My boss had an interesting experience this weekend. She went on a scenic railway tour. It was a package tour that included bus transportation to and from the railway, a box lunch in a dining car and unlimited access to the concession car (ie: you could get what you wanted and as much as you wanted). Basically, you boarded this train and went on a 3 hour tour through mountains and a river gorge. After the lunch, you could get up walk through the train to the observation cars, enjoy the ride and nature.
Anyhow, boss said she was stuck at the same table with part of a miserable family. So as soon as they sit at the table, one woman begins complaining about the bus ride to the train (it was 2 hours), about the train itself (it was an older train from the 1940s that had been restored), and about the box lunch. Apparently, it was a turkey and cheese sandwich, a fruit salad, a pasta salad, crackers and cheese, and apple pie and soda or water. I know, you all are thinking "Well, maybe she was on Atkins or some other diet and she couldn’t eat that lunch". According to boss, you could indicate that you had dietary restrictions on the registration form and you had the option of bringing snacks of your liking. This woman was upset because she was expecting something 'more' for lunch, not the "box lunch" that was part of the travel package. The tour coordinator heard her complaints and politely told her that since she didn’t like the meal, the concession car would be open soon. And that was followed by the woman complaining about the tour coordinator having the nerve to tell her that.
Anyhow, boss said throughout the entire lunch, the woman sat there and complained about the train, the food, the entire concept of the train trip. Okay, you’re probably saying, why the heck did she go? Her mother signed her and her sister up for the trip as a "mother-daughters" type activity. Boss said that the poor mother just sat there trying to put on a pleasant face while her daughter complained and behaved childishly: looking at her watch and saying "I got 2 ½ hours left of this s***!", commenting "I can’t believe people would actually like this s***!", telling her mother "I don’t know why I let you talk me into this!" The woman finally got up to use the toilet and the mother said "I knew I shouldn’t have brought her along."
Boss said she spent most of her time in the observation car. But once or twice she came back to the dining car to get something to drink or a snack. Each time she came back, the woman was there scowling at everyone who looked like they were enjoying the ride and the mother looked like she was about to burst into tears.
So on the ride back home, the bus stopped at a McDonalds. The woman got off and got food. When she got her food, she tells her mother "This is unreal. I traveled over 100 miles today for f****** McDonalds!"
I can’t imagine any adult acting like that. Okay, so you might not like it, but if your mom brought you on a trip because she thought it would be a nice family-type trip, at least you could be more pleasant about it and try to enjoy it for her sake. I guess it takes something big to happen before you realize that the people in your life might not always be there and you need to spend time with them now.
Anyhow, boss said she was stuck at the same table with part of a miserable family. So as soon as they sit at the table, one woman begins complaining about the bus ride to the train (it was 2 hours), about the train itself (it was an older train from the 1940s that had been restored), and about the box lunch. Apparently, it was a turkey and cheese sandwich, a fruit salad, a pasta salad, crackers and cheese, and apple pie and soda or water. I know, you all are thinking "Well, maybe she was on Atkins or some other diet and she couldn’t eat that lunch". According to boss, you could indicate that you had dietary restrictions on the registration form and you had the option of bringing snacks of your liking. This woman was upset because she was expecting something 'more' for lunch, not the "box lunch" that was part of the travel package. The tour coordinator heard her complaints and politely told her that since she didn’t like the meal, the concession car would be open soon. And that was followed by the woman complaining about the tour coordinator having the nerve to tell her that.
Anyhow, boss said throughout the entire lunch, the woman sat there and complained about the train, the food, the entire concept of the train trip. Okay, you’re probably saying, why the heck did she go? Her mother signed her and her sister up for the trip as a "mother-daughters" type activity. Boss said that the poor mother just sat there trying to put on a pleasant face while her daughter complained and behaved childishly: looking at her watch and saying "I got 2 ½ hours left of this s***!", commenting "I can’t believe people would actually like this s***!", telling her mother "I don’t know why I let you talk me into this!" The woman finally got up to use the toilet and the mother said "I knew I shouldn’t have brought her along."
Boss said she spent most of her time in the observation car. But once or twice she came back to the dining car to get something to drink or a snack. Each time she came back, the woman was there scowling at everyone who looked like they were enjoying the ride and the mother looked like she was about to burst into tears.
So on the ride back home, the bus stopped at a McDonalds. The woman got off and got food. When she got her food, she tells her mother "This is unreal. I traveled over 100 miles today for f****** McDonalds!"
I can’t imagine any adult acting like that. Okay, so you might not like it, but if your mom brought you on a trip because she thought it would be a nice family-type trip, at least you could be more pleasant about it and try to enjoy it for her sake. I guess it takes something big to happen before you realize that the people in your life might not always be there and you need to spend time with them now.


, 5'9
TWICE!!!! (10/06 and 1/07!!!)




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