shit disturber

i have been known to get pissed-off about things i have no control over, and more so about things i may have some influence on - but - i am more inclined to say nothing as i'm a guy who hates confrontation. it's true. bad service at a restaurant? i just don't go back. poor customer service at a store or some other business where i'm spending my money? again, i just don't go back and i tell people i know abut my experience there. and, hopefully, they tell two friends, who tell two friends, etc....but i have seen, recently, some friends of mine. let people know, in the best way they can, at the time, that what ever was happening, or how it was happening, was unacceptable. assertive without being shitty. just getting the point across. clearly. and, sometimes, getting things the way they should be, can't happen every time, but at least people know how you feel.
one day, recently, as i was giving shauna a ride home from my place, i mentioned a few things that were going on here and how it pissed me off and how i had spoken to some of the council members in the elevators, etc...and she told me to stop with those people and those conversations and go direct, write a letter or go to a council meeting or...she was right. is right. so while i don't think i am going to be the agent of change, i did write a letter about one issue in particular, and since have had at least one decent conversation about it.
since then i have written a few letters to a few folks. and while i'm not sure how they'll be recieved, or if i'll hear anything back, i'm glad i did write them, and send them. they, the businesses i wrote letters to, are in business to make money, i would think, and would and should welcome letters of complaint and thanks for a job well done, to maybe improve service or slap someone on the back for a job well done.
yesterday i was out getting shit done and one thing i did was try a new honda dealership for my element repair needs because the last place i had tried, carter honda, dropped the ball and i needed to go elsewhere. and instead of 'we don't know' and them taking the path of less resistance, Kingsway Honda, made a suggestion of how to fix my problem that would cost me 18 dollars. and it did. a problem that not only they could see and hear (a bump/clunk in the back that pissed me off...) that carter honda could not see or hear, they started at the cheapest fix -a couple of new bushings - to see if it would help, instead of moving right to the sure fix and having it cost me over 1500 dollars. nice. i'll go back there. i won't go back to carter honda.
ok...all good. a few letters written that may not change a thing, but i feel better about putting them out there, without being or sounding like a complainer or asshole.

good times...

g. xo