current state of mind: whimsical
And instead of saying all of your goodbyes,
Let them know you realize that life goes fast.
It’s hard to make the good things last.
You realize the sun doesn’t go down;
It’s just an illusion caused by the world spinning round
~ “Do You Realize??” by The Flaming Lips
My affinity for gingers, soccer players, and office supplies are well-known. All three make me say “oooh, look!” when I see them. The other day I made an emergency run to the chain office supply store, “the Max” to purchase a new Sharpie pen, as mine was almost out of ink. The Sharpie pen is a modern miracle. It writes crisply and smoothly. The ink dries immediately upon touching the paper, and it doesn’t bleed through.
I purchased the 4 variety pack, because who can’t use a black, green, red, and blue Sharpie pen? Imagine my surprise (and disgust) when the black pen wrote in a muted gray color. I checked the other pens in the pack. They were all muted. Apparently a bad batch of ink was pumped into these exquisite creations. I was at a loss as to what I should do. I had already thrown away the packaging, so no way was I going to be able to bring those suckers back to “the Max”. I made a difficult choice and visited www.sharpie.com. It is a lovely place where dreams usually come true. Not this time . . .
I went to the Contact Us page and wrote a concise (because only 255 characters are allowed) summary of my painful experience. They responded with an auto-response that provided me with a reference number. It is apparent that the genius who invested the Sharpie pen is not the grammar-eejit who proofread this auto-response. While I applaud his correct use of a semi-colon, I cannot grant him redemption for the blatant use of run-on sentences or his reference to something which doesn’t exist in the body of the e-mail.
I am hoping to hear from a Sharpie representative soon. My hope is that they will send me a coupon for $20.00 off any Sharpie purchase. That will cover the $7.00 I spent on the variety pack and provide me with an extra $13.00 to reestablish my trust in a brand that had, until recently, my 100% loyalty. Now it is at 64%. I am seriously debating whether I will ever try the Sharpie liquid pencil. I have never “not tried” a new Sharpie product. Don’t worry! I will keep you updated on this potentially life-changing situation.
PERSONAL NOTE: Loved the Christmas card and picture taken outside the new place! Woot!
CONFIDENTIAL NOTE: Yes, I have my moments.
