Birthdays and Snowboards

So today is my 28th birthday. All day long I have been berated by my younger brother with comments asking me how it feels to be 30. It's been an okay day. I have learned in my now 28 years that it is not the presents or material things that matter, but the people in my life that I really want to talk to when my birthday comes around. I have had many happy birthday wishes today and am very appreciative of them, but a few friends that I would have expected to call first thing in the morning have not. I blame my parents for this, as a Thanksgiving Birthday is not the easiest to remember. Not the end of my world, but made me a little upset, thus setting the mood for the encounter today...

Two and a half weeks ago I drop off my snowboard to get tuned and have store wax put on it (a thicker wax applied when you won't be riding your board for an extended time). I took it to Steep and Deep in Homewood. I should have been suspicious when I dropped it off with specific instructions and the retail associate looked at me like I had 3 heads. I explained to her my expectations and asked if it would be possible to have this done and she said it would be fine. I also asked when it would be done, I was told next week.

Two weeks go by and I stop in Wednesday. Guess what, it wasn't done. I expressed my frustration as it had been well over a week from when it should have been done. I was then told the tuner would be in on Friday and should be done then. Fine.

I called today, since I was in the area to see if it was done and was told that it was not. Now I'm just plain mad. I told the sales clerk not to worry about it and that I would be over to pick it up and would wax it myself. I pull up to the store and go in and the guy from the phone tells me that they went ahead and started on it and it should be done in 5 minutes. Now I'm just pissed. There's not much I can do now that the board is 1/2 waxed, so I let them finish.

The manager of the store never says anything, but I see her send over this younger college kid to talk to me. I guess his job was to settle me down, but he sucked at it. He asks me if I am planning a ski trip, I let him know my situation and that I am planning on storing my board for the season. He then starts telling me about how he is about to move to Telluride and elaborates on how it is one of the last untouched ski towns, mentions how he supports the Valley Floor Preservation, blah, blah. I then ask him about where he is planning on working, as I do have several hotel/retail connections. He replies that his dad (who is a home builder in Bham) is going to start a branch of his company developing homes in Telluride. Seriously? Was he here for the conversation 10 seconds ago? I felt like I was talking to a politician, all about the conservation, but making sure you are taken care of foremost. Secondly, like that's going to work, does he think the two markets are ANYTHING alike? I have a feeling that this kid will be disappointed with life in about 10 years. Anyway, 5 minutes turned into 20, I get more upset by the minute, and 25 minutes later, I finally got my board back. I let the manager know that her customer satisfaction skills are completely inadequate and I will not be returning. For all of the curious readers out there, I ride a Burton Feather 154. Here's a picture:

Lessons for the day:
1. Do not get your snowboard waxed in a town that has less than 1 inch of snowfall annually.
2. If you have a birthday that falls near a major holiday, don't have any expectations for your friends. It's not fair for them.
3. No matter what your age, your siblings are the only people on the planet that can reduce you to acting like a 10 year old in 2 seconds flat.