espisode 126 : panic at the post office

so on 4/17 at about 7:30 I head to the post office to mail my Maryland income taxes.

I arrive at the post office at 8:05. My parcel already has postage, and really I just want to get it post marked 4/17, and thus not be late. I walk into the post office and head for the consumer area. I pull on the door and it has been locked. I looked up at the postal worker on the other side of the glass door.

I shout to him, " hey, can I get this mailed?"

He responds, " NO!"

I inquire, " man I just need to get this post marked today."

he responds, " we are closed."

I continue to engage him, "okay, no problem man, if I drop this in the box out here when will it be post marked? the 17th right?"

A crowd has started to gather around me.

One man wearing his own home made flash dance sweatshirt yells, " yeah, what gives?"

The postal worker continues, "no it will be posted 18th, we are closed."

The crowd sighs and then gets a little rowdy someone behind me yells , " come on man, are you kidding me?"

Flash Dance Sweatshirt man yells, " the paper said the post office was open to midnight!!"

The crowd, growing ever restless snarls, "YEAH!!!"

The postal worker continues his line, "we are closed"

The crowd is starting to get really rowdy as one man pushes on the locked glass doors. Basically there are 20 of us all with taxes in hand, all about 5 minutes after closing, and all dreading that we can't get our taxes turned in on time. I step away from the glass doors, as my fatmarc sense goes off, and I have to be honest I'm fearing for the worst, I think a riot is about to break out.

the someone in the crowd yells out, " this is bullshit" and "the paper said midnight, you were open until midnight last year..."

The postal worker continues, "only Quigley street is opened until midnight, if you want your stuff posted marked today, you'll have to go there..."

Another blurt from the crowd , " are you kidding me !?," and "you effer" and it was getting ugly quickly...

Just then the manager, who had been hearing the ever raucous crowd grow ever more restless, turned the corner and opened the door.

he said, "listen folks, if you have your stuff posted, I can take it, and I'll make sure it gets post marked today."

A collective sigh of relief came over the crowd as the kind manager collected taxes from those of us who had postage, and waited for the others that scrambled at the machines to get postage. I handed over my return and walked out the door.

Flash dance sweatshirt guy followed me out and asked me, "can you believe that?" I commented, "tough days for these guys for sure, tax time must be a nightmare, I understand" Flash Dance sweatshirt guy looked at me puzzled and followed up with, "effing government workers..."

I figured it was best to part company at this time. I jumped in the toaster and headed for home.

Tonight we had a nice group show up for the "hills with fatmarc ride, presented by Uncle Mike from America (Jan)". The group was large and I hope I didn't miss anyone : Dan the man, E-town, Lamont (son of fred sanford), Rob (Dr. Destructo), Matty D, Rob (ntntacfmb20), Tom (papa smurf), John H, E-town, dan from Udel, Spot Paul, Lisa Lisa, Jan, Jay-z (rockafellow), and yours truly.

The suck meter was turned down to about an 8 tonight, as I didn't take any hills or sprints, and I didn't push the pace, but I used the sage advise the Blair gave me many years ago. "fatmarc" he said, " you don't climb so well, so I suggest you go hard early before the climb, get a head start on it and then when you get caught and dropped, you still be in the middle of the pack, or if you try and hang on, when you get dropped you be stuck out by yourself." Have to say I climbed the world famous landenberg wall better than I ever have in my life tonight. That hill is a bitch. Up hopkins I got used like a $2 dollar whore, and pretty much blew the rest of the ride home. Oh, well I finished with the group tonight, which was very encouraging. Looking forward to Jan's ride report...

respect.
fm