I had a realization today while putting on a new toilet seat. I have been slightly more than irritated since I had an unfortunate encounter with a person whose remaining two brain cells are getting a divorce. When the seat pinched my hiney, it was time for a screwdriver. Anywho as I was tightening the bolts I think I found a solution to my problem. We all know groundbreaking thoughts happen during small repairs and while in the shower.


It's an issue that most people have faced at one time or another. Stereotypical treatment. In this particular case, it was a woman incident. How could a woman possibly understand how that works?

I have to admit I’ve been guilty of judging capabilities based on sex myself. Once upon a time, I thought all men came equipt with man knowledge. I quickly found out that is not the case. There are men who don't know how to change oil or unclog the drain and women who cannot cook and have no clue how to sew a dang thing. Such is life. We google it or attend another session of YouTube University and move on. As long as it gets done who cares who did it? We should all have learned this concept as we grew older. Unfortunately, some did not.


I had to take my truck to the garage earlier this week. The transmission has a little issue where it slips sometimes. I wanted it taken care of before I decided to embark on my next adventure and ended up alongside the road waiting for a tow truck and an adventure of a different kind. Since it has 11,000 miles on it that bugger went back to the dealership where we bought it.

Cue the groans. As a member of the non-frank and beans party or someone with little vehicle knowledge, we would rather sign up for a root canal with no happy juice than have to deal with that one guy. You all know the one I'm talking about. The guy who looks at you like you could not possibly understand anything about vehicles. The oh don't worry honey, I'll have it fixed for you in no time guy who doesn't realize that is the point most of us with our balls happily cradled in Victoria’s Secret start to worry.

Women get the tone or what do you suppose she hit this time to cause the noise this thing is making? Men with no car knowledge get off easier on this one. All they have to do is shake their head and agree. Kind of like if a woman is picking out a stove. When they ask which one she wants all she has to do is point at one. No man is going to question her. If she is buying one for no other reason than to fill the hole no one will know. It's a trade off I guess. Some days you take the win and other days you work hard to keep your hands to yourself.

I called to get on the schedule and was excited when I got an appointment the same day. How lucky, right? The man I talked to when I arrived was super helpful as we went over the issues I was having. The truck went back and I had a seat in the waiting room. Side note: A + for the comfy seat and the coffee pot. Knowing it would be a bit, I brought my iPad to do some editing. May as well get all my favorite tasks done at once. The fantastic wifi might make me want to sit in the parking lot after hours.

After about an hour my nice, friendly Dodge representative was replaced by his boss who came to give me an update. Unfortunately, his boss was that guy. I did not roll my eyes while he told me the difference between a car that I'm used to driving and a big diesel truck like my husband's. He told me all about how trucks shift harder and aren't as responsive. I politely told him this is my third diesel truck that I am the primary driver. Well, it's more like shared custody. Point being, I drive it a lot. It was at this point the man who checked me in started to laugh. I knew I would be getting no help from him.

The guy told me there was nothing wrong because there were no lights on. He winked when he told me not to worry if there wasn't a light on. Since my truck is new everything is computerized and he can see exactly how it is behaving and how much of a cautious driver the hubby is. He checked his computer monitor and said everything was running as it should. The RPMs have never been revved, there are no spikes in the data, and it will take some time to get used to it. He would be happy to drive it for me to show me how the truck was supposed to shift.

I'm not sure how he missed the twitch in my eye. My face normally doesn't hide expressions well. I have a hard time believing that on that day that particular trait decided to disappear.

I freely admit I don't know all the things under the hood of my truck. However, light or no light, I know when it is doing something it shouldn't. I'm not saying I baby my truck because, well, it's a truck. It does truck things. I should do all the truck things I want it to do without a slip.

So this might be the part where the question could be raised AITA. I smiled and the poor idiot thought he was doing his good deed for the day. He was getting ready to pat me on the head and tell me not to worry when I opened my mouth. (No need to pause to pray. I'm not in jail and no one needed the ambulance. All bodily fluids stayed inside the skin where they should) I asked him if it was a graph or chart of some kind. He said indeed it was. I told him that was wonderful. If he could see the patterns on his computer screen he would be able to tell where the anomalies were. Everything has a pattern. If you can track how it runs you can see where it wasn't shifting correctly. I thought it was a reasonable request. If you already have it pulled up and are analyzing it, why not?


By now the man who checked me in had gathered a few friends. I was like are we getting popcorn? Should we slow this down to wait on anyone else?

The guy was not having it. He kept repeating there was nothing wrong with your husband's truck and he offered to call my husband at work to explain how a truck works to him.

So here is where my pinched-cheek revelation comes in. If he can run around the world placing people in certain roles he perceives as correct, why can’t those people use those roles to retaliate?

The solution to the problem plaguing the world is quite simple. Okay, maybe not the whole world but my world. The answer is a skillet. Don't go back and read it again. It says skillet. Plain and simple. Cast iron or aluminum depending on your arm strength. Problems can be solved with a skillet. If you’ve been pigeonholed condescendingly, swing it. If you are happy, make something nice with it and share. Works both ways.

I'm not saying a skillet would be enough to educate this particular gentleman, but a good whack to the head would make him think twice or get the big crayons for Christmas after a second helping. Six in one, half dozen in the other. I know I'd feel much better after a good swing.

Everyone harps about sensitivity training until we are all left wondering can I say that? Anyone can click through some slides or sit through a meeting hoping lunch is catered by the good fajita place and not the one with the watered-down queso like last time. Actual repercussions following an FAAFO experience are more of a learning tool than PowerPoint could ever dream of providing.

Think about it. Slight offenses get a warning. Maybe a swing and a “miss” situation. Full offenses get a whack. Take out a knee or something to bring their attention to the issue. If it borders along the lines of making me consider if the quality of food in the prison system is really that bad, you get bashed in the head and I’ll find out for myself. You can adjust it to your own preferences, but it's just a thought. A guideline if you will. Depending on your skillet preference, more than one whack could be necessary. All I'm saying is that it will create a lasting impression that may influence change.



To the dealership with the A+ waiting room and the negative-rated boss, you're welcome for the entertainment. I can understand why you are so short staffed. Just a thought but perhaps you should get a skillet for the office. I'm sure there would be a line waiting for their turn to take a swing. As for my irritation, it's down to a simmer and I'm going back to editing.

Stay tuned for more revelations. I bought a new faucet for the kitchen sink. Amazon should be delivering it later today. Who knows what problems fixing the sink will solve? Another day in the life.