Anger Management

So we had a power failure recently. Usually not a major issue, just a minor inconvenience. Except that the power didn't come back up. For three days! Unfortunately this meant calling our local Municipal offices for their assistance. And after all this time spent on the phone multiple times a day for updates and progress reports, I can say with full honesty that I would rather eat broken glass and wash it down with battery acid than deal with the municipality again! First of all, you call the municipal call center and listen to all the various mind-numbing options:

"For assistance in English, Press 1. For assistance in Afrikaans, Press 2. If you suspect we are wasting your time, Press 3. Just because we ARE actually wasting your time, Press 4."

Once you have waded through the myriad useless options, then they put you on hold, also with a pre-recorded message. Unfortunately they used the most bored person they could find to record said message, so you are left almost sobbing with depression at the end of it. I am convinced that they actually want to say the following:

"Your call is important to us. Not really, but we have to say that to put you at ease. All of our agents are currently busy ignoring your call. Your call will be answered as soon as an agent can be bothered to pick up the phone. Or after the poker game."

After three days of begging, pleading, threatening, swearing, ranting and raving they finally managed to gather enough surviving brain cells to send out a technician. And 15 minutes later the power was restored. The whole experience has left me feeling like this...