"Carl's Lounge" (Off-Topic Discussion, Traditional Knife "Tales & Vignettes")

Mom died in 1995 when I was 34. Dad just less than 5 years later when I was 39. That was 23 years ago for Mom and 18 years ago for Dad. It does get easier.
 
I was so excited, I was supposed to receive a new knife in the mail today. It was a knife I'd been looking to add to my 3-1/2" GEC collection. I waited by the door and lingered outside until I saw the mail delivery person deliver my mail. The package was not in the box and tracking said "delivered". I called the post office and they confirmed it was delivered to the wrong address. They said they'd send somebody out to retrieve it and bring it to me. It is now 9:00 at night and there has been no mail delivery person and no neighbor bringing me my package. I'm in a foul mood thinking that one of my crappy neighbors is enjoying my knife with no idea how special it is. I hope I hear something tomorrow.
 
JohnDF said:
I was so excited, I was supposed to receive a new knife in the mail today. It was a knife I'd been looking to add to my 3-1/2" GEC collection. I waited by the door and lingered outside until I saw the mail delivery person deliver my mail. The package was not in the box and tracking said "delivered". I called the post office and they confirmed it was delivered to the wrong address. They said they'd send somebody out to retrieve it and bring it to me. It is now 9:00 at night and there has been no mail delivery person and no neighbor bringing me my package. I'm in a foul mood thinking that one of my crappy neighbors is enjoying my knife with no idea how special it is. I hope I hear something tomorrow.
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Very frustrating. Post Office has low standards. Too many lazy, careless, and/or stupid people working for it. Hope you get your knife in pristine shape ASAP.
 
Jolipapa said:
Not really, the smell did not fill the stomach! :(:D
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Jack Black said:
So Jules Verne got it wrong?! :confused: ;) :D :thumbsup:
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Jolipapa said:
Why? Say me more, please! :(
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Sorry JP, I hope I’ve recollected the author correctly, as I’m going back more than 50 years to a story I read in my early school days. I have always thought of it as one of Jules Verne’s short stories, but since it was in a school book, I guess it could have been an excerpt from one of his longer books on this subject, an abridged version, or even a ‘children’s version’. Or I may have remembered the author wrongly :rolleyes:

Having travelled to the moon by being fired from a giant gun, a traveller is exploring society there. He goes to a moon restaurant, where he is seated, and places an order. While he is waiting, he smells the aroma of a beautiful French onion soup, which begins to whet his appetite. As he sits and waits, he then smells roast beef, roast potatoes, cabbage, he can even smell a delicious rich gravy. He becomes more and more hungry, but has to continue to wait for his food. He is further tormented by the sweet aroma of baked apple pie coming from the kitchen. At long last, he sees the waiter approaching his table. However, he simply presents a bill. The traveller protests that he hasn’t had his meal yet. The moon man is surprised, and asks if he did not enjoy the delightful aromas which the chef produced for him. He subsequently explains that, on the moon, their custom is to merely smell the food, and that they have discovered that all the nutrients of the food can be digested in this way, which is why chefs are often large and well-nourished.

I don't know if that tale, which I've taken some license with, is familiar to anyone else?! :D :thumbsup:
 
Prester John said:
Very frustrating. Post Office has low standards. Too many lazy, careless, and/or stupid people working for it. Hope you get your knife in pristine shape ASAP.
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I find this harsh, true I don't know about the US Post but here in Europe many Post Offices are very understaffed and delivery workers have to work long tough schedules but still manage well. The courier services get to pick&choose the profit sections and the PO is left with the rural deliveries and unprofitable side. The couriers are the ones I've had most problems with: they often don't tell you if they can't deliver, send things back to depots on the other side of the country, keep things in their warehouses for ages and then often send it to the PO for them to deal with!

If a knife has been misdelivered to a neighbour, one would hope they would let you know or bring it over? Too much to expect these days? Me boorish culture :D

Talking of POs and with reference to Randy's recent problems with Ebay, I ordered a digi camera from England, the Euro / Pound ratio being very favourable. Wish I hadn't. It took the seller around 5 days to send it off (prob out of stock ok...) then I get an auto response thing from Ebay(can't reply or contact...) informing me delivery has been suspended as an investigation was being made for prohibited or dangerous goods by GB Customs. WHAT? Since when has a point & shoot been a prohibited item?? The seller was nonplussed too, he lamely said," It's only coming from Wolverhampton too" What that has to do with it no idea....;) Britain (just) and Finland are still EU countries- free trade- so I'm very annoyed that some Customs moron thinks a camera is a prohibited item:mad: and that they need to spend 2 days looking at it.... I suppose they think anything going in the vague direction of Russia has to be stopped :rolleyes: Outrageous officialdom.Tracking then said it left Customs on 17th but still no sign of it. Very expensive shipping cost too with courier signed delivery...normal postage from Britain takes about 3 days. god knows what I'll do if Customs have damaged it....or it's defective:confused:
 
John I hope your knife turns up soon. That is a frustrating thing. Personally, I have no complaints about the postal service. For the fifty or so years I have used them their performance has been almost flawless.
But since we are enumerating "first world problems"... I ordered a eleven drawer Gerstner and Sons International wooden machinist's eleven drawer chest from Madison Art Shop back in May (to store knives in) . They showed it to be "in stock". After receiving payment they then informed me it was back ordered. I opted to wait for it. It arrived a week ago (three months later) badly damaged in shipping. It still sits here while Madison Art Shop is "working with UPS" on "my case". Seems to me they owe me another chest or a refund irregardless of their issue with UPS. I will give them a few more days but will not do business with them again.
 
Jack Black said:
Sorry JP, I hope I’ve recollected the author correctly, as I’m going back more than 50 years to a story I read in my early school days. I have always thought of it as one of Jules Verne’s short stories, but since it was in a school book, I guess it could have been an excerpt from one of his longer books on this subject, an abridged version, or even a ‘children’s version’. Or I may have remembered the author wrongly :rolleyes:

Having travelled to the moon by being fired from a giant gun, a traveller is exploring society there. He goes to a moon restaurant, where he is seated, and places an order. While he is waiting, he smells the aroma of a beautiful French onion soup, which begins to whet his appetite. As he sits and waits, he then smells roast beef, roast potatoes, cabbage, he can even smell a delicious rich gravy. He becomes more and more hungry, but has to continue to wait for his food. He is further tormented by the sweet aroma of baked apple pie coming from the kitchen. At long last, he sees the waiter approaching his table. However, he simply presents a bill. The traveller protests that he hasn’t had his meal yet. The moon man is surprised, and asks if he did not enjoy the delightful aromas which the chef produced for him. He subsequently explains that, on the moon, their custom is to merely smell the food, and that they have discovered that all the nutrients of the food can be digested in this way, which is why chefs are often large and well-nourished.

I don't know if that tale, which I've taken some license with, is familiar to anyone else?! :D :thumbsup:
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It's been a long time since I last read From Earth to the Moon and I don't remember well. But it could also be Cyrano de Bergerac's Histoire comique des États et Empires de la Lune. Anyway, a good opportunity to read JV again.

Will Power said:
I find this harsh, true I don't know about the US Post but here in Europe many Post Offices are very understaffed and delivery workers have to work long tough schedules but still manage well. The courier services get to pick&choose the profit sections and the PO is left with the rural deliveries and unprofitable side. The couriers are the ones I've had most problems with: they often don't tell you if they can't deliver, send things back to depots on the other side of the country, keep things in their warehouses for ages and then often send it to the PO for them to deal with!

If a knife has been misdelivered to a neighbour, one would hope they would let you know or bring it over? Too much to expect these days? Me boorish culture :D

Talking of POs and with reference to Randy's recent problems with Ebay, I ordered a digi camera from England, the Euro / Pound ratio being very favourable. Wish I hadn't. It took the seller around 5 days to send it off (prob out of stock ok...) then I get an auto response thing from Ebay(can't reply or contact...) informing me delivery has been suspended as an investigation was being made for prohibited or dangerous goods by GB Customs. WHAT? Since when has a point & shoot been a prohibited item?? The seller was nonplussed too, he lamely said," It's only coming from Wolverhampton too" What that has to do with it no idea....;) Britain (just) and Finland are still EU countries- free trade- so I'm very annoyed that some Customs moron thinks a camera is a prohibited item:mad: and that they need to spend 2 days looking at it.... I suppose they think anything going in the vague direction of Russia has to be stopped :rolleyes: Outrageous officialdom.Tracking then said it left Customs on 17th but still no sign of it. Very expensive shipping cost too with courier signed delivery...normal postage from Britain takes about 3 days. god knows what I'll do if Customs have damaged it....or it's defective:confused:
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Will,whenyou receive your item, check it well it maybe has been used for a Custom Officer's marriage or some hot session!:eek:
Long ago (before the bay existed) I ordered an OO metal model kit in England that was inspected by Customs. Do I need to say a few parts were missing? Put it in the profit and loss drawer.
I can't complain now about Customs or PO, as my US parcels arrive quite quickly and I only paid duties once, for a pair of trekking shoes made in... Portugal :(, probably because the box was way too large! Another time a parcel was delivered at the wrong address but the neighbor -a nice lady btw- dropped a note in my letter box.
Now, I still can't breath yet, I ordered a lounge pant last 15th in England and received the parcel the 16th at 6 pm (standard postage)!
 
Jolipapa said:
It's been a long time since I last read From Earth to the Moon and I don't remember well. But it could also be Cyrano de Bergerac's Histoire comique des États et Empires de la Lune. Anyway, a good opportunity to read JV again.
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I should definitely get round to re-reading some of the great works I read when young, because it really is such a long time ago now since I first read them :thumbsup:
 
I did a trade here. The knife I sent arrived safely, but I only received an empty express mail box that had been crudely opened. I can't help thinking that someone in the PO is responsible for the theft. No, I didn't follow up with the Postal Service, I figured the effort would be futile. I am now very hesitant to trust the Postal Service with anything of value.
 
marsturm said:
I did a trade here. The knife I sent arrived safely, but I only received an empty express mail box that had been crudely opened. I can't help thinking that someone in the PO is responsible for the theft. No, I didn't follow up with the Postal Service, I figured the effort would be futile. I am now very hesitant to trust the Postal Service with anything of value.
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That really sucks sorry to hear you had a knife stolen.
 
JohnDF said:
I was so excited, I was supposed to receive a new knife in the mail today. It was a knife I'd been looking to add to my 3-1/2" GEC collection. I waited by the door and lingered outside until I saw the mail delivery person deliver my mail. The package was not in the box and tracking said "delivered". I called the post office and they confirmed it was delivered to the wrong address. They said they'd send somebody out to retrieve it and bring it to me. It is now 9:00 at night and there has been no mail delivery person and no neighbor bringing me my package. I'm in a foul mood thinking that one of my crappy neighbors is enjoying my knife with no idea how special it is. I hope I hear something tomorrow.
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JohnDF said:
I'm happy to report that the neighbor wasn't "crappy" and they put my package it in my mailbox. I feel much better about humanity today :)
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Glad to hear the happy ending to this story, John! :thumbsup::thumbsup::)
When can we see pics?? ;)

- GT
 
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