Mayberry

Why can't life be simpler?

I'm yearning for the days of a simpler time and place. A time without so many choices, where people were helpful and you didn't have to be "afraid" of bad things.

I'm getting new windows. (No, not a tangent. Bear with me.) Apparently, while my old windows are in excellent shape, they have a slight flaw. During heavy rainstorms (ones that come quick, dump alot of rain and then are over...you know, the ones we've had pretty much all summer), water accumulates between the heavy glass and the screen. Since the screen sits up higher than the heavy glass, the water gushes in under the heavy glass, down the wall and all across the floor of my house. The only remedy I've found is to put the screens up and the glass down IF I remember and IF I'm home when the rain starts. Mom said I need new windows to prevent this from ruining my beautiful (?) hardwood floors.

So, I'm getting new windows. There is a place, which has been coming around door-to-door advertising, so I thought I'd try them first. I set up an estimate appointment for today, but evaded the "is there a spouse" question. I did tell them that although I owned the house and would be making a decision, I had someone who would help me in the decision making process. They were supposed to come at 10am. At 9am the phone rings and a woman went through confirming everything with me, double checking the address and again asking about other people. It's not that I'm embarrassed so much about a "spouse" and I hesitate to say "Yes, I'm a single female and here is my address.". Perhaps too much CSI or NCIS or Law and Order, but nonetheless... When I informed her I was the sole homeowner, but have "advisers" who would not be present at the estimate, they told me to cal and reschedule when they would be available and the information is too much for me to relay.

At first, I was thrilled. Back to bed for me, but as I crawled back into bed, something was nagging at me. I called my adviser (aka Mom). :) She was awake. She laughed, a little shocked that someone, some company would forgo a possible 3-4 window sale b/c I, the primary decision maker and one with all the power (if you like that sort of thing), would be the only one present. "Guess they really wanted the sale today." I still stand by my decision. I just hope it's not detrimental to my bank account!

I wonder why home improvements aren't like everything else. No one will give me a window estimate over the phone (I'll get to THAT in a minute) and gathering "estimates" requires an appointment, which companies don't want to do unless you are going to buy from them that day. I think I should have the right to "shop around" a bit, which should not be hindered by wanting to talk it over with someone. I can go into Macy's, Boscov's AND Sears in some places all within a short shopping mall walk to price shop for things, why not home improvements?

I was honest. I could've had them come out here, go through the schpeal for 2 hours and then sent them away without a sale, but I think it's rude to totally waste some one's time. Come out, give me a brief estimate, then let me think about it. No need to spend 2 hours trying to badger me into something. I'm telling you upfront I'm not buying today, so don't waste your time "pitching" to me. Just give me the information and let me process it. I do this with alot of things. Sometimes, such as cars and often times clothes - special occasion dresses, suits, etc. the processing is strictly emotional. You can tell me it's the best car in the whole world, but if I don't feel it, then I'm not gonna like it day after day after day driving it and why would I do that? With money, it's a weighing process - do I like or need it enough to spend the money? If so, who's got the best deal? And in a world of weirdos, do I really want 4 or 5 strangers to know I'm a single female who has the money to own their own home AND replace windows and here's my address, credit information (to buy the windows) and daily schedule (for "best time to come out")? Maybe a bit paranoid, I realize.

So, after my advisor got done laughing about the loss of the sale for the company that didn't like my evasiveness or "not-ready-to-commit-today" attitude, she launched into window research. I think I fell asleep for a few minutes. Windows are boring. Nothing exciting about getting to buy a new window. Not like a car, new furniture, paint colors, decor or clothes. Windows are boring. Not only are they boring, they are overwhelming. TONS of different kinds of windows and I could give a rat's hat about which ones go in the front of my house. I want something not expensive, good quality, with screens, that don't leak. Easy to clean would be nice, but let's be honest...I don't clean the ones I have often (I DO eventually get around to it, just not as often or as thoroughly as I should) so, should I care? It's not as if they're going to have bars, or be lively, Harry Potter-esque windows that move or disappear when I try to clean them.

What I don't want are options OR to feel like I'm being ripped off because I don't care. I want what I'm still looking for in a hair dresser, a professional. I defer to professionals. Have no problem with that. I can say "look, I don't know and you are the professional" but more and more often in society life doesn't work that way. People defer to drs. who misdiagnose b/c they are busy fulfilling their insurance required 10 patients a day. People who don't follow up, who aren't active in pursuing and pushing their drs when they believe something isn't right, even sometimes end up dead. My hairdresser never really liked "I don't know, I want it to look good, I don't want to look 12 and I want to be able to put it up for work". He wanted guidelines, pictures, a definite. I wanted a professional opinion, b/c I don't know styles, have NO clue what would work for my hair (obviously b/c I kept bringing in hairstyles and he would say "your hair is too thin for that") and face and didn't care all that much if it fit my criteria. The same goes for windows. Remember the days when you said "I need a new window with a screen" and the window guy said "o.k. here"? It wasn't "Well, do you want double hung? A full or half screen? Grilles? latches? EZ to clean? Vinyl or aluminum or wood?". You said window, they gave you window. There weren't choices. Not 800 things to pick from and people, "professionals" who didn't want to give their opinion because they were afraid you'd end up hating it, the company would replace the windows and fire them for wrongful inputting.

I miss the days I never lived in. Simpler times when decisions weren't hard, because choices weren't plentiful. Come to think of it, in those days, my grandfather just had is friend from "up the street" come help put in the windows. Someone he knew. Someone who wouldn't care if my grandmother was home b/c windows "could be tough and alot of information". (sigh) Those were the days.

-Song by Rascal Flatts