Making wrongs a-right

I'm taking a night off writing this evening (apart from this blog) and have instead replaced work with a bottle of red wine and some chocolate.

Today has been a complete faff around. It's been one of those days where you just don't know if you're coming or going, and you think you need to go one way, to find that you need to go another. I found myself on the wrong floor of the school several times today and then questioning how I got there and why did my legs and brain think I needed to go to the first floor when my lesson was on the third. A clear sign of how tired I am.

That was minor though. My biggest random, stupid brain disengaging with action moment, was when I picked up the wrong packet of Christmas cards that I wanted to buy and didn't even register until I got home. Any normal person would be like, "Ah well, these are the wrong ones, but they're fine, so I'll hold on to them." Problem is, I'm a fussy fucker. I've never been a fan of sending cards. Whether it's birthdays, Christmas or Easter, I think they're so expensive for what they are, and then they're thrown away/recycled a week later anyway. I'd rather save that £3 for another drink for said celebration.

However, I caved last year and bought a pack of cards. Now, picking cards is a big deal for me. If I'm going to part with the money then I want them to be good cards, attractively decorated and be the card on my friend's mantelpiece that makes them go, "FUCK YEAH! Now that's a cracking Christmas card!"

Ok, that might be a slight exaggeration. They're nice, but not that nice. I went for the moral high ground instead and got a few packs of charity cards. Good karma will be sailing my way soon...

Anyway, I digress; the point is I literally stood in the shop for a good 10 minutes trying to decide between three different pack designs, so you can imagine my horror when I got home, unloaded my bag and discovered that I picked up a pack of the nice ones and then a pack of the tackier ones rather than two packs of the good ones. Gutted! Today I went to get them exchanged and there is no greater shame than walking into a charity shop to ask to swap something.

"Err, hi. I accidentally bought these cards yesterday, but they're not the ones I wanted."
"Right." Blank, but friendly, expression from the shop assistant.
"So, I'd like to change them? Please?"
"Oh. What's wrong with them?"
"Well, there were three designs and I had a packet of each in my hand and I meant to buy the two nicely designed packets, and I'm quite anal about picking cards..."
"Sorry, what? 'The nice two of three packs?' But they're all nice. They're all well crafted charity cards made by local church groups."
"Yeah, course, that's right, but there were two packets that were slightly nicer than this one with the berries and the glitter that I'd like to return."
"Well they're only 99p a pack, maybe you'd just like to buy an extra pack of charity cards?" Smug, eager smile from shop assistant.
"That, wasn't, exactly my plan...no. You see I have a problem with spending money on cards, and I think they're a bit of a waste of money generally, so I just want two packets, not three. So if I could just exchange these red berry cards."

At which point I showed my receipt, held my head up as high as I could (circumstances considered) and remained adamant that these cards needed changing. I got my way, happy that I got the cards I wanted, but worried I may be the first person to return something to a charity shop.

For the price they were I shouldn't have been so tight and just bought another pack! Such is my Scrooge-like character when it comes to card giving though.

At least I only made a mix up on a pack of cards I picked up. I heard another story today where someone accidentally bought the wrong house, whereby they bought the house next door to the one they actually wanted. Quite how anyone manages this, paperwork and all, I don't know, but EPIC fail...

RoseC -x-