Paintball

Sometimes I think I'm invisible. It happens mostly around the CO2 fill station. A couple of people will come in together and while I go about the business of filling their tanks I listen to them chat, low, thinking I'm not paying attention or able to hear them. One will ask the other a question, "What's that?" pointing to something behind the counter and the other will shrug his shoulder or give half an answer - usually wrong.

Dads are the best. Little johnny will tug on Dad's sleeve and ask one of those impossible questions young kids are famous for and rather than refer the question to me they will fumble on and come up with an answer more confusing than the question.

I had a Dad explain the CO2 filling process step by step to his young son one time. "And see what he's (referring to me) doing now. He's letting the couple of ounces left in our tank out and into that tank down there (pointing to my PVC CO2 muffler**) where he stores it and then sells it back to us."

I know when a friend tells his buddy that a longer barrel is more accurate that I should step in and correct him. But I would be ignored because, after all, the customer is always right. And when someone comes in wanting Nitrous in their HPA tank I should point out that they mean Nitrogen, but hey, ignorance is bliss.

(** A muffler is used to quiet down the noise CO2 makes when it is being dumped out of a tank to chill it for proper filling.)