howie’s halfpipe

Having asthma is rougher on the wallet than it is on the body.
Every month or so I have to go get 2 new puffers, one that I take once or twice a day depending on my memory and if I can be bothered getting a new puffer, and the other I take as needed, when a wheeze is coming on.

Anyway today was new puffer day.
I went to the chemist and put in my prescription and went off into Westfield to do some other shopping for work. Then on the way back to the office I popped back in to pick up my 2 shiny new puffers. But the dogs only had one of them, they had the preventative that I take every morning but the normal puffer they had none in stock. It’s a good thing I didn’t get all angry and loose my temper, if I lost my temper I may find myself in some heavy breathing and start having an asthma attack. And you wouldn’t want to have an asthma attack in a chemist of all places BECAUSE THEY DON’T HAVE ANY PUFFERS TO HELP YOU NOT DIE!!!!!.

I got over it eventually and on a second attempt at getting my puffer I headed to a different chemist. I walked in there was no one else in the shop, no customers and one lady behind the counter. I handed over my prescription and she said “would you like to wait or come back?” well I don’t want to come back there is no one here so I shouldn’t have to wait. I waited…she put the prescription down on the counter and walked off. Then a man with a tie on came out of a little door and picked up my prescription, he looked at it then put it down and disappeared back through the door.
I’m just sitting in their waiting chairs for my damn puffer, how hard can it be to print of a sticker that has my name on it and then go to the shelf and take off the puffer, wack the sticker on it and make me sign my prescription, take my money and off I go.
Instead I have to sit there for 10 minutes, still with no other customers in the chemist. Eventually the man with the tie comes back out his door picks up my prescription does a bit of typing, prints off a sticker and gets my puffer. Then he puts it all in a little basket and disappears back out his door. I’m ready to leave but the basket with my puffer in it is still on the other side of the counter. Eventually the other person who was working came over looked at the basket then called out “Mr Howie”. What the hell I’m the only person in there, and it looks like ive been the only person all day. You don’t need to call out my name in the hope that through the masses of customers waiting for their puffers I will hear your call and come collect my puffer. I’m THE ONLY FREAKIN PERSON THERE!!!!!. She gets me to sign the thingy then pay and off I go 14 minutes after I walked in.

So I am now qualified to give you a course breakdown of studying to be a Pharmacist at a NSW university.

Of a 4 year degree.

First year – Learning how to type someone’s name into a computer

Second year – Learning how to type a sentence like ‘take once daily’ and then pressing print

Third Year – Reading the name of a drug on the prescription and matching it with the name on the outside of a box on the shelf
(I know third year is pretty in depth, it really separates the committed from those who are just studying this because they didn’t get into a bachelor of arts course)

Fourth Year – Learning how to fill 98% of your day not serving customers