“I have a life to live”

“I can’t hold forever,” I said. “I have a life to live.”
I called Urology Associates of Rochester.
They do my urology doctoring.
Last year they removed my prostate because it was beginning cancerous.
They left a message on my phone saying I needed to reschedule an appointment.
“Please hold,” their receptionist said, after enduring their minute-long machine introduction.
Not usually the case, but minutes added up.
My cellphone counts time, and I remember seeing over seven minutes.
Must be they’re on donut-break.
After 10 minutes I hung up and tried again.
Again, the minute-long machine introduction, followed by “Please hold” from their receptionist.
Again, the minutes added up.
After maybe five minutes I gave up. “I got a life to live,” I said. The appointment is in February = “Later, dudes.”
Years ago, at the Messenger newspaper. I discovered how heavy-hitters deal with this.
A vice-president was doing my annual review.
She made a phonecall, and got put on hold.
She switched her phone to speakerphone, and began my review. She’d stop when her party came on.
I did this myself. I switched my cellphone to speakerphone and put it aside.
But I wasn’t doing anything. All I was doing was killing time. I wasn’t where I could grab a magazine; if I could have, that silly phone would distract.
Urology Associates of Rochester has at least three receptionists. They’re fairly busy.
I found myself wishing for more, but usually not from Urology Associates.
Most irksome is my HVAC contractor. i think they have only one receptionist. Get put on hold, which always happens, and their head-honcho tells you how wonderful they are.
“Ray, ya gotta hire more help,” I shout.
They came last year to replace my air-conditioning, which after 26 years failed.
So I told ‘em: “Ya gotta get your boss to hire more receptionists, and stop the self-congratulatory breast-beating.”

• The “Messebger newspaper” is the Canandaigua Daily-Messenger, from where I retired over 11 years ago. Best job I ever had — I worked there almost 10 years (over 11 if you count my time as a post-stroke unpaid intern [I had a stroke October 26th, 1993, from which I recovered fairly well]). (“Canandaigua” [“cannan-DAY-gwuh”] is a small city nearby where I live in Western NY. The city is also within a rural town called “Canandaigua.” The name is Indian, and means “Chosen Spot.” —It’s about 14 miles away.)
• “HVAC” is heating/ventilation/air-conditioning.