We have begun to dig into the problem of the disgusting bathroom. In this endeavor, one of the major problems that we are confonted with is the floor. Currently, it is covered with some horrid linoleum tiles that were apparently put down by a palsied drunkard. Not a single tile lines up with any of its surrounding neighbors. Its just... well... ugly.
We scrounged a couple of boxes of ceramic tile, which, as it turns out, is just about enough to tile the bathroom floor. Since I have never replaced bathroom tile (or, come to think of it... any tile..) I thought that it would probably be a good idea to learn how to do it somewhere.
In our neighborhood is a nationwide chain store that sells all sorts of do-it-yourself supplies and materials... you know the place, with the orange signs and orange aprons and all. They often advertise free classes on how to do all sorts of "stuff" that they teach to whoever wants to attend. On the commercials, they are actually doing the thing that they are teaching, albeit on a smaller scale, and there are a number of reasonably attractive, marginally normal-looking folks in attendance. It's... well.... a Class, by any definition of the word.
I figured it would be a great idea to call over there and ask them when they were going to schedule their next tile-laying class so that Elysia and I could breep on over and learn stuff. So, I called, and the minion who answered the phone, after a series of false switch-overs and dead-ends informed me that there would be a ceramic tile-laying class at 2PM on every Sunday in May. Great! Its a plan, right!?!?
So. Today being Sunday, we popped our clothes on, hopped in the vehicle, and headed over to H - - e D - - - t in in order to attend this class (but only after I called first to make sure a class was indeed scheduled and taking place). We showed up and asked the sales reps in the flooring department where the class was going to take place, and were met with a series of vapid, blank, deer-in-the-headlight stares for an extended series of seconds... followed by a quick discussion on who may or may not be teaching this class. They told us that the class would be indeed taking place at the 'front' of the flooring department, and that 'George' would be teaching. We hung out the few minutes until 2PM, and nothing seemed to be happening. We started to sort of mill around near the desk there, so that the flooring folks would see us and hopefully remember why we were there... finally, one of them said that George was already teaching the 'class' at the back of the flooring department. We headed back there, and found George, and two other folks who were there for the same reason. Both were elderly gents, one of whom was three sheets to the wind.
George, as it turned out, seemed about as happy to be teaching the class as he would have been to drill his own teeth. Rather than a class... it seemed to be to me more of a showcase on 'what to buy'. I found that by asking the proper questions, I would get answers... and if I phrased the questions just on this side of vague, I would even learn some stuff that I never would have thought to ask about, since I had no idea that the issue existed to begin with. George was a nice guy put into a situation not of his choosing. This I realize. But it seems that a company of that size would have staff that is trained and prepared to teach whatever class they are teaching, along with training aids and an area in which to teach so that they can actually demonstrate what they need to demonstrate... to include some of the skills that are required in order to do the job. If they don't want to do this, my obvious question is; why schedule the bloody class?? At the very least, have a series of videos that you can rent or borrow or buy.
Maybe I'm being a dick about the whole thing... but having been teaching in some capacity for most of my life (as a martial arts instructor, a drill sergeant, a special forces soldier (we teach... a LOT!), a non-commissioned officer (we train our troops), a training officer for an executive protection company, and later as a police instructor and field training officer), I have come to develop a great deal of respect for the passing on of, or even the facilitation of, knowledge. If you are going to take on the responsibility of teaching somebody something... anything... whatever it may be... then TAKE ON THE BLOODY RESPONSIBILITY and DO. IT. RIGHT. !! Or... don't do it at all.
That's all. That's it. That's what I wanted to say.
If I needed a material list, they could have mailed it to me. I wanted to learn how to do the job. I don't think I did. I wasted George's time, he wasted mine. I don't blame him, because I don't think he was adequately prepared to do his job.
If there are any of you out there who work for H - - e D - - - t in a capacity where you can change things... please fix this. Or don't offer it at all. I would rather get nothing than anything that is half-assed.
Just my opinion.
Thank you for playing. Good evening.
I should have stayed home and shagged my wife on the bathroom floor. At least I would have been left with fonder memories of the floor.... Hmmmmmm....
I wonder where Elysia is right now??
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