i want to jot down a series of events that have happened to me this week. though they're unrelated for the most part, they all do share having been annoying in common. i don't want to forget them so that's why i'm putting this effort in

the first happed on wednesday when i went to the store to get myself lunch at work. i went to the gas sattion that has a subway built in. i told myt coworker i'd get him a soda so i went to the fridges first. i picked up his and noticed that there was a special on sodas made by the same company. two for three dollars. so i picked another one and then went to order my sandwich. i used to get subway often last year while in argentina. was just close and inexpensive and fast. anyway i order my usual. i say no to the chip and cookies offer. i go to pay, but before i decide to get these plantain chips i hadn't had in years, and the guy is charging me over four dollars for the sodas. i tell him they're on special and turn towards the fridge, where the sticker is visible. he says "oh yeah, they change those every week," or something. he updates the price and i try to pay but the cvhip reader malfunctions. he takes this opportunityu to raise the price on the chips, saying that he messed up the first time. that they're "actually three-ninety-nine chips." it felt retaliatory. like he did that to get back at me for getting him to lower the soda prices. but i couldn't argue that one, since there was no price indicator. i could have decided to leave them, but i took the loss. he won that one, but i won't go back anymore

the second one was when me and a friend went to get chinese takeout. i hadn't been to the place, so i ordered general tso's to kind of guage how good the food there was. i looked at the menu. i debated adding egg rolls for three dollars more, but chose not to to save that bit of money. the lady handed me the cost ticket with the order and it read twelve dollars and some change. i handed my card and she did her thing and gave me the receipt to sign. i glanced at it and saw fifteen something charged. i didn't say anything cause my body instinctually signed and handed it back rather fast, so in my head i was hoping that maybe she thought i also ordered egg rolls or something. i wait with my friend and ask what his total was. his was fifteen, but he had egg rolls, which again, i opted out of to save three dollars. when she brought me my order i saw that i was just the entree. i checked my bank app and saw the fifteen charge. so essentially thjey got those three dollars i was trying to save, and i didn't even get the extra food. i assume it's the tip, and while it's not a wild amount, i still find it weird that they gave themselves a tip. like, i was going to anyway, but taking it without asking is odd and i did not appreciate it

the final thing was an odd one, and probably shouldn't have happened but im a "principled" person and it was a part of my praxis. yesterday i was punmping gas after going around town doing nothing. this guy came up to me. i thought he was going to ask for money, but instead he asks for a ride. he reaches out to shake my hand,a nd his thumb nail was kind of ugly, i won't lie. i tell him to catch the bus down the street, that it would take him to the greyhound stationm he was trying to get to. he said he didn't have money for it and asked again if i could just give him a ride. now i know most people would say no to giving a ride to a total stranger, especially one that says they were recently released from jail, especially during a pandemic. and yet, i said "sure" for some reason. i tried to tell him to get in the backseat but he sat himself in the passenger one. i told him i'd leave him where downtonw starts, but before i knew it i was already headed towards the station. i told him i knew how to get there but he kept giving me directions. he coughed a couple times which i hated. he didn't have a mask either. at some point he reached into his pocket and pulled out something that sounded like paper or money and a hat. he put on the hat and shoved the mopney back in his pocket. at least i think it was money. so he had lied about not beiong able to take the bus... but, honestly, i was on edge the whole ride. i could have gotten sick, or killed if i'm honest. gotten the car stolen, etc. and whilw the possibility of all those things sound bad, the worst part of this was him insisting on giving me directions. i wanted to tell him to shut up. i did tell him twice that i knew where it was, but he kpet giving the dumbest directions. "yopu can turn right here and then get all the way to the left" and stuff like that. making me snake through downtown, which is a simple grid. all i had to do was turn once on fannin but he had me turning left right left, and it frustrated me more than any of the more negative possibilites to my safety. i noticed him glacning around the cupholders of the car, obviously out of the corner of my eye, but i felt he might try and steal something. there wasn't naything though. and when he got off he left rather quick. no real thank you. unceremononious and i'll admit, that was the right thing to do. cause i didn not want to hear him anymore