Went today to the post office. There were two counters open and about 13 people on line. For the first couple of people the line was moving, but then an old lady and quite young guy occupied the counters. It took two minutes, and then five, and then ten. The Woman was handing a letter to the Post person, but she kept holding it while having a conversation that lasted forever.

This is not the first time I am running into this kind of situation. In the bookstores I always find myself behind a grandmother who wants to buy her grandchild the best possible book, and she can get into a 20-minute conversation about a particular book, and then start a new conversation about the next book. Or in the shoe section of a department store where parents can get a PhD for finding their kids the absolute right shoe.

Maybe it is just me. Maybe I am too shallow with my purchase habits. Maybe. All I know is that when I get into the post office all I want to do is just get out. I put my stuff on the counter, pay and leave. I really don’t get why people need to stand there for half an hour and find out about every possible route or method in order to save a cent.

Sometimes, when I stand there wasting my time, I think that Germany didn’t lose the the battle over Stalingrad because of the winter, the lack of supply or the spirit of the enemy. I just think that there was a German post office there.