. so which two items do you want from the list? she picks a few things and asks about shipping. i tell her we ship overnight fedex since it is chocolate and a temperature swing can damage it. i tell her i can try to get it out today (remember, it's friday...late afternoon) but if i do, it will sit in a warehouse over the weekend and get delivered on monday unless she wants to pay for saturday delivery ($$$). i inform her that it's best to wait until monday to ship it. after almost an hour in the store, she finally pays and insists that it go out today. i collect her money and ask for the address where i'm shipping it to.
her: "oh, i don't have that"
me:
her: "but i have her phone number. can't you just call them and tell them there is a package waiting for the person with this phone number?"
me: um, no, i need to have an address. you should probably just call them and get their address
her: well, i want it to be a surprise. you can't just give fedex the phone number?
me: no, it doesn't work that way.
her: oh, ok.

so she calls her friend and returns with the address...without the zip code.
her: do you really need that?
me: um, yes. if it were a small town, i might be able to figure it out, but this is chicago.
her: fine! i'll call her back.

she returns with the zip code.

her: i have a question for you. how will she know it's from me?
me: you mean, aside from the note you wrote inside and the to/from tag you put on it?
her: yea.
me:
her: well, i mean, how will she know it's her package and not supposed to be for someone else?
me: that's what the address is for. it will say it is shipped from us, but it will be addressed to her.
her: yes. but i want her to know it's from me.
me: umm...
her: can i just write my name on the outside of the box.
me: sure...do whatever you want.

i finally succeed in appeasing her and pack up the box and send an oompa loompa to fedex. throughout the afternoon, she checks back 3 more times to be sure that it got out that day. each time i get more and more amazed. "yes, it's already at fedex...no, i don't know if it's left the fedex store or not".

fast forward to monday morning.
phone caller: hi, this is fedex. we're trying to deliver a package to "221 XXXXX St." . This address doesn't exist. do you have any information that could assist us?
me: fucking great. i'll have to call you back.

i'm at home later that night and i get a phone call from the customer.

her: i have a complaint. my friend didn't get the package.
me: yes, i tried getting ahold of you a couple times today. fedex can't deliver the package. the address you wrote down is wrong.
her: no, it's right. i'm sure it is.
me: if fedex can't find the address, it doesn't exist. do you want to call your friend again and double check?
her: no, i'm sure it's 221 XXXX. you know, three two's and a 1.
me: wait...is it 221 or 2221?
her: 221. three two's and a one.
me: um...ok...whatever.
her: so how will they know which package to deliver?
me: i'm sorry?
her: if the package didn't get there, how will they know which one is hers?
me: (wtf?!) there is still a name and address on the package...it's just not the right address. i'll call fedex and they'll change the address.
her: so can't you just ship out new chocolate? won't this stuff be ruined?
me: i don't think so. the high over the weekend was only 70 and it usually takes until 75 or 76 before things start to go crazy.
her: well, it was a lot of money and if she's not going to get it today it will be ruined. i want new stuff shipped out.
me: i can do that. but you'll have to pay for it.
her: i shouldn't have to. you said that it was being shipped overnight and that it would be in a warehouse over the weekend and get to her monday morning.
me: yes, i did. but if you gave me an address that doesn't exist, that is beyond my control.
her: but i did give the correct address.
me: no...you didn't. otherwise the package would be there. you wrote down 221...not 2221.
her: it IS 221. THREE TWO's and a ONE!
me: um...ok. well, i need to go call fedex with this info so that the package will be delivered tomorrow.
her: ok.

i know the postal/shipping services are complicated on the backend but to the common user, i think they're pretty straitforward. apparently not.