When I Need A Pick Me Up, by my friend Ryan King

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Unexpected Benefits 2

Insomnia? I'll see the prescribing doc on the 13th and we'll see what's what. But I like waking up early and staying up. I like the opportunity to go to the gym. On both Monday and Tuesday I've had people asking me if I lost weight. On Mon I was wearing loose clothing and Tues I was wearing a polo shirt (with my guns flashing, lol--mind you, I'm no Q, but...).

I also found a new aspect of benefits from the meds. On my way home from the counseling center last night I grabbed two hot dogs and a drink from Gray's Papaya on 72nd & Broadway. For the drink I chose the coconut "surprise". The surprise was that it was like taking a sip from the collection bin of a wood chipper. Too much coconut flakes! It was disgusting! And the liquid content tasted like coconut-soaked water. Now, maybe that was perfectly normal for that drink, but it wasn't what I expected.

So I turned right around and told the man I didn't like it, and that I'd take a Pina Colada instead. Yes, after I sipped it--twice--while walking out of the store. I turned right back around and asked for a replacement. I actually said, "This doesn't work for me."

What's the big benefit, you ask? People, I






NEVER






do that.

I've never done it in my life. If I walk away, or drive from the drive-thru dissastisfied, I just gripe and cuss alone, then either gag it down, or throw it away. It occurs to me to ask for a correction, but I never really want to follow through. Once I did it over the phone when hanging out with my Westchester crew when it came to a phone-in order, but face-to-face? No WAY. I've done it at the bank when my money was acting funny and my change was strange, but I was trembling with near-psychotic rage at the time and I'm sure the teller was ready to hit her little red button at the sight of me, but on the whole--no.

Yet last night, it just seemed like the natural way to handle what I was not satisfied with. I wasn't angry and I wasn't nasty to the man. I just had no problem reapproaching him to correct a problem.

If I can do that, I think I can do a lot more! Like go to a club!

There's a bar party scheduled for Saturday night after a geek event, and I've already planned to go. I'm not going to drink, because I just don't, but if there's an opportunity to dance--dammit, I'm going to dance! Because I just want to!

By the way, about the missed med on Monday--this morning I had a hard time getting up. I went to sleep at about 11:00pm, and I lay in the bed until about 6:30am, then putzed around on the computer until 7:20. That was my routine before the meds, and sometimes I putzed longer than that. Then I wind up huffing out of the door at about 9ish. I don't want to go back to that. I like having the energy and motivation to get up and out by 6:30a! So I dutifully took my med this morning (and I did so yesterday morning. Thus it seems it takes two days for a missed med to have effect.)

And THAT'S one to grow on!

2 comments:

Scott said...

That's awesome that you stood up for yourself, Alan, and didn't get upset about it. I sometimes have a hard time with that too. I'm ok with standing up for myself, but I tend to think a whirlwind is coming in reply.

Tera said...

Oh Alan you MUST learn to do that more! I'm sure coporate offices across America have conversations about me, because I firmly believe in good products and good service, and if something ain't right, each fucker has a boss on up to the top!

Good for you!