Going Postal

This morning I woke up around 9am, decent hour for a Saturday morning.  Since Teh Bear's Cmas present arrived yesterday (thank God), it was to be mailed off today, by noon (for earliest possible delivery).  I knew that if I didn't get up right away and take care of the errand, I'd roll over and go back to sleep till 11 and have to rush to get ready and make it to the post office.

I had already packaged and addressed the box last night, all I had to do was bring it to the post office.  Easy day.  I had put it in one of the smallest boxes I have lying around the apartment, a moving box.  I figured it was one less box I had to carry down to the dumpster, and it gave the appearance of being an awesome Christmas present (not that Teh Bear doesn't already know what it is) because of the largeness of the box.  Don't pretend that you don't think the biggest boxes under the Christmas tree have the bestest presents in them!

Box size in relation to size of DVD case.

In my super productive, grateful-that-the-ipod-was-finally-delivered-to-me, positive frame of mind, I walked into the post office.  When I stepped up to the counter and put the box on the scale, the clerk started his spiel asking if it was hazardous/explosive/not something that should really be shipped/etc.
Me: It's an iPod.
Clerk: (pause) Isn't this overkill?  (about the size of the box)
Me: It's a Christmas present.
Silence.

Since when it is acceptable for the postal clerk to judge the size of my packages? Isn't it their job to just give me my shipping options and help the next customer? Opinions not required. I wanted to ask the guy if he always judged people's packages (mostly because the double entendre, of course). I, then, wanted to remind him that while he was a government employee, he was also a customer service representative, so his opinions about my box (hehe) weren't welcome. That unless I was in some way stealing by not paying enough postage for my huge box, he could just STFU.

PS.  If he was trying to be funny, I didn't get it.  Unless he (and everyone else that works at that post office) have the driest sense of humor known to mankind.

WTF is with people?  Seriously?
Rant complete.

PPS.  I didn't let him get me down.  I also didn't bring up the fact that it had taken 28 days for the ipod to be delivered to me via USPS in the first place.  Not that I'm in the least bit bitter... me?  never...  It had been in a bubble wrap lined, medium sized envelope and had gotten lost and looked beat to shit when I, finally and very much relived-ily, pulled it from my mailbox.  I was legitimately concerned that it might not work.  I was hoping that the large box and clear address labels and lack of barcodes on the box I was shipping meant that the package would arrive to Teh Bear without difficulty.  Note:  Teh Granny had left the barcodes exposed on the package when she mailed it to me, which I assume might have caused difficulties to begin with.

Oh USPS, why can't we be friends?  And why do all your employees seem to be such jerks?

ANDDDDDD.. the biggest presents under the tree usually mean the smallest, but most awesome gifts.. in my experience.  At least the actual wrapping of the iPod wasn't cruel.  Teh Sister can tell you how cruel I am when wrapping presents.... :D bwahahahah.


Photo story of Teh Sister trying to unwrap her cmas present from Teh Mom and I a few years ago.  I wrapped this to be as difficult as possible to get into.  I consider this my best Christmas present wrapping feat to date.

Seems innocent enough. 

OOOO, what is it?

Present wrapped in bubble wrap, which was covered in packaging tape...  She had no idea where to even start.
We decided we could have played basketball or soccer with that sucker.

The look of despair.
After finally getting off the bubble wrap (which took a few minutes), I told her that there was a hint as to what the present was on the next layers...  Which were various Christmas sales papers.  I told her she had to remove each ad one layer at a time, or she'd miss it.

She kept asking random items that she saw on the ads, and when she asked "camera?" instead of "no," I said, "maybe.."  I'm a really bad secret keeper.  She quickly found the last layer!

YAY NEW CAMERA!!!

Wrapping Master..  That's the I-made-her-remove-30+-layers-of-wrapping-paper-one-by-one face.