"By boat?!?"

        Before we moved, I bought a new computer from a place in Markham.  Unfortunately, when I went to set it up in the new apartment, it was dead (it turns out the motherboard was fried for some reason).  I did what I could to fix it myself, but it's a hardware problem and nothing I could repair, so I had to send it back to the store in Markham.  There's a post office about two blocks up the street from us, so I packaged up the CPU and carried it to the post office.  This was the day after a holiday (Columbus Day), so the post office was particularly crowded.  We waited in line for a good 1/2 hour, all the while becoming more aware of just how disgruntled the lady at the counter was.  The guy ahead of me didn't have his envelopes ready, and she pretty much yelled at him.  She also "informed" me that I needed a customs form for my package.  When I got to the counter, she weighed the box, punched some information into her computer, and asked...

Grumpy lady: "Do you want to send it by air or by boat?"
Ryan (very surprised): "By boat?!?"
Grumpy lady (getting grumpier): "By air or by boat?"
Ryan: "How long does it take by boat?"
Grumpy lady: "Four to six weeks."
Ryan: "But it's a ten-hour drive."
Grumpy lady: "Do you want to drive it there, then?"
Ryan: "Uh, by air, please."

        Even by air it still took about two weeks.  I suppose it's not surprising that postal workers sometimes go nuts.  What surprises me is that the customers seem to maintain their sanity most of the time!


Proposed shipping route from New York, NY to Markham, ON: