When I was 17-18 years old, I worked as a waiter at a barbeque restaurant in my hometown. (This was after my stint at the Chick-a-burger.) Usually I worked in the main restaurant, but sometimes I’d be put to work on a party in one of the four back rooms, and on rare occasions I’d be put at the take-out counter.

One night when I was at the take-out counter, I got swindled. A man came in during our busiest time, and ordered an iced tea. I poured his tea, and rang up the sale.

The man handed me a $20 bill (for a sale of less than a dollar). As I started pulling his change out of the register, he interrupted me to give me a different combo of money to pay for the tea. He had me giving him back his twenty, taking his change, receiving more money, making more change, and pretty quickly and easily he had me completely lost.

The whole transaction took less than two minutes, and then he left with his tea, and with forty extra bucks in his pocket. I had a feeling that he had cheated me, but he was so skilled and smooth with it all that I couldn’t figure out exactly what had happened.

I was just 17 years old, and had never even heard of someone doing a trick like that. I’d never been told to look out for such cons, or what to do when I suspect one is happening. All I knew about running a register was that you’re supposed to be nice to the customer.

After the man left, and I closed the register (still not totally sure what had happened), a middle-age woman customer spoke up to me, “He just worked a con on you.”

My coworker, another middle-age woman, commented, “Yeah, he got that over on you.”

I didn’t say it at the time, but I definitely thought, “Well why the hell didn’t either of you speak up while the guy was doing it?” I mean, at least the coworker should have done something — she was older, more experienced, and more senior.

It right pissed me off at the time that they both just let it happen. And then they felt the need to virtually point at me and laugh.

But upon thinking on it later, I came to think neither woman actually realized what was happening until the man walked out. I think they were as surprised and lost as I was. But it still annoyed me that both felt the need to tell me I got conned without any sympathy or advice.

Then, just recently, I think I was an outside witness to such a con. To be continued.

Bullgrit

Weekend feature of Total Bullgrit.

A favorite post from the past:

June 28, 2008 — Old Movies

Bullgrit

I’m amazed at all the amazement over the President swatting a fly with his hand. Every news site or news forum I’ve visited over the past couple of days has had a mention of this “feat.” To hear and read about it, you’d think he caught a bullet with his bare hand.

Last night on the radio, Doctor Dean Edell (a show I enjoy listening to on occasion) talked about this “amazing ability.” He said it is “nearly impossible for human reflexes to catch a fly.” Bullshit. And this is from a freakin’ doctor.

I catch a fly every few months. I’ve caught literally dozens of flies through my life. I caught a fly just last weekend, in front of my sons and wife. It ain’t easy, but it sure as heck ain’t a super feat or special skill.

When we get a fly in our house, instead of swatting it (with a dedicated swatter, a magazine, a shoe, or a bare hand), I catch it. I don’t swat because we don’t want fly guts smeared on the wall, counter, or table. I especially don’t want fly guts on my hands. That’s just nasty.

So my boys act as spotters, helping me follow the little insect and watch where it lands. When it lands in a spot I can reach, I swipe at it, and I have about a 50% chance of catching it on the first try. When it lands somewhere I can’t reach, (like in the blinds), we have to scare it back out for another round.

I’ve even, at least once that I can remember off the top of my head, caught a fly on the wing. I snatched it right out of mid air, in flight. That is very difficult, and I doubt my 40+ year old reflexes could pull that off, now.

So all this excitement over the President — or anyone — swatting a fly with their bare hand is ridiculous. It just ain’t that hard. It’s not like Daniel-san catching a fly with chopsticks. When I first heard about, and saw the video, I thought it was a slightly humorous item. The President swatted an annoyance on camera. But all this attention it’s getting has become silly.

Try it yourself, sometime. Wait for the fly to land on a surface. Slowly get your open hand about 12 inches close to the bug. Then quickly swipe across, slightly higher than the target, and close your hand as you swing. If you’ve never tried before, it may take a few tries. But once you see how a fly reacts to the swipe, you’ll get better.

If you don’t squeeze your hand shut too tight, you can feel the insect crawling around inside your fist. Be careful that you don’t let it crawl out. Then you’ll have to catch it all over again. But also don’t squeeze too tight or you’ll have bug guts in your hand. Then your wife won’t let you touch her for three days (when she forgets about the fly.)

Bullgrit

I recently ordered some business cards with this web site on them. I’ve had a few situations over the past couple of years where I could have handed out a card to a friend or acquaintance, but I didn’t have one at the time. So I rectified that shortcoming.

But I have more than I really need for that only occasional purpose, so I’ve taken to dropping them off at places I’ve been during a week. I don’t know why I started doing it, I just sort of did it a couple of times and found it mildly entertaining to take the picture of the drop.

If anyone finds them and ends up visiting here, that’s great. But really, I’m just doing it to get a chuckle while standing around waiting. Simple mind, simple pleasures.

Waiting for my barbeque dinner at the drive-through window:

Waiting while my car fills up with gas:

Waiting to order ice cream:

Waiting while the boys get sized for new shoes:

See how exciting my life is?

Bullgrit