John took my photo tonight. Lord, do I look tired. I am tired. I am...oh, wait, you've heard all this. Well, I just wanted to see if I could tell the different between 210 and 195. What do you think?
I know. It's hard to tell. But when I look in the mirror the double chin is definitely shrinking, and the jowls are less obvious. The clothes that were uncomfortably tight are now fitting a lot better. I guess I look a little thinner.
Mostly, I look tired. I'm not enjoying work right now. I'm trying to let things roll off my back but I tend to take stuff to heart. I particularly hate working hard on a package and then getting email from someone saying, "I see this, this, and this fare on the Net cheaper. How come you aren't getting me this?" I hate having to explain that seeing a fare on the Net doesn't necessarily mean it's available, and packages offer airfare equal to or less than whatever you can find online. And if it doesn't, then I book things piecemeal, whatever it takes to get the best total price. But I don't like being second guessed, and I'm not unaware of alternatives, and yes, I do know the four different airlines that serve Belize, and I'm sorry but you can't use your United miles to get there because they don't fly there, and yes, Taca is slightly cheaper but there's a safety reason we prefer to place you on U.S. carriers. Either you trust my eleven years of experience to get you the best deal or you book it your farking self and you don't call me and waste my time.
The people who do this to me are cold-callers, what we call Shoppers, none of them repeat clients. Congratulations, Shopper X, you know how to use the Internet. So do I. It's the competition, the airlines undercut the agencies with fares on purpose, so of course we know that it's possible for you to buy a direct point-to-point flight for $50 less. You want to buy from them, that's okay, we understand. Just don't insult me by insinuating that I'm ripping you off. Being a travel agent is hard work, and I take pride in doing my best. It's not rocket science, but it is one hell of a lot more than just looking up airfares online.
Oh, I'll shut up now. Suffice to say the second photo is in black and white so you can't see how red my eyes are from weariness. I am so glad it's Friday.
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