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I heard that inflation comes in two flavors: Pull and Push. I may have them reversed but Pull is when there are supply shortages and push is when we buy more than supply can handle. Either way, inflation is when things that cost too much cost even more.

So, what to do? Since I can’t do anything about the supply side, I’m thinking that we should all agree to just not buy anything on Tuesday unless we really can’t avoid it. I figure that Tuesday would be the easiest day to stop buying, but if you think another day would work better, toss in your suggestion. I suppose we could each pick our day, but I think it will work better if we all agree on the same day. Let’s give Tuesday a try.

We’ve all been told that a little sacrifice is a good thing and No Buying on Tuesday qualifies as a little sacrifice. What do you think? Are you ready to give No Buying on Tuesday a try?

I know it will be pretty easy to fall off the wagon but hang on, together we can do it. Thanks for being a No Buying on Tuesday team member.

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When I hear someone mention getting back in shape, only one picture immediately comes to mind for me. That is of some middle age fellow jogging along huffing and puffing, looking totally forlorn and close to collapse. He is like the little engine who could but can’t anymore.

Well, that is what used to come to mind. But what’s coming to mind these days is even more gripe worthy. It’s me not adding posts to this blog or episodes to this podcast. Sure, Gary is still Griping but is just too damn lazy to sit down at his keyboard and microphone and do what he knows he aught to be doing.

There; it’s out there so here’s the deal.

I was going along, keeping a pretty good pace posting and podcasting and then…. I’m not quite sure what happened. A situation came up that was using a lot of my time and focus and seemed more important than posting and podcasting. Please don’t be offended, but it seemed more important than talking with you. I’m feeling ashamed of myself but that’s the truth of it.

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Over only the past three days, my gripe factor has risen to what is probably an intolerable level. I am going to have to take it out on someone. It goes like this.

Driveway Seal: Last week, I talked with an apparently helpful rep at a driveway seal company who told me that they would be out to seal my driveway this week. She would call on Monday to confirm which day they would be here. No call on Monday.

She did call on Tuesday to assure me that they would be here the next day early in the morning. They did not show.

I figure I would have griped about that but waited were it not for the other two gripes that were already festering.

Attorney No Call: On the very same Monday that the driveway seal lady was to call and didn’t, I talked with an attorney about an estate issue to see if he wanted to help me transfer some property. We talked a while and he assured me that he would send me a representation agreement that afternoon by e-mail. It’s two days later and no agreement by e-mail or otherwise. I am starting to think that no one actually does what he or she says will be done.

Ugly Yard: A little while ago, I walked out my front sidewalk for the first time in a while. I have a lawn company that is supposed to keep my yard looking nice, grass, trees, flowers, bushes and such. I could not walk out the sidewalk without pushing back the bushes growing across the sidewalk and on my way back in, I tripped over a large clump of grass extending out over the sidewalk. I can’t see but assume that the rest of my yard is in an equally unacceptable condition.

Add this to my third robot vacuum cleaner dyeing and my gripe factor is moving off the scale.

Here’s my question. Does anyone do what they say they will do, when they say they will do it? OK, many do but way too many don’t. Just how tolerant should we continue to be? Should we give everyone three strikes before we move on?

Here’s my plan, keeping in mind that my gripe factor is quite high at the moment. I think I will find another attorney, another driveway seal company and a new lawn company. And as for that robot vacuum, it might be easier to just vacuum the old fashioned way.

Here’s the glitch. I could easily end up with a different attorney, a different driveway seal company and a different lawn company who are as unreliable as the first three or maybe even more unreliable. I guess I will wait at least until next Monday to see if any of the three give any sign of following through with what they said they will do.

Getting my gripe on has its up side. It helps make sure that I don’t just roll over when people disappoint or tell me that they are going to do things that they have no intention of doing when they say they will do it. It has its down side as well. Having my gripe on can also easily make me make the worst of two bad choices. I can make a new choice that is often as bad or worse than my first choice.

I’m thinking about this as a new policy. When dealing with businesses, I will generally give them a week beyond when they said I could expect a call or follow up. If they still don’t call or follow up, I will move on to another business that can do what I need done. If I can’t move on for whatever reason, I will escalate my gripe to someone higher who might actually help. If that is not an option, I will just have to accept the fact that I am royally screwed.