1. Waiting for the ‘Skip Intro’ button to load on websites that use heavy Flash, fancy graphics, sound and advertising that mean nothing to me when all you want is to get information on their products.
  2. Waiting for a tradesman huge arse crack to get out of your line of sight this morning as he was fixing a door.
  3. Tradesmen who don’t come prepared with common spare parts and have to return and waste more time.
  4. The car park of a major shopping centre that is designed in such a way that in order to exit you must do a huge loop around each level, while your 2 hour free parking is about to run out.
  5. The endless drivel you hear from call centres before you speak to a real person. Followed by your multiple “can you repeat that” because you can’t understand their offshore accents (and I’m very good with foreign accents).
  6. The subliminal messages you get while you’re placed on hold, not the “we value your call” garden manure variety but the 70s pr0n-style music they subject their customers to.
  7. The time it takes from the moment your possessed PC freezes, for you to pull the plug, put it back in, reboot, login and declare your hatred for it in poetic terms. x3
  8. The myth of teamwork when you wait for a team “member” to do their part and out of sheer frustration of the wait you end up doing it yourself, and doing it better.
  9. Online geek companies that don’t tell you their freight charges upfront unless you create an account with them and go through the rigmarole of a fake purchase.
  10. Waiting for (yet another) tradesman to call when you’ve been locked out of your garage and it’s nearly midday and you haven’t showered yet.
  11. Waiting for that obligatory minute for the water to heat up before you finally step into the shower, your mobile phone handy in case you miss that call.
  12. When a person freely offers advice or help, and you ask for it then wait for them to get back to you and you end up in a rinse repeat cycle of number 8.
  13. In days of high tecchh-nnnooo-lllogy, being told that a small item delivery takes 4 – 6 weeks.
  14. The daily ritual of deleting spam out of multiple email addresses and tossing away more spam from your home mailbox into the recycling bin.
  15. Widget selling websites that refuse to deliver to post office boxes assuming you are house-bound or office-bound and thus end up making you so.
  16. Tossing up whether to click on an ecard link sent to you on your birthday and risk getting a Trojan as a surprise gift then doing the copy and paste thing into Firefox.
  17. Paying an exorbitant call charge for something so stoopid that you wish you were a big fat smoke-smelling handyman yourself with an arse crack instead of the work you do.
  18. Realising that the day is over and you’ve done enough time wasting that none of your priorities were met and your productivity is nil. And you still haven’t eaten.
  19. Waiting for the ink to dry on this post as you decide whether to publish it or delete it.
  20. Wasting no more time deciding between a dry Martini, left over Veuve or your favourite Pinot Noir and planning to have all three.

Written with an appreciative nod to the Study in General Timewasting Theory.

16 Comments to “Time Wasting Moments”
  1. Edrei says:

    Sweet Jesus!! That’s a lot of time wasters. :)

    1. Which is always why I’m thankful when sites have the option to skip Flash entirely.
    2. The words “Excuse me” or ice. Both are equally effective at the right moments.
    3. Sometimes it can’t be helped when they don’t know what the problem is at first. But I feel for you.
    4. That’s not a time waster, that’s a money eater!!
    5. Will the droning never cease!!
    6. You know I actually dance to those music if its good enough?
    7. The apologize to it later on realizing that you just treated your machine like a living being.
    8. One of the many reasons I start doing things on my own time. Sometimes when you want something done right. Do it yourself regardless.
    9. I skip those companies first hand. I’ve got too many accounts I’ve registered for already.
    10. That’s the 3rd tradesman you’ve been with. Is there some subconscious thing going on here that we should know about?

  2. Edrei says:

    11. It takes that long? It only takes a several seconds for me. Ok maybe it takes a little longer to make sure I don’t burn myself with hot water.
    12. The best advices don’t always come free.
    13. That or we pay more. I guess we can’t expect everything.
    14. That’s a minute of my life wasted that I can’t get back. GIVE ME BACK MY PRECIOUS MINUTE!!
    15. I never really understood that. But widget? Just what were you buying?
    16. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I loathe the e-cards.
    17. Despite the pleasant imagery, I doubt I would ever wish to be a big fat smoke-smelling handyman. No…it’s just not my thing. :)
    18. Where does the day go? Where does time actually fly to? I WANT MY DAY BACK!!
    19. Ink? What ink? How can there be ink?
    20. When you can’t choose either one. Have them all. That’s the best course of action. Never failed me yet.

    Wow…that’s 10 minutes gone replying this that I’ll never get back. :)

  3. gboy says:

    Well, all I can say is I am truly honoured. =)

    And might I add, it’s not how you start a day of timewasting, but how you finish it that counts. Pretty fine effort, I’d say.

    ;)

  4. Cléa says:

    Edrei: You’re telling me!
    6. Say what?!?! Disco dancing I bet.
    7. No way in hell when I keep losing my temper. And documents.
    10. You know when everything falls apart at once? Yep.

    Edrei: I see you needed a break! ;)
    13. More was like >100% more!
    15. Something the size of a 20c piece.
    19. Anything is possible in Cléa’s world.

    Welcome to time wasting moments. 10 minutes of them! :P

    Gboy: My pleasure :). Always wanted to do a tribute and today topped it in “time wastin’” madness.
    Ahhh… I have a lot to learn from the master. Finishing with a Pinot Noir from SA was a treat, a most enjoyable drop. Hic! ;)

  5. peefer says:

    18. On my list of priorities, eating never seems to drop below #1. Hi Cléa.

  6. Gorilla Bananas says:

    Life is truly full of wasted time. I think the good bits probably add up to an hour a day…including the bowel movements.

  7. Zen Wizard says:

    Three words: “Department of Motor Vehicles.”

    Otherwise known as “Sensory-deprivation Tank Hell.”

  8. Cléa says:

    Peefer: Mine is coffee ahead of food, else I grow two heads. Hi Peefer.

    Gorilla B: My thoughts exactly, and I often wondered how much we waste compared to how much we do. I didn’t think to include bowel movements!

    Zen: Both options sound hellish to me. I’d rather waste time staring into empty space.

  9. Essentially Me says:

    Here, here to number 20!! Threesome’s are always good! :)

  10. egan says:

    Was it your birthday recently? Kidding, I knew that. Those darn eCards are risky with their pop-ups and spyware. You’re wise to be wary. I’m good with accents too, but my patience wears thin quickly when someone calls me at home I can’t understand.

    What’s Essentially Me talking about with her threesome thing? She’s naughty.

  11. Cléa says:

    EM: Threesomes?! Oh yeah… the liquid kind! ;) And they went down beautifully!

    Egan: We can forget about birthdays and stay a year younger! I got caught once with a Trojan, not a happy memory. When they call you? Heck, when I ring for info, I expect to understand the people not feign deafness so they can repeat themselves. I know one day I’ll lose it and say something nasty.

    Are you hinting at EM, you and I? Naughty égan!!

  12. egan says:

    Cléa - huh, I don’t think Égan was necessarily going where you did. Hmm, …. now I can’t rule it out.

  13. brookem says:

    I like #20 best. Perhaps because I can relate to it most? So many of them ring true for me though. The shower one, especially.

  14. Cléa says:

    Egan: Not talking about alcoholic cocktails? I can’t possibly wonder what you mean…

    Brookem: Now that’s a thought in time saving. Enjoying #20 while waiting for the shower!

  15. egan says:

    Does not compute eh? Well, maybe we should talk about beer, but last I recall you’re not a beer drinker. What is with any delivery taking more than a week domestically?

  16. Cléa says:

    egan: An occasional Corona and lime is my limit when it comes to beer. I don’t enjoy the taste very much. And the 4-6 weeks delivery time is not domestic, but from your neck of the woods. I could fly there but…

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