We are a non-profit business and have a new volunteer for various tasks, this is her fourth day. We are at the office next to the dock where we have a yacht.

Me: Can you take these files to [co-worker]? *points to the yacht* He’s on the bridge.
Volunteer: OK, sure.

20 minutes later, my co-worker comes in.
Co-worker: I need some files.
Me: Wait, I sent the volunteer to take them to you.

He gets on the phone.
Co-worker: Hey volunteer, where are you with the files?
Volunteer: I was told to take them to the bridge. I’m getting there soon.
Co-worker: Okay, when you get there just leave them, I’ll be right back.

Me: I told her 15 minutes ago. Why is she taking that long?
Co-worker: Who knows.

My cell phone rings two minutes later.
Co-worker: I’m on the yacht and the volunteer hasn’t been by.
Me: This isn’t making sense.

I call the volunteer back.
Me: Where exactly are you?
Volunteer: I’m getting there now.
Me: Where?
Volunteer: [name of nearby large suspension bridge]
Me: What??!! I meant the bridge on the yacht.
Volunteer: Bridge? On the yacht?
Me: … just come back to the office.

I can understand not everyone knows what the bridge on a vessel is, but why would anyone assume to completely leave the location and go to a bridge 20 minutes away by car, especially when pointing at the yacht,..

I take some medicines a specialist prescribed me. I fall sick and go to a general practice. Doctor prescribes me something.
Me: So you’re prescribing [medicine]. Is it okay to take together with [substance]?
(I take a generic instead of brand because brand medicine with my substance uses some additives which are generally helpful, but I’m allergic to them. Since generic name is quite bland, I refer to my medicines by substance name, which most doctors recognize).
Doctor: Yes, there’s no problem at all.
Me: Okay, thank you.
I buy the medicines and read the info sheet attached. And what do I read?
“Do not take together with [substance] or other [substance group]. May cause thrombosis.”

I’ve been a blood donor most of my adult life. Donating blood hurts a little bit, but that’s not what bothers me about donating. My problem is that anywhere I donate, there are always extraneous, unnecessary irritations.

Mostly, they play music — usually too loud, and always music I don’t care for. Often the music is raucous, just when I’d prefer to relax. One time I had to keep saying “I can’t hear you over the music.” to the phlebotomist who was asking me my identity, etc. Another time I had to insist they turn OFF the audio on a movie they were playing for “my” entertainment because they really screwed up that time and the pain was significant and the shoot-’em-up movie was one irritation too many. I’ve quit going to one collection center entirely because of this sort of thing.

I’ve quit donating in “bloodmobiles” (preferring drives in which they truck in the beds, etc.) principally because they ALWAYS reek of disinfectant. Now, I’m pleased that they clean the things, but do they have to leave them reeking? The last straw, though, was when I was donating in a bloodmobile, and one of the phlebotomists was a guy who must have stood 6’4″ and was obese. He couldn’t fit down the aisle without bumping my arm, the blood bag, etc. — he was just too big for a bloodmobile.

Then, too, is the problem that they don’t have enough blood drives in my area. I used to go to a Red Cross blood donation center, but I no longer am near that — it, and one other, are too far away now. The Red Cross is constantly dunning me to donate, but not providing enough blood drives for me TO donate at. Frustrating.

I work in a call center for Unemployment Beneits. Many of the callers get verbally abusive. I take a call from someone who filed their claim in December but because we need information from some other states to make their claim vaid.
I noticed he has called a few times about his claim and supervisors wre involved. Still we were unable to validate his clam. I exlain to him the situation and that I am emailing my supervisor agan.

He says this is frustrating and asks if he gets angry and emotional will it speed anything up. I tell him no. He then said thank you and wished me a good weekend.

I go into a pizza joint for a slice of pizza. I see that there’s a half a pizza left in the warmer and I ask for a slice of it. She asks me if she could just give it to me or if she’d like to make me a fresh one. I say that the one in the warmer is fine, and I’m willing to pay for it.

She insists that she doesn’t feel right about selling me a pizza that’s just going to go to waste, and allows me to have it for free. I feel bad about having her give it to me for free, but I appreciate it! It’s random acts of kindness like this that don’t make me lose faith in humanity!