A Tradeskiller's Time: A Paradox

[GrimwoodCT]

I've noticed my own snarky attitude cropping up more and more often lately when it comes to tradsekilling. One thing that I harp, endlessly, about is the value of a tradeskiller's "time".

Complaining about no donation for even a trivial combine, complaining about having to wait for someone, complaining when I have to make a file/temper/sub-combine, complaining about any minuscule waste of my valuable time when I am tradeskilling.

On may occasions I have heard sentiments like this out of my own mouth:

"This guy made me wait 5 whole minutes when he had to run to guild bank then come back to the bazaar."

"This guy made didn't have ethereal temper or a file and he wanted ethereal rings made."

"This guy ACTUALLY made me travel 3 zones to combine for him."

Now I am all about the sanctity and value of a high-end tradeskiller, if I didn't I never would have gotten to the point where I am today but after all this complaining I looked at it from the other end of the tinkered-microscope.

I've complained about waiting and having 5 minutes of my valuable time wasted when I have:
-harvested mushrooms in Kaladim for Kaladim Constitutionals for 3 hours at a stretch.
-spent 6 hours making Gem Studded Chains so I could have one of the very first 7/7 Jeweler's Glasses on my server.
-hunted air elementals for 3 hours till I realized I needed see-invis then hunted another 2.
-once spent 76 non-continuous (but contiguous) hours in Torg Mines hunting my first FT 1 item.
-spend 6-9 hours just reading and posting on EQTC.
-in 1999 spent an entire Saturday (noon till 7pm) running 5 times from Freeport to Naggy's lair because I kept dying to goblins and didn't know any porters or rezzers.

Its amazing how critical we become when we imagine others are wasting our time when we so carelessly spend it on things no more important.

Just a thought as I pause to read some of my less polite postings.

[Roanne]

Because waiting on others isn't "fun" time. If youre into the favor youre doing him or her, its not so bad (i.e., I work for free for guildmates) but when youre answering the call of a stranger to perform a random act of kindness it can feel like youre being taken advantage of.

Id put forth you should expect those types of delays, however, when answering the calls of passer-bys. People who are prepared for a quick combine arent usually going to be /shouting for a random artisan in the bazaar.