Isn’t It Ironic, Don’tcha Think?

On Friday afternoon, Ken went to get the mail and then retired to his office to open any envelopes addressed exclusively to him, because I have dibs on everything else—his mail is mostly bills, so all other mail has that ‘potential of excitement’ aura about it, like “Ooh, postage PAID? Someone wants to connect with me really badly!” Of course, it’s usually just home decorating magazines begging me to re-subscribe, but sometimes it can be quite unexpected and lovely, like the retirement card that Cyranny of Cyranny’s Cove and our Skypy Fridays group sent me (and if you ever want to join us for a chat on Friday night, just go to her blog and ask for the link—it’s a fun group from the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.).

Anyway, suddenly Ken reappeared, irate and waving a piece of paper at me:

Ken: Look at this! Every month when I get my new cheques, this is the first page of the chequebook and it drives me CRAZY!
Me: You get cheques every month? How many cheques do you write?!
Ken: A LOT. Not the point. Look at this thing!

He handed me a piece of paper that he had taken out of the chequebook, and which was causing such a strong reaction in a man who rarely gets upset about anything. The piece of paper said, “This page is intentionally left blank.”

Me: But…
Ken: I know, right?!
Me: I…
Ken: Because it’s NOT BLANK. Every. Single. Month.
Me: I really need to introduce you to online banking.

But we both agreed that if the bank really wanted to be accurate instead of extremely ironic (and definitely more ironic than rain on your wedding day), there would be TWO pieces of paper. One of them would be blank, and the next one would say, “The previous page has been intentionally left blank.” And I don’t even want to get into the grammatical issue of placing the adverb BEFORE the verb—suffice it to say that banks make enough money to hire their own damn grammaticians.

But it was a trying day overall, in the first place, so this was no surprise. Earlier, I had decided to go into town to get some fabric at the fabric store, and to exchange the large foam cushion I had purchased the week before for a slightly smaller one, as I’m currently restoring a Mission oak rocking chair for our neighbours, and, not being as good at math as I like to think, I mismeasured the seat.

Step One: Lug large 24×24” foam cushion into store.
Step Two: Stand in line at counter.
Step Three: Get told that I need to go to the cash register line for refunds and exchanges.
Step Four: Stand in very long line at cash register. Realize that I should have the cushion I want to exchange mine for to expedite matters.
Step Five: Get second 20X20” cushion and lug it and my original cushion back to long line-up.
Step Six: Finally reach the front of the line and see a sign taped to the cash register that says, “All foam sales are final”.
Step Seven: Entreat cashier to let me exchange cushions, a request she refuses.
Step Eight: Go to find fabric, whilst cashier holds both cushions at the front so I don’t have to lug them around the store.
Step Nine: Find fabric. Realize the roll it’s on is WAY too heavy to carry.
Step Ten: Get back in line at the counter to ask about fabric.
Step Eleven: Take the advice of the woman in front of me in line who suggests loading the roll into a shopping cart and bringing it to the counter.
Step Twelve: Go off to find a shopping cart.
Step Thirteen: Load fabric into cart and wheel it back into line at the counter.
Step Fourteen: Watch for fifteen minutes as every quilter in town ahead of me wants half a f*cking yard of 15 different fabrics and “Hallowe’en themed buttons”.
Step Fifteen: Finally get to counter. Get told that my fabric roll is too large to cut at THAT counter, and I need to go to a different counter at the back, exactly three feet away from where I originally got the fabric. Tell the clerk that I would have done that but there are only two people working in the entire store and none of them were at the back counter, which is hidden by bolts of quilt batting.
Step Sixteen: Line up at the back counter.
Step Seventeen: Get fabric cut. Take fabric, as instructed, back to the cash register line to pay for it.
Step Eighteen: Present fabric to different cashier and ask for my foam. Cashier hands me the 20×20” foam cushion and says “Is this the one?” I reply, “Do you need to see my receipt?”
Step Nineteen: Show cashier receipt for foam. Pay for fabric.
Step Twenty: Leave store with fabric, and the foam cushion in the size that I want. Isn’t it ironic, don’tcha think?

But then I felt terrible so I did what any normal person would do—I called Ken.

Me: They wouldn’t let me exchange the foam cushion but then when I went to pay, they gave me the wrong one and I didn’t tell them.
Ken: Did you lie about it?
Me: No. When he asked if it was the right one, I didn’t say yes or no—I just showed him the receipt. I didn’t even SEE the other one. Maybe they reshelved it by accident.
Ken: Well, their foam exchange policy is stupid anyway. You touched both pieces of foam, which seems like the only criteria, so it’s fair.
Me: Yes, and the first piece of foam was more expensive than the one I just got, so I’m the one taking the loss here, especially considering the hour I spent in the store that I’m never getting back.
Ken: See? You’re a good person.

And just to prove that the universe agreed with Ken, right after I hung up, I saw a huge red and gold fox walking across the road up ahead, and it was beautiful. And even though I was alone in the car, I was so excited that I said out loud, “A fox! A fox!” and then I whispered, “A fox.” And the irony here is that this blog post was intentionally left unironic at the end.

58 thoughts on “Isn’t It Ironic, Don’tcha Think?”

  3. I always smile at the massive gantry sign across motorway (freeway) the on the way home that says, in two foot high dot matrix letters:
    ‘Sign not currently in use’
    If I have the kids in the back*, it is obligatory to shout, pantomime style ‘Oh yes it is!’
    *May also happen without kids in back

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  4. Here in the US where we write “checks,” we don’t have that fancy page that’s left intentionally blank… at least not at either of the banks I’ve been with. I feel deprived now and feel like leaving an intentionally blank, but very angry, voicemail on the bank manager’s phone…

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  6. barbaramullenix says:

    Probably a foolish question, but why doesn’t Ken just order a larger quantity at one time? You must be paying a fortune in shipping charges.
    Also, your store episode is why I do nearly ALL my shopping on-line. Other than groceries, I don’t believe I’ve been into an actual store in 10 years! But the pillow turned out great!

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  9. It’s seems to me that there is no real reason for that page to be left internationally blank. It’s a waste of paper, blank or not. How many trees go to waste with stupid pages left blank? Any way, that rocking chair rocks! I mean the new cushion makes it look good 😎

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  10. Nikki says:

    A few things:
    1. Ken – it’s 2021 😉
    2. I think I know exactly the fabric store you’re referring to (yes, it is a silly policy)
    3. Cutting foam cushion life hack – use an electric knife…cuts like butta
    4. Beautiful chair ❤

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  12. Well. My wife and I share bill paying. I pay online. She pays with checks. Takes them to the post office and everything.

    I agree with Ken. “This page intentionally left blank” was used A LOT in classified plans. Then that page would also be marked, “This page is UNCLASSIFIED”. Jesus.

    I agree with Ken: stupid store policy. Good for you. Victory for the little person! Not that I’m implying that you’re a little person. Please don’t infer that. Not that there’s anything wrong with little people. Feel like I’m chasing myself down a hole.

    Also, though. You are incredibly patient. I would have been, screw this, and left. Then come back another day.

    Love your humor, kid. Cheers

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  15. This comment will intentionally not include the question “What does the fox say?” And with only two people working in the store and all the trouble you had to go through I think you deserved to be able to return the wrong-sized foam, even if you did have to accept a loss. Someone will find a use for those cushions.
    Also it was technically Ken’s loss since he pays all the bills and will probably ultimately pay it with a cheque not left blank.

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  20. Very Nice Chair. LOL. I can’t believe there are lines in the store…until this last Saturday, when I go to stores, they are pretty empty. This weekend it was mayhem (sort of). It felt frenzied in the store. Everyone is in a panic over “the shelves being bare” before Christmas. Yes. That’s what the news media is saying this week. *sigh* Life goes on! Have a great rest of the week. 😁

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