What is How to Annoy the Hell Out of Me?

I HATE to be kept waiting. It is one of my biggest pet peeves. Right up there with when people tell you they will do something and then don’t. THAT pisses me off too. But back to waiting and my hatred of it.

There are some times when you expect to wait. Taking your car in for the “quick” 30 minute oil change that never takes less than 50 minutes, waiting in line at the Post Office, deciding to drive on I-76 at rush hour and the mandatory, annual female outing to the Gynecologist.

I expect to wait at the Gynecologist’s office. I understand that although women would love to know exactly when their babies will enter the world, usually the kid has other plans and therefore will throw the entire Ob/Gyn office’s appointments out of whack. I must admit that this still amazes me though. I mean, women have been birthing babies, well, forever, right? And we’ve had Obstetricians and Gynecologists for at least a hundred years and Bill Gates’ computers do run the universe right? So how come they haven’t figured out a way to schedule the appointments better and not keep us waiting for so fucking long?!?! I’m sure if they figured that out then World Peace would follow shortly thereafter. But I digress. I like to think I’m smart and have figured a way around the mess that is known at the Ob/Gyn offices. At least I thought I was.

I only go to the Gyn part of Ob/Gyn. She doesn’t birth babies. She doesn’t want to get woken up at 3:30 in the morning with notices of water breaking or contractions starting. She just wants normal office hours. And those normal office hours means that although she may get backed up a bit, she’s usually never more than a half hour behind. Until the other week. I got to my 4:00 appointment on time and I did not go in to see the Doctor until 6:00. To me, that is unacceptable. When I got there they told me that they were behind. Really? Well then why the hell didn’t you call me? It’s not that hard to do. Pick up the phone, punch in some numbers… apparently at 2:00 you knew that you were running behind. USE THE PHONE. Correction, they used their phones. To tell some poor woman who was lost that if she made it to her appointment more than 10 minutes past her scheduled appointment time they would cancel her appointment. Are you fucking kidding me?!?! *

Of course as a lovely consolation prize (in addition to every a non-procreating woman’s dream to read “Babies and Mommies Magazine” for 2 hours) they gave me 4 months worth of freebie pills. That will save me over $135. I’m happy about that but I think my time is worth more than that. Of course that will cover the installation of one of my windows so maybe I should have wished they kept me waiting a few months, I mean, minutes, longer.

* The lost woman was 15 minutes late to her 5:00 appointment. The receptionist gave her a hard time for being late but “graciously” didn’t cancel her appointment. When I left at 6:20 the woman was still in the waiting room enjoying her "Babies and Mommies."