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Last Minute Details

I went into the post office to ask them to hold our mail.  One of the clerks is my Avon customer and I usually try to go to her window.  Today I greeted her with, “Hi.  Amoeba is going to an algae conference and he is making me go with him, so I need to fill out a form to have you hold the mail.”

Y said, “No problem.  Here is the form.”  She also handed me a pen. “How long will you be gone,” she asked.

I gave her a long suffering look.  “A week.”

“Oh,” she said shaking her head sadly.  Looking as though she feared the answer, she asked, “Where is the conference?”

I let my shoulders sag and sighed heavily.  “Hawaii,” I said.

She stared at me for a moment and then slowly raised her eyebrow.  “Oh I feel so sorry for you,” she said.  “Whatever will you do there?  How horrid.”

I gave her the form, thanked her for her compassion, and took my leave, but I can’t help but think I sensed a bit of sarcasm in her words.  I don’t believe she felt sorry for me at all!

35 Comments

  1. Oh, Quilly…….. No, I don’t think she was really feeling horribly sad for you. Sigh, I wish we could be going to the Big Island. Maui is fine but Art’s hometown is on the Big Island and we love it there. Lucky you!

    1. Kay — this is my second visit to The Big Island and my first one with any actual time to explore. What should I see (besides the volcano)?

  4. We are all feeling so very sorry for you, you poor thing, having to spend a whole week in Hawaii… ::sob::

  5. I would not be jealous of your trip. If we could drive to Hawaii I would go but flying takes the fun out of everything for me. You guys are going to have a great time and I wish you fun and safe travel.

  6. Well… I have to admit that I would feel LESS sorry for you had you not just spent 3 years living there. But… eh… for YOU this is like a trip (for me) to Ocean City! Except for that darn PLANE! What I will REALLY feel sorry for is if you have to move from that FABULOUS house you are in, to the merely mediocre house ON THE BAY!

    1. Melli — we are going to a whole different island than the one we lived on. I really am excited because I understand that they aren’t all the same. See Kay’s comment, above.

  7. No one feels sorry for you!

    oh wait, actually i do.

    its going to be really hot in hawaii.
    you may have to stay indoors in your nice hotel room
    during the really super hot part of the day

    i suggest you also play it really safe
    by getting enough water
    so be sure to get into the pool and immerse yourself completely!

    better safe than sorry!

    1. Tilden — Amoeba just told me to be certain to pack my swim suit (as opposed to shorts and a t-shirt which I usually wear to the beach) because there is also a big, beautiful pool at the resort. The pool has no waves, no undertow and no sand to invade private places.

  8. It’s a tough life, but somebody’s gotta live it, right?!

    BTW, you can tell them to hold your mail through their website. I’ve done it several times, and it’s worked great.

    Of course, then you wouldn’t get all that comforting sympathy!

    1. Linda — I tried that in Hawaii and it didn’t work. Since 2 of the local post office employees are our friends, I rather enjoy walking in there anyway.

  10. I;m surprised she didn’t look at you quizzically at an amoeba taking you to an algae conference — but then you said the PO workers for friends, so evidently she understood perfectly.

    Have fun! Will you see Thom at all? I know it’s a different island but didn’t know if you’d be able to meet up for lunch or something at some point.

    1. Barbara — Thom says he can’t get the time off. And we don’t have the time or dollars for an Oahu jaunt this trip.

  11. an amoeba at an algae conference is an extremely disturbing (read: hysterically amusing) image in itself.
    no wonder the clerk sympathised with you

    1. Polona — especially since these Algae people hired Amoeba so he can teach them how to keep amoebae from eating all their algae farm profits! LOL!

    1. Karen — did the story star Amoeba? And Hawaii has been “with” the program for years and has more constructive uses for seaweed than you might imagine.

      1. No, I didn’t even know Amoeba was an UH oceanographer until September. And I could imagine that the oceanography dept of a state university in the middle of the ocean would know more about seaweed than me.

        Try not to have a good time while you’re there.

  14. I might feel sorry for you. I’d much prefer to vacation somewhere colder. Like Russia. That would be my dream vacation. I do NOT like hot weather!

  16. Hmm, I twisted my own arm to see if any sympathy was elicited. Alas, came up dry. The places my husband goes are not tourist spots.

  17. It’s great that you will be able to go back and visit! I’ll bet you love it there much better as a visitor anyway! Safe travels….

    1. CL — we’re on a different island, but it is nice to be back. There are some wonderful things about Hawaii.

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