Service - whats that?

I got a new cell phone as part of my deal with my service provider. It was supposed to be free. But on sending it, they charged me 350$. I called up and they rectified the problem. Or atleast they claimed they fixed it. I checked my online account and it looked fixed. When the day came for them to take money directly from my bank account,as they do every month for my cell phone charges, they took an additional 350$ %&^%*&^*. I called them up and spoke to a representative. He first told me, we don't give 350$ worth cell phone for free. So I have to pay for it. Then he asked me to send my current phone and offered to replace it with some lousy phone they were currently offering for free. I was totally pissed off. The instrument I got was one that they offered me free at the time of the deal. I told him see, if I knew I had to pay for the phone, I would have gone to a different carrier who would have been more then willing to give me a good free phone. If you are going to charge me for the phone you sent me, I shall cancel the contract and go to a new carrier. This put him on the defensive and started to read what must have been pasted in his cubicle - 'sir, you are a very valuable customer and we would certainly like to continue to serve you'. Ya right. Thats why they make us wait for half hour, making us listen to advertisements for their various services. To mollify me, he said he will ask his supervisor to talk to me. She came over and explained what had happened. The change they were supposed to make to my account was not done on time. They went ahead and withdrew 350$ + the usual monthly charges from my bank account. Then they remitted back 350$ into my phone account. They can't put that money into my bank account nor send me a check. They can only credit it to my phone account. So now, the way things stand, my cell phone account has a surplus of 350$ :). It means, I have pre-payed more than 7 months of my cell phone charges :(

All this inspite of they claiming to have fixed the charges 15 days prior to when they were to withdraw from my bank account. All this can be blamed on the system? Or the lack of it? Or the lack of proper communication between the personnels? With service providers like these, who needs swindlers???

Its greener out there.

Its a fine beautiful evening. Any evening between june and october would fit the profile. The location - Stone Arch bridge in Minneapolis. Right above the Mississippi. Neighbouring the St. Antony's Falls. The bridge. Connecting the academia and the corporate world. On one side of the bridge is the university with its leftist liberal academic crowd. A small theater. A coffee shop patronized for its coffee, atmosphere and the spirit of give and take - wireless net connection, books, newspaper etc. Nice lawns to run and tumble and chase butterflies. On the other side, straight jacket conservative corporate downtown with its plethora of skyscrapers and ambitions. Adored during the days and feared at nights. Filled with busy looking, worried, coffee in one hand, briefcase in other men; high healed high spirited women all in smart formals. Avenues and streets. Straight lines. Straighter faces. One side, tackling exams assignments advisors to reach the other side. The other, trying to get back to school part time, full time, longing for time, longing for purpose.

The time is when the sun is on its way to shed some light elsewhere. Moon just waking up on the horizon trying to catch a glimpse of the sun before it hides behind the facade of downtown buildings. Again, moon wondering when it can shed as much light as the sun. The sun, hoping someday to be as cool as the moon.

Folks walking and jogging up and down the bridge in a desperate attempt to lose calories and gain peace. Some cycling to the music of the river beneath, occasionally disturbed by the horns of the boats. A few resting on the side walk hoping to get carried away by the waves punctuating the river. A couple of small boys in their small bicycles. Weaving on the bridge lots of 8 between them, plotting routes for snakes to follow. Oblivious to what's on either banks, just concerned with riding from one end to the other in the longest possible time. The bridge - a nice place to cycle, cycle as they please. No constrains. No teachers pushing them to their limits and wits. No parents there to act like embankments of a narrow river, creating a very constrained flow for their activities and thoughts. Watching the kids, people wonder, why can't I be like them. Wondering if they can ever get back the childhood they seemed to have lost along with the first penny they ever got. The kids hoping they grow up to be those adults. And do big stuff. And do things like go to an office instead of school. Little do they realize what grown ups want.

Down below the ducks quack quack in the river much to the annoyance of none and the pleasure of most. Carefree, least bothered about where they will find themselves tomorrow and what will they be tomorrow. Not bothering to do groceries, pay bills and wonder about a thousand things. All the while,ducks envying the men who seem to be bestowed with everything and anything and absolute control over the ducks life - shoo shoot kill eat mock ridicule. People and ducks. Longing to exchange roles.

Reminds me of a conversation between two kids. Looks like they were scolded by their respective parents. Upset, they wanted to exchange their parents since they don't get scolded by the parent of the other kid. Each longing for the other. One hoping to go to the other and each assuming the other is better. Blessed are those who can see both from the same side and sigh alas I shall stick my foot here.