Is environmentalism turning us into cranky people?

I ask this question because I'm beginning to feel a little cranky lately, and think it could be tied to this quest for more environmentally-friendly living. Here's what happened last week. Tom and I took a bike ride over Labor Day weekend to the mall because we both needed new shoes for the fall. Unfortunately for our sales clerk, she had to run into the back room quite a number of times before we found exactly what we were looking for. So before we began checking out, I noticed that her lips were beginning to purse into that eternally-patient look reserved for customers like us. So I really wanted to make the transaction part easy for her. Unfortunately, that's not what happened. She started taking our info for the computer, but Tom asked that we not provide any contact information lest we arrive on their mailing list. Lips pursed a bit more. As she made attempts to get our shoes into a bag, we asked for no bag, that we would take them home in our own bag. This didn't make her any happier. Are we turning into obnoxious customers who want everything just the way they want it - aka cranky people?

Further evidence: Biking on the way home, already feeling guilty about tanking a sales person, we came across a driveway where a car was inching its way forward, ready to make a right turn. The driver, of course, was on his cell phone, and so Tom began calling out to let him know we were passing. Well, he had to call out to the point of an outright shout, and still no response from the driver. We found a way to pass behind him, at which point he finally noticed us, and we gave him the Brennan glare. Pay attention! Yes indeed, we're cranky.

This same week, I was at a Starbucks ordering my standard nonfat latte, and you would think this would be a happy moment for me. Not so. When I put in my order, I noticed that the water in the sink was running full blast rinsing out a blender cannister. No problem there, but the entire time I was waiting for my coffee, the water kept running. Full blast. For someone who has been working at water conservation so intensely over the past year, this was akin to Chinese water torture. I couldn't think about anything but all that water pouring into the sink. And I knew I couldn't just tell the teenager in charge to turn off the water. I just had to watch it. But my happy coffee moment was ruined.

So there you have it - environmentally-induced cranks. I just have to shake my head and wonder how I got here.