Boiling Points Moments

Do you guys remember that show on MTV a while back called Boiling Points? It's the show where contestants are unknowingly subjected to objectively irritating and stressful stimuli, such as bad service or exorbitantly rude people, to ascertain each person's breaking point. If a contestant makes it past X amount of time, they are offered $100 as a reward. The reactions are pretty funny to watch - some people are doormats, some are hotheads, and some pass the test with flying colors.

Sometimes I feel like I have boiling points moments in life. I had one today at the gas station! Here's what happened:

I've already had a shitty day, and one of my least favorite things to do is fill up my gas tank, but I'm nearing empty, and there's a "cheap" gas station in front of me (if you call $3.13/ gallon cheap; it is, in comparison with $3.39, which is the cost at the station near my house). So pull in, procure a spot, and decide I want to buy $20 of gas, in cash. I go inside to the cashier, wait in line for about 5 minutes (it's crowded because it's a cheap gas station), and irritatedly hand over my bill; much to my dismay, I had only grabbed a $10 bill from my purse. UGH!

So I go back out to my car, grab a $20, go back inside, cut in line, endure dirty looks, and hand over the bill to the cashier. I get back out to my car, and finally see the sign that pump #12 is out of order. Crap.

So I go back inside, and tell the guy to please move my $20 to pump #10 (in front of my car) and will wait for the girl there to move. He does so. I go back out, get in my car, and proceed to watch the girl at pump #10 clean out her consoles, wash the windshield, talk on the phone ("ohmigod, I was sooo wasted last night! Like, really? Like, ohmigod, no WAY!" This was in PB.). This girl took forever! I finally get the bitch out of my way, and I'm pulled up to pump #10.

I punch in my telephone number so that I can accumulate points for the loyalty program, and then the pump tells me I need to pay inside. I already paid inside!! So I go inside, ask the kid to please apply my $20 to pump #10, and he says sure. I go back out, punch in my number again; same result. Go back in, same result. Get back out to my car, and I now see the guy waving through the window. I'm thinking, "What the F are you saying??!! I can't see from this F*ing far away!!!" I'm getting irritated. I march BACK up to the cashier's station and ask him "yes?!" and he said "you have to hang up the pump before I can put the money in". I'm. Going. To. Kill. Someone!

So I get back outside, hang up the pump, punch in my telephone number AGAIN, and the pump finally acknowledges that I'm ready to buy the STUPID $20 in STUPID gas. I pump the gas and drive away. And as I was driving away, I realize that I probably should have cleaned my windshield and emptied my console... I just can't win today.

This whole experience took an irritating 20 minutes. I think I deserve at least a $100 prize to make up for it; what do you think?

I hope you don't experience any 'boiling points moments' anytime soon.

Love, Mer