HOW MANY TIMES CAN I SAY "TONE CHIMES" IN ONE POST?

Pey is a member of her school's tone chimes group. Have you ever heard of tone chimes? I hadn't until Pey made the band, so to speak. When I was in elementary school, we had handbells. Those still exist, of course, but apparently the big thing now is the tone chimes.

A couple of weeks ago, the choir and tone chimes groups from Pey's elementary school held an outdoor concert in Old Town Spring. It was the first time I got to see Pey in action, and it was very cool. J (stepmom) videotaped it and sent me the footage. Since I figure I'm not the only one who's never seen tone chimes in action before, I thought I'd post the video. You can see it here.

(Pey's the dark-haired beauty just to the left of the director. I may be a little proud.)

I'm still in awe of the fact that my 10-year-old can read music. In my mind, she's still six ... which, coincidentally, is the number of times I said "tone chimes" in this post. Seven if you count the title. :)

PLEY'S ANNUAL CHRISTMAS BAKING DAY

Yesterday I hosted our family's 2nd annual Baking Day. Basically, my sisters and stepmom (J) come over and we all use my stove, Kitchenaid mixer, and two ovens to make Christmas goodies to share. It's always fun and even if things don't turn out perfectly, we have a good time visiting and laughing.

Last year's Baking Day was more successful than this year's. My Puppy Chow was clumpy, I burned the crust on the pumpkin gooey butter cake, J's lemon bars didn't taste lemony, and Tnk's almond-coconut brittle never did set. Nothing tasted bad, but we were pretty disappointed in the goodies. I guess we were having too much fun visiting to care much about the actual baking. (The sibs and J don't know it yet, but I'm scheduling another Baking Day for two weeks hence. We're going to get it right this time!)

Below is a short video from Baking Day. I'd bought a Santa apron and mitt from Kohl's a couple of weeks ago and wore them yesterday, and J thought they were cute so she videotaped me. EMTsis is the one who's "wired" - she went in for an exam yesterday, and her blood pressure was through the roof, so her doctor put her on a heart monitor for a day. She says she's not worried, so we shouldn't be. Yeah, we'll call that Plan B.

Anyway, you can see the quick video clip here.

Tnk, by the way, is the one with her back to the camera, washing dishes. You can also see some of my kitchen and my cool KitchenAid mixer, plus you can get a quickie glimpse of our Christmas tree in the background. The video isn't very long, but I'm happy J took it.

Update: Next Baking Day (Baking Day, Part Deux) has been scheduled for Wednesday, December 19th. Hope I don't burn anything this time!

JEN'S OUT

I think I'm becoming a little too familiar with the process of firing employees. I let Jen go today. I did it over the phone and told her that contractual issues, overstaffing, etc., was the main reason, but that's actually not true.

What is true is that she didn't really care about her job or doing it well. She has misbalanced the till twice - since the meeting where I asked her specifically if she knew how to do it correctly - and she deliberately began closing procedures 45 minutes early last night. Forty-five minutes! All employees were told rather bluntly not to even begin balancing the till until the store closed, and not a minute sooner. Yet Jen decided to do things her own way and bail out early.

Gary came in last night and caught her, which is why she got snippy with him.

He and I debated for hours today over whether we should write her up or let her go. In the end, we decided it was best to cut her loose, as she obviously does not care what management thinks, nor does she want to do her job well. Jen is still under her initial 30-day contract, which she signed, and which states that we can terminate her within that time frame with no prior warning nor reason. She gave us lots of "reason," but I left it at "contractual issues" when I spoke with her.

Okay, so now we're down to six employees:

Gary, who is never, ever there anymore
Me, who is always, always there
Pho, the assistant manager, who I think will step it up a bit now that her friend Jen was let go
Watson, who works so hard it's a shame we can't pay him more
Zac, who is okay, although I had to tell him today to stay off the Internet when the store is busy
Will, the newbie, who is getting rave reviews from everyone he works with

I think we're good, but I may start interviewing again soon. I hate that almost as much as I hate firing people. Sigh.

FINALLY, AN ACCOMPLISHMENT

I'm not used to actually accomplishing goals that I set for myself, but this is one I'm proud of. No, I didn't balance that national budget, establish world peace, or write the Great American Novel. But I did set a small goal for myself, and dang it, I reached it.

I've also dropped 12 pounds this year - and kept it off. That's a biggie for me. Two and a half more pounds and I won't weigh enough to donate blood, lol.

This weekend's goal is setting up the Christmas decorations. Before we can do that, however, the living room has to be dusted and vacuumed, and lots of furniture has to be rearranged. It's hard to find the motivation to do all that.

On the up side, hubby bought the new Josh Groban Christmas CD for me while he was in California last week. I did a little happy dance when I saw that. Maybe if I put it on and turn the speakers up really loud, I'll find that Christmas motivation.

And then I'll be proud of yet another accomplishment. Go me!

AND THEN THERE YA GO

Wow, 30 consecutive days of blog posts. Whodathunk I could do it? Hopefully I'll be able to continue the trend.

I'm sitting here typing through closed eyelids because I'm exhausted and was asleep on the couch until three minutes ago. It's been a long, hard week at work, and I'm glad it's over.

Tomorrow Pey has a choir performance in Old Town Spring. I'm looking forward to hearing some good Christmas music. Then tomorrow night we're going to hubby's sis's house to watch OU vs. MU (go Mizzou!) while the kids play Halo 3 on their XBox 360.

Ooo, big news - I'm about to fire yet another employee. I haven't told you guys about her yet, I don't think. I'll call her Jen. She's a friend of Pho's and is one lazy girl. She has directly disobeyed more than one instruction she's been given, and tonight she snapped at Gary! I can't believe someone would act snippy to the owner of their company. Not exactly good job habits for someone who's only been at the store a few weeks.

After tomorrow, she's out. She (and everyone else) was warned that layoffs were possible, particularly if someone wasn't giving 100 percent. She was barely giving 50. I'm not sorry to see her go. Buh-bye, Jen.

Now I'm off to find one of those cool "I did it!" tags for this page. See ya next year, NaBloPoMo.

ONE MORE DAY UNTIL DH GETS HOME

The kids and I can't wait to see him. It's only been five days, but it feels like it's been a year since he left. We've only spoken on the phone maybe five times, and darn it, I miss my husband.

Just finished watching Rachael Ray, which I DVR every day. I fell asleep at some point, and the show started over. It was weird to wake up and think, "Hey, didn't I just see this?" I am thankful that I woke up, though, because I almost missed posting today - and since it's the second-to-last day of NaBloPoMo, it would really suck to goober it up now.

That said, however, I'm doing the head-bobbing thing that people do when they're extremely tired. Guess I'll toddle off to bed now - the quicker I get to sleep, the quicker hubby will get home!

NOT A BAD DAY

Today was much better than yesterday. First of all, I felt better. I've still got some congestion that's causing me to clear my throat a lot, but overall I'm much healthier than I was last week or even yesterday.

Second of all, we hit our sales goal at 4:38 this afternoon. The store's open until 8:00, so we still have time to make even more money today. Woohoo!

Third, hubby called from California this morning and sounded happy. It was so good to hear his voice.

Fourth, I put on a crockpot full of spaghetti and sauce this morning when I left for work, so when I got home, dinner was waiting. Better than sex. Okay, almost.

Fifth, I just got out of a hot bath. With the chilly weather we've been having, I love me a hot bath. Again, better than sex. Okay, almost.

Watson came in today, even though it was his day off. He picked up the keys to the warehouse, then went over there in his own car and loaded up all the Christmas trees that we still have stored. He brought them back to the store and apologized a bunch of times for his mistake yesterday. AND - he brought me lunch from Boston Market. Seriously, y'all, he is such a great kid. It's a shame that the feeling of remorse is lost on some people (I'm not naming names, but her initials are "PHO.")

Willie is working the closing shift tonight. I don't think I've introduced him yet - he's a 17-year-old high school student and Eagle Scout, and a good worker, to boot. He organizes the store and keeps it looking good, but also takes care of our customers. He's been with us three weeks, I think, and so far I'm impressed.

That's it for now. Have a good night!

WORK CRAP

Just got home from a rather frustrating evening (yes, evening) at work. I became very nauseated around noon today and had to leave work to go home and rest for a few hours. I've never taken off from the store for being ill, so the boss checked on me all afternoon. It was nice to be missed, but his phone calls and text messages woke me up three times! Grrr.

I started feeling a little better this evening, so I trekked back to the store around 6:00. We had an employee meeting scheduled for 7:30, so I figured I could catch up a little before everyone got there. What a mess I was greeted with...

While I was out today, Watson was working. A lady came in and claimed that the Christmas tree we had put up and decorated at the front of the store was hers, and that she wanted to go ahead and take it back. Watson couldn't find its identifying barcode (I had put it on the box, which was next to the tree), so he agreed to give the tree to the lady. Then she asks, "Does this thing come apart easily?" Okaaaay, if it really WAS her tree, wouldn't she know that?

It was not her tree. Had he called me when she came in, this whole mess could have been avoided. Now we owe another consignor for a tree that we didn't actually sell.

But wait, it gets better.

We've got a very bitchy customer whom I'll call "DB." DB has been the bane of our existence for months now - it all started when she had our delivery guys pick up her stuff on our old truck, including some "expensive artwork" (or so she claims) - then she immediately proceeded to complain about every.single.aspect of our business. She couldn't believe we sold her paintings for "just" a hundred dollars because she knew they were worth thousands. Couple of side notes here: (1) Our store has the name "Garage Sale" in it. Puhleeze, who'd send "expensive" paintings here? (2) She says she had an art dealer ready to purchase those paintings from her, but she decided to consign them with us instead. Suuuure. (3) I did a lot of research on those paintings, and couldn't find a single thing about the artist. Curious.

Anyway, one of the items DB had us pick up was an antique Singer treadle sewing machine. And let me tell you, it's a beauty - perfect working condition; beautiful case; worth well over $200. We had it stored in our warehouse, as is typical for new arrivals. But then the debacle over the stupid paintings happened, and DB said she wanted her sewing machine back. Happy to be getting rid of her, we told her that would be no problem. We had the guys bring the sewing machine into the store, and I put a large SOLD sign on it in hopes that that would keep customers from asking about it.

Although it's been a few weeks, DB has not picked up the machine yet. Tonight, while neither Gary nor I (the two decision-makers) were present, a woman came into the store. She ignored the Sold sign and asked Pho (a 17-year-old) how much the sewing machine was worth. I'll be damned if Pho didn't tell her "$45." Then she sold it to her. Oh my God, when I heard that, my heart fell into my stomach, and I thought I might throw up again. I ranted to Pho over and over, and she kept making excuses. I am beyond pissed, and so was Gary when I called him to let him know.

You just know that after all these weeks of silence, DB is probably going to call tomorrow. And guess who has to deal with her?

Shit.

Anyway, there's more.

Gary took it upon himself to list two items on eBay over the holiday weekend. He used the store's account, but really, it's mine. I'm the one who has built up the 100% positive feedback, and I'm the one who does all the picture-taking, communicating, shipping, etc.

This time, he did two listings with two Buy It Now options. Of course, they both sold on Saturday. But did I know anything about this? Nope. He didn't mention a thing until late yesterday, when he said, "Oh yeah, I sold some stuff on eBay and I need to you ship it."

Two problems: (1) One of the winners paid $90 for overnight weekend shipping. He has been leaving messages that Gary has not been answering, and he is pissed. (2) The other winner is out of the country, which means that I am going to have to physically take time to go to UPS and fill out fucking customs forms.

I let Gary have it. I told him that if he wanted to do eBay, he had to do it all himself. He's risking our feedback rating and costing us money - I had to refund the overnight guy, and the overseas person already paid shipping, but it's not enough to cover shipping costs, plus packaging materials, plus my time and gas to take the package to UPS.

Gary replied with something to the effect of us needing to get back into eBay because we need the sales, blah blah blah. I don't disagree, but I'm still pissed at the way this was handled. I already wear so many hats at the store that there's just no way I can focus on eBay right now.

Gack, I need a vacation.

After all these things, we held the employee meeting. I tried to be nice, basically let the employees have it - they canNOT leave open boxes lying around; they canNOT leave the store a damn mess for ME to clean up every morning; and they need to stay busy and stay off the Internet; among other things. I finished up by letting them know that layoffs are very possible if sales don't pick up, and I think that may have gotten their attention. Sadly, I was not kidding.

Sorry for the cursing, and thanks for reading this far. I'm off to take some Excedrin and a hot bath. G'nite.

WHERE ARE YOU GUYS?

Okay, my last few posts have not received any comments, and I'm feeling very lonely over here. Am I not interesting anymore?

Granted, I'm not the most frequent commentator, but I do try. Katie, I know I've been remiss with commenting on your blog, but rest assured that I do read it. Every single day.

I also check the following every day:

Pez
Fish
Robin
Kimmer
Beth
Shelly
Doxie (where HAVE you been?!?)
Purl (you KILL me, girl)
Houston Dynamo (okay, not every day, but frequently)

...and a few others that I can't remember off the top of my head, but I definitely check them.

If anyone wants me to check out their blog, please post a link. In the COMMENTS section. That way I won't have to look at a depressing little goose egg every day.

Pity party over. :)

JUST SIX MORE POSTS...

...including this one, until NaBloPoMo is over. In a way, I'm sad to see it go - I've been very consistent with blogging this month, and even though sometimes it's a pain to have to sit down and think and type, I always appreciate it when I'm done.

Tomorrow means back to work for me after an almost-five-day break. Wednesday I only worked until 10:00ish, and Friday I was only there until 9:45. I went to the store this morning with Kane because Gary has said he'd pay him to help clean up the store on weekends. I guess I'm a freebie, as I didn't sign in nor do I expect to be paid for today. But I did a lot of work, which I hope does not go unnoticed.

I think being off work for several days really makes you take stock of how important you are to your job, and how important your job is to you. I still enjoy working at the store, but honestly it's not as much fun as it used to be. The whole dynamic has changed: I'm used to having Gary around to help out and to bounce ideas off of, but these days he's so entrenched in his new job that he's hardly ever there anymore. It makes the days go by more slowly, unless the store is crazy-busy. But even though the crazy-busy days do fly by, they're also much more stressful as I'm having to put out all the proverbial fires by myself.

The one bright spot is that Watson works on Mondays, and he's usually in the store by 11:45. That frees me up a little to work on other things or just run out to grab lunch. He's also there Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, but on those days he's usually helping with pickups and deliveries with our main delivery guy. I may curtail that in the near future - the main delivery guy relies too much on Watson's company, in my opinion - but for now I know it's easier to move heavy items when you have two people instead of one person and a dolly, so I'll let it go.

I'm not really looking forward to tomorrow. It's really difficult to go back to work after a nice long break. But as usual, I'll soldier on and get the job done. Much like I've done with NaBloPoMo, I guess. :)

GO TIGERS!

In a heartstopping game, Mizzou just showed KU who was boss. I'm a diehard Longhorn fan, but the in-laws went to University of Missouri. Since Texas ate it the other day against the Aggies, we rooted for MU tonight. Never enjoyed a non-UT game quite so much.

On the sickness front, I seem to be improving a bit, but am still not 100%. And now Ry is complaining of a sore throat. Poor kiddo. I hate it when any of us are sick, especially the kids.

Not much else going on. We went to Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch today (at Kane's request, which is typical). The weather has been rainy and very cold, so we were all dressed appropriately for the frigid temps inside the restaurant. It's always chilly in there.

Earlier today we watched Spiderman 3. It was okay. Right now Kane and hubby are watching Live Free or Die Hard. I was going to watch it with them, but I think I'll head upstairs and go to bed instead.

Being tired seems to be my thing lately. Hopefully as I get healthier, I'll also get more awake. I know stopping the Nyquil dosages will help, too, so tonight I'm going to try to get to sleep without it. Last night I took it and slept until nearly 11:00 this morning - sounds cozy, but I hate giving up half my day like that.

For now, once again, good night. :)

LONG DAY

Man, I just can't seem to shake this head cold. I took some Nyquil a few minutes ago, so this post will be pretty short. I remember a comedian once said:

"Nyquil - the sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, how-the-hell-did-I-end-up-on-the-kitchen-floor medicine."

He wasn't kidding. I feel myself fading already.

Kohl's was crazy-busy this morning, but it was kind of fun to go anyway. Fun in a circus-y kind of way, but I'm glad I went. I got a few small things, so I feel good about my Christmas shopping head start.

My morning went thusly:

2:50 - alarm went off
2:59 - Pley got up
3:15 - called sis to make sure she was awake (she was)
3:25 - made coffee in desperate attempt to stay awake
3:30 - left house and drove to Kohl's
3:40 - stood in line for 20 minutes just to get into the store - it was COLD out there
4:00 - doors opened
4:07 - I was finished shopping and got in line to check out
4:17 - finally made it to the register
4:20 - took bags to car and went back inside to help sis
5:02 - sis finishes shopping and we get in line, which at this point is all the way to the back of the store
5:36 - get checked out and walk to car
5:56 - go to Denny's for coffee
6:50 - leave Denny's and head to my store
6:59 - get to store and go ahead and open for the day
8:00 - Gary arrives and is very happy to see that the store is already open
8:01 - Gary and I realize we both have the Honkin' Tribunus* and really should be resting

Although I was on the schedule to work until 11:00, Gary sprung me early so I was home by 10:00. We spent the day back at hubby's parents' house, eating leftovers and watching football. UT lost to the Aggies, sadly. It was a dark football day in the Pley household.

Okay, now I'm really fading. Hopefully with the Nyquil's help I'll be able to snooze soundly tonight. I am so very tired of being ill.

*Honkin' Tribunus (n.) - a former somewhat crass co-worker named any sickness (head cold, allergies, whatever) the Honkin' Tribunus. "Aw man, you sound like you've got the Honkin' Tribunus. Better get yourself some Tylenol!" Technical definition of Honkin' Tribunus: When your belly button unravels and your asshole falls off. Lovely. I do not know where he got that from.

HAPPY TURKEY DAY

We spent the day at my in-laws, eating good food and watching lots of TV. We saw the original Rear Window, the network version of The Incredibles, and a little bit of The Office before heading home for the night. We also watched a bit of the Dallas vs. NYJ game, but Dallas was romping the Jets so we got bored and changed the channel.

I did take a few minutes this morning to meet my siblings at Black Eyed Pea, where they were having Thanksgiving lunch. It was nice to visit with Tree again, as I hardly ever get to see him anymore now that he's a big cop in H-town. Every time I look at him, I'm amazed at the man he's become. In my eyes, he'll always be four.

Mom would have been proud.

The pumpkin gooey butter cake was a smashing success. I couldn't taste it very well, as my sinuses and sense of smell and taste are wonky right now, but I can honestly say that the, um, texture was good. LOL. The family loved it, which is more important anyway.

EMTsis and I are going to meet at Kohl's at 4:00 a.m., which is just over five hours from now. I'd better get to bed ASAP, as I have to go to work after shopping. Yikes. So, good night!

THANKSGIVING EVE

Today was a pretty busy day for me. I had to work this morning, then afterwards I went to the grocery store (along with eleventy-thousand others who had the same idea), then I came home and got ready to make the food I'd promised to bring to my in-law's house tomorrow.

Only I'm still sick, so when I got home all I wanted to do was sleep. I hit the sofa like a ton of bricks and slept for hours. The kids graciously allowed me to rest, for which I'm thankful.

I didn't make it into the kitchen until around 5:30 this evening. Pey helped me make a Thanksgiving salad with pumpkin pie-spiced pecans (recipe courtesy of All You magazine), Paula Deen's Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake, and homemade cranberry applesauce. The salad included my first stab at making my own vinaigrette dressing, and if I do say so myself, it's pretty darn good.

I am dying to try the pumpkin gooey butter cake. With a name like that, you know it's got to be good! That, and the recipe calls for - among other things - two sticks of butter and an entire box of powdered sugar.

Dying, I tell you. I'll let y'all know how it all turns out.

Have a happy Thanksgiving!

20 DAYS INTO NaBloPoMo

How's the posting going? Has anyone else experienced the frantic "OMG it's 11:30 and I forgot to post today!" thing that I've had (twice)? Right now it's only 7:30 here, but with the end of Daylight Savings Time making it dark so early, I think I may be more psychologically tired than actually tired. Does that make sense?

Work today was busy but overall good. We got a smokin' 60" widescreen TV in the store today, and if we can sell that sucker, we'll be sitting pretty. The store is overcrowded with furnishings, but I'm sure we'll make room by the weekend.

The kids are now officially out of school until next Monday. It doesn't feel like much of a vacation to me, unfortunately, as I've got to work part-time tomorrow and Friday. But I'm looking forward to turkey day, and having that day off is going to be heavenly for me.

Right now, it's Nyquil (because I can) and beddie bye, I think. Could I beee any more boring? Bleh.

TODAY WENT BY PRETTY QUICKLY

I'm still sick, but the sore throat has abated somewhat. I now have a pretty good headache working, and I'm congested. My nose isn't really running, but my voice is husky so I know there's mucus in there somewhere.

Now that you're thoroughly disgusted, allow me to change the subject.

Work went pretty well today. I spent most of the morning cleaning instead of entering new products, and when Watson got there, he pitched in, too. The store looks so much better now. All we need is for the customers to stop wrecking the place. I'm not holding my breath.

Gary came in for about 10 minutes this afternoon. It really sucks that he's not there much anymore. What sucks even more is how much he hates not being there. Between doing his other job and worrying about the store, I don't think he's sleeping much. He sure does look tired. I hope the job situation evens itself out soon - Gary's well on his way to burnout, and I don't want him to sell the store, darnit!

Adding insult to injury - today's sales were low, too. After a pretty good run last week, we're hurting right now. And with the store being closed for turkey day, it's not looking good.

In happier news, we (the fams and I) just got back from Buffalo Wild Wings, where we used a "get 6 wings free" coupon. Bonus - we got another coupon on our bill! :) We really enjoy going there, although it is always SO cold that we take jackets with us even in the summer. Tonight I forgot mine, but Kane loaned me his high school-insignia'd hoodie. How cool did I look? Oh, let's not go there.

The day did go by quickly, and that's okay. My head is still hurting and I've got to get to bed. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

I BE ILLIN'

Still sick with whatever brought me down yesterday. I thought I was coming down with a cold, as an achy throat always precedes a runny nose (for me, anyway). However, the sore throat usually lasts only about a day, and now I'm pushing the 48-hour mark. I really hope it's not strep or the flu. I've got a hot date with turkey and stuffing on Thursday, and I want to enjoy it!

Last night I took Nyquil to alleviate my pain, and I slept very well all night. Then I slept very well off and on all day today, too. Nyquil means business, y'all.

Kane had a great time at the military ball last night. He forgot to have pictures made, though, so his dad and I are disappointed about that. We did take a couple before he left, so those will have to do. Here's one:















Handsome devil, ain't he?

DH uploaded all the pics from our digital camera tonight. I've been remiss, so there are months and months worth of photos on the desktop now. Just for grins, here's one more for your enjoyment:














Hubby does not like this picture, but I think he's cute. It had been a long day, and he was tired. But it was Pey's birthday so he had to put on a happy face for all our guests. What a trooper. Love you, hubby.

And now, I'm off to bed because I'm tired and tomorrow is Monday. I could not be happier that this week is a short one. People who are illin' shouldn't have to face Mondays. I'm just saying.

p.s. - Pez, Texas has the same Sudafed laws. You can buy the crappy Sudafed without the good stuff in it without "permission," but it does not work. Even pharmacists agree with me on that point.

I AM SICK

My throat is burning like crazy, which probably means I'm about to come down with a cold. Just in time for Thanksgiving - woohoo.

At least this week's work schedule should be fairly light. I have to work Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, but the latter two are going to be short days. The high schoolers who work at the store will be able to come in earlier than usual, which means I'll be sprung by lunchtime. Or at least, I should be.

Yesterday's workday was the busiest I've ever had. Ever. I hardly had a chance to breathe, much less sit down for a few minutes. I estimate that the store had maybe three minutes without customers the whole day. Typical days I sometimes have up to half an hour with no one in the store.

I worked 8 hours and 45 minutes yesterday during the day, then went back to work at 7:00 and worked until 8:15 (since Jay is off the schedule, we had no one to close up shop last night). I accidentally locked my keys in the car and had to call hubby to come unlock the Saturn. I'm glad we live so close to the store.

In other news, Kane is going to the ROTC military ball tonight. It's required for all cadets, and he's kind of excited, I think. I hope he has a good time. I also hope I'm awake when he calls us to come pick him up, but I'm so tired right now that that's becoming doubtful.

I hate being sick. Where's that Sudafed?

BYE BYE, JAY

Late yesterday afternoon, I got a phone call from Jay. He said that he'd just found out he was going to have to go out of town to a competition with the school choir, and would be gone all day Friday and Saturday. (A brief aside: There is NO way he "just" found out, as competition field trips - particularly out of town ones - require parent permission, practice, and other things that start with P, I'm sure.)

Coincidentally, Jay's only days on the work schedule this week were - you guessed it - Friday and Saturday.

Because I'd spent part of the morning making an updated list (at Gary's request) of Jay's problems on the job, I was not shocked when he called in saying he wouldn't be able to work. Honestly, we'd already figured that Jay's priorities lie elsewhere. Getting the call was just the impetus I needed to cut him off.

I called him back about 10 minutes after his phone call to me.

I was nice, and told him that it seemed he was really too busy with school activities to hold down a job. And that since we heavily depend on every one of our employees to be at work when they're scheduled to be, I didn't feel that this was a good fit for him right now. I said we would not be renewing his contract, and that he could come in to pick up his final paycheck a week from Monday.

Oh, did I mention that he didn't answer his phone? Yes indeedy, I left the whole "you're fired" thing on his voicemail.

I think they're making room in etiquette hell for me at this very moment...

JUST REMEMBERED THAT I FORGOT

My leather jacket is at work, hanging up behind the front desk. Oh man, they'd better not sell it. As soon as I finish this post, I've got an errand to run.

Work went pretty well today. An absolute ton of people came in, and lots of them actually bought stuff. I love it when that happens.

The day started off rough, though. Jeff, our main delivery/pickup driver, came in and immediately started making excuses about why he needs to leave a little early today. He's 26 and taking classes at the local community college - he goes to school two days a week; works three - yet this is the second time in as many weeks that he's had to leave work in order to go do something at the school. Today's reason was "I have to register for next semester at 5:30 tonight." I asked why he didn't do that yesterday, or heck, even online, and he said he couldn't. I asked why he couldn't have registered before coming to work (he starts at 9:00 - or is supposed to, but that's another story), and he again said he couldn't.

I have attended this same school before, and there is no way that they force registration on 10,000-plus students at a single time on a single day. No way. Jeff stammered something about being on academic probation and needing signatures (why he couldn't get these yesterday is beyond me) and so on and so forth. I told him it was a huge inconvenience for me to reschedule deliveries at the last minute, but that I'd try - THIS time. From now on, though, he's got to take care of school things on school days. I'm tired of his job taking a back seat, especially since he has ample opportunity to take care of things on his days off.

At first I was concerned about ticking him off, as he really is a good delivery guy and everyone likes him. Then I remembered all the times he's come in late because he had to go to school for something, or to the Workforce Commission for something else, and all the times I've gotten calls from some job-verification organization that checks up on Jeff to ensure he's working and is thus eligible for his benefits. I figure that if he bails on me, the job place will have something to say about those benefits - and being hit in the pocketbook hurts more than being hit in the face.

For now, I feel secure in having called him out. I know, I know. I'm manager of the place, and as such, shouldn't worry about being stricter with my employees. I admit I'm a people-pleaser, though, and that makes me vulnerable to the stupid "what if they get mad at me?" thoughts. I really need to learn to suck it up.

Tomorrow I have to work during the day, then go home around 4:00, then go back and work the last hour and do closing. Wanna know why? Because Jay called in today and said he "just" found out he has to go with the school choir to Brenham tomorrow and Saturday. What do you know, those just happen to be the same two days he's on the work schedule.

Tomorrow: How I fired Jay. (Oh yes, I did.) Stay tuned!

TOMORROW, I SWEAR

Tomorrow I'm going to do a longer post. Today and yesterday got away from me, and I fell asleep on the sofa until dh woke me up a few minutes ago.

I want to chat about lonely old ladies, women who are sarcastic about their dying husbands' health, and people who think they can finagle discounts out of me by pouting, begging, or even semi-flirting [females, y'all - shudder!]. How's that for diversity?

But for now, as there are seven minutes left in this day, I'd best sign off. Tomorrow, I swear, I'll do better.

UGH

Fell asleep on the sofa at 7:45 or so tonight; just woke up. Today at work was busy and a bit frustrating - customers with a million questions and no patience. Good news is that I sold a $600 sectional in under an hour. Gotta love Craigslist.

That's it for now. I'm typing this with one eye closed, so I'd better get to bed.

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS

World peace tops the list. Since I'm pretty sure dh can't provide that, I'm going to start a feasible list right now. Be forewarned: most of these items are clothing, which scare hubby to death. But I figure if I'm specific enough, he might relax a bit...

• This sweater, preferably in Beet Red, although White Chocolate would be pretty, too.
• This sweater, preferable in Vineland Teal.
• This one, too, in Spicy Orange.
• This bra, one in white and one in black (they're 2 for $44), size 34D.
• These, which are 3 for $30, in the boyshort style, size S.

(Pause for station identification, and to make sure all these links are working. Okay, moving on.)

• These jeans, because they're affordable and look like they'd fit.
• This, because I think it looks $tyli$h. But really, it's just a pur$e.

Okay, that looks like a short list, and it is. Rest assured I'll be adding to it soon.

What do YOU want for Christmas?

SOMEBODY'S KNOCKING. SHOULD I LET HIM IN?

Around 10:00 this morning, Watson showed up at my front door. He announced, "I'm here for some Wii!" and proceeded to come on in.

I'm not at all used to people just dropping by, and I must admit I was taken aback that he showed up without calling first. In his defense, I have mentioned from time to time at work that he should come over sometime and play Wii with K. I never thought he'd just appear on my doorstep, but then again, that's how he rolls. I shouldn't have been surprised.

He was here for about three hours, until K had to get dressed for his soccer game. The boys played and played and had a great time. It was fun to watch them.

Ry spent the night at his grandparents' house last night. He didn't want to come home this morning, either. Being the middle child, he was probably really enjoying being the center of attention for once. While I can understand that feeling, I really missed him while he was away. When he got home, I grabbed him up in a big bear hug and was overcome with emotion. I sure do love that kid.

This afternoon I dove back into the Grocery Game, which I've been neglecting for the past few months. I am quite proud of my savings today:

Shelf price: $133
My cost after loyalty card discount and coupons: $46.55

GG'ing rocks.

THEY DID IT AGAIN!

For the second year in a row, the Houston Dynamo won the Western Conference Championship. Tonight's score was 2-0 vs. Kansas City. It was a great game, although not as good as last week's game against FC Dallas. The stadium held a record sellout crowd, but somehow we were able to get out of the parking lot much more quickly than we did last week.

More tomorrow! :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO PEY

My baby hits double digits this year. Did anyone catch the plate number of the decade that just flew by?

Pey's party officially starts at 6:30 CST, although one guest is already here. The hellion from last year will be here soon, and as luck would have it, she's the only little girl who is able to spend the night tonight (three were invited). And I thought I had a headache last night.

Pey requested two cakes this year - one angel food, and one chocolate with everything (meaning chocolate chips baked in and in the frosting). I accommodated her, then realized that my daughter is having Angel Food and Devil's Food tonight. Does that mean something?

Work went well today. I worked alone in the morning, then Watson came in at noon. We got a lot done around the store - that kid's a real workhorse. The store looks good, and the afternoon just flew by. Right now, Jay is there, as are Pho and Dubya. Dubya's still in training, which is why Pho is there, and also why we have three people on the clock right now. Ugh.

Maybe I should have her re-train Jay while she's at it.

Nah.

Gary comes home from San Diego today. I will be glad to have him back in the store next week so that he can help out with some of the crazies that I got to deal with all by myself this week. Right now, though, I've got to focus on my baby girl.

Ten years, y'all. :(

PLACE HOLDER

That's what we'll call today's post, as I have a splitting headache and am heading to bed shortly.

First, a quick list:

• Today went pretty well at work, with just a couple of upset customers ... come to think of it, they probably spurred this headache.
• Tomorrow is Pey's 10th birthday, and I haven't gotten her gift yet. How does that song go? Oh yes - "There's ALLLLways toMORRRRow..."
• I started cleaning the house this morning for Pey's party, but still have a bit to do. I wish I felt better.
• New kid - we'll call him Dubya - started work this afternoon. He's got a great attitude, so I'm optimistic that his work ethic will follow.

I've got to stop there. My head feels like it's about to burst. G'nite, all.

Humpday!

I am still not sure how it got to be Wednesday already. You'd think that since I have three workdays under my belt this week, I'd have lots to say. Particularly since I work with the general public and put up with their incessant chatter/whining/griping/ praising/humming/singing whatever on a daily basis. I guess this week has been pretty uneventful so far.

I did find out that Jay has undermined the store again. He told a customer last Saturday that she could not leave her consignment items in the store "because we didn't have room." I could strangle that boy. When a customer wants to consign something, we make room.

It turns out that with a little shuffling, we would have had room. But Jay is extremely lazy and didn't want to deal with it, so there you go.

The other night I went online and checked the store's security cameras while Jay was working. I also logged in to the store's computers via www.gotomypc.com so that I could watch exactly what he was doing. He spent a solid hour on WizardWorld or somesuch, even though I called him halfway through that hour and told him I needed the back section cleaned up. He grunted "uh huh" and hung up, then proceeded to sit there and surf the Internet until closing time. He only stood up and moved a couple of boxes at that point because Gary came in unexpectedly.

Gary and I have talked at length about what to do with Jay. On the one hand, we want to fire him; on the other, the store is desperate for workers. What I want Gary to realize is that while Jay may be a semi-trained warm body to cover the store when we need him, he is also hurting the bottom line.

I hired a new kid today, and he starts tomorrow. I'm optimistic about this one, and I sure do hope he works out because Jay really, really has to go.

Hmm, looks like I had more to say than I thought.

TUUUUUESDAY... AAAAAFTERNOON

Today was a busy day at work. I'm exhausted enough to say I'm "bone-tired," and that's a whole lotta tired, y'all.

Nothing spectacular happened today. The store stayed consistently busy, though, so I spent 95% of the day on my feet. My feet and calves are jonesin' for the jacuzzi tub right about now. I'm about to get off the computer and indulge them.

Updates to follow within the next few days:

• Jay is about to be very, very fired
• Fish needs to stop dragging out her story, darnit!
• Pey will be 10 on Friday - slumber party imminent (did I learn nothing from last year?) [see post from November 10, 2006]
  

Sorry for the short post, but I'm an aching fool. I'm going to go upstairs and see if I can't change that to just "fool." heh

WHY DO I FIND IT HARD TO WRITE THE NEXT LINE?
Oh I want the truth to be saaaaiiiid...

(I love Spandau Ballet. There, I said it.)

Today was crazy-busy at work. Gary is in California on a business trip, so I got to man the shop all by my lonesome today. For the most part, it was a good, albeit hectic, day. But there was this one real character, for lack of a better word, who now holds the title for being the first customer to insult me to my face since I've become manager.

I feel so validated.

So there I was, trying to do everything, as usual, when Numbnuts waltzes in. (To paint a picture: NN is a 50ish heavyset man with glasses and a false-to-the-point-of-being-obnoxious-sunny disposition. I have never seen him before in my life; he does not know me at all.) Fourteen other people are in the store at the time (I counted), and in between simultaneously answering their questions and ringing up their purchases and trying to list a bunch of items online this morning, Pley is a very busy girl - not at all upset; just busy.

Numbnuts sashays up to the counter and says to me, "Smile! It can't be that bad!"

I did not look up from my computer screen, but smirked in his general direction. Maybe not very professional of me, but man I hate when people insist that other people smile.

NN continues to walk around the store, picking up little glass trinket boxes and plunking each of them on the counter, as if he were the only person in the store and the counter was exclusively reserved for his stuff. He picked out nine things, and with each item he brought to the counter, he continued to urge me to "Smile!" "Come on, smile!" "Aww, just a little smile?"

Cue me picking up my imaginary .22 and aiming it at his head.

At this point I'm ignoring the guy because I'm becoming angrier with each passing moment. He walked away again, this time to the end of the counter where we keep a display of glass flowers. I hear him say "Hey!" and I turn to look. He pretends to throw a glass flower at my head. When I recoiled in surprise, he said, "Oh come on, that didn't make you smile? That was funny!"

Too shocked to respond, I just ignored him.

He finally came to the counter to pay for his purchases, and I asked him if that was all. He said, "Yes, except for that smile. Can't I get just one?"

In a quiet voice but no doubt with a touch of anger, told him that one of my biggest pet peeves was when people insist other people "just smile," and that it was none of his business, and that he didn't even know me so how dare he insist I do anything.

That shut him up.

When I finished ringing up his purchases and wrapping all that damned glass, he took his bags and started to walk away. He stopped a few feet away and this exchange occurred:

NN - "You know, everyone has pet peeves."
Me - "Yes, I realize that."
NN - "One of mine is people who are blunt and rude."
Me - "Oh really. Well, you're welcome to leave now."

And he did. A lady standing next to the counter said it was all she could do not to applaud. She said she completely agreed with me and that she thought I had a lot of patience.

Of course, she didn't know I'd already fired my imaginary .22 through NN's fat head.

FOUR NOVEMBER

I have so much to say about yesterday...none of it good. It's difficult to formulate cohesive thoughts about the depressed state I was in all day.

Was it the fact that I was leaving behind the last "young" decade in my life that spurred the thoughts of intense loneliness, the feelings of agony and despair, and even the wish to end it all? Could it be as simple as turning another year older? The depths to which my mind dropped were frightening, and I am frankly amazed that I'm sitting here right now typing all this out.

I was depressed when I woke up yesterday, and as the day went on, things just got worse. The nicer my family tried to be, the sadder I got. At dinner, my husband asked me if it was just "the birthday" that was making me upset, and I burst into tears and ran from the room. I begged everyone not to take pictures of me - me, the consummate scrapbooker, didn't want a single photo to commemorate my birthday.

When it was time for me to blow out the candles on my cake, I had been crying so much that I was out of breath, and it took three tries to blow out four candles. I was sad because I knew that my wish wouldn't be granted. In the light of a new day, I am glad for that, as what I had so desperately wished for was to be...gone.

Today is a little better, but I am still weepy and cry at the drop of a hat. I do not know what is wrong with me, but hopefully tomorrow, when I'm back at work, I can gain some perspective. Either that, or I'll be so busy that I won't have time to think. I am hoping for the latter, as my thoughts of late are scaring me to death.

PLACE HOLDER

Today's my birthday. I'm thirty-ten. I don't have time to post much now, but will update later. Just didn't want to miss a day so early on in NaBloPoMo.

DAY TWO

Catchy, no?

No.

Yesterday was a very busy day. At work, I spent part of the day processing new items into the database, part of the day on the phone dealing with customers checking on how much money is in their accounts "because it's November now" (Side note: The system is updated on the SEVENTH, people! The 7th! Every month, same thing! Calling on the 1st will get you nowhere, as I explained last month - and the month before. And don't argue with me - what I'm telling you is all spelled out in the contract you signed, too.), and part of the day dealing with personnel issues.

Personnel issues...sigh.

This time, it's Jay. Jay has been employed at the store for about two weeks. He came highly recommended - honor student, teacher-praised, Eagle Scout, even. He went through a week of intense training with his peers, the assistant manager, and me. He's made a bunch of mistakes, but I'm pretty liberal with the learning curve and don't expect perfection right off the bat.

Day before yesterday (Halloween), he was supposed to be at work at 3:45. He came by the day before and said he'd be late because he got a callback for a school play. He said he'd be at work by 4:30. Well, five o'clock came and went and he didn't show up. I called his cell phone and got no answer, so I left a message. About sixty seconds later he called back and said he'd "just finished" and would be at work within 10 minutes.

He showed up 18 minutes later and I gave him two easy chores to complete before closing - organizing the large stack of empty boxes we keep stored in the back, and inputting some items into the database. I'd already coded and priced the items, so this particular chore was one of the easiest I could have given him.

Jay does not have a key to the store, so I told him to call me when he was closing and I'd come back to lock up. Then I left to get home for my kids' Halloween (much of which I was dreadfully behind on because I'd had to put in over 9 hours in the store that day thanks to Jay). The store closes at 7:00, so when I didn't hear from him by 6:50 I went ahead and drove back up there. I got there at 6:58 to find the lights off and the sign already flipped to "Closed." Jay had already balanced the till and taken out the trash, too.

I have to interject here that one of the owner's pet peeves is people closing the store early. Even a few minutes early bugs him, which I can understand because how frustrating is it to run to the store to find that they've closed up early...

I asked Jay if the evening was busy, to which he replied no, that there had only been one person in the store the whole 1.75 hours he'd worked. He set the alarm, I locked up, and we both left.

Fast forward to yesterday morning. I got to work and found that he had done absolutely nothing the night before - the boxes were still a mess, and the items I'd left to be entered were still sitting there. Even the till was not balanced correctly. Jay had had time, however, to change the radio from easy listening (which it is supposed to remain on all the time, since customers can hear it) to an urban rap station. The owner has a large sticker affixed to the radio - "Do Not Change Station" - which apparently went ignored, much like my instructions the night before.

Jay was supposed to work again yesterday afternoon, beginning at 3:45. When he hadn't shown by 4:05, I called his cell phone again. He said he'd gotten sick at school but would be at work in ten minutes (what's with the ten minutes thing, anyway?). Forty minutes later, he shows up and says he'd been throwing up. Gary immediately sent him home, but not before letting him know that he still had a responsibility to the store and must CALL if he ever can't be there.

Gary and I both doubt Jay is actually sick. But even so, he can't keep up this M.O. We depend on him, just like we do on every employee, to be there when scheduled. This is not Jay's first job, so I'm stumped as to why he thinks he can just not show up without letting anyone know.

He's under a 30-day contract - signed by both Jay and his parents - and honey, the countdown's on!

This afternoon I'm interviewing a potential new employee. If she gets hired, I'll add her to yesterday's list of players. Wish me luck!

KICKOFF!

So today is the first of November, eh? I'd like to know what the heck happened to September and October. This year has just flown, and I am not appreciating the accelerated speed at which my life is passing by.

Anyway, welcome back, NaBloPoMo. This year I shall endeavor to write wittier, more clever, and maybe even more sarcastic posts. I do not know if the latter is even possible, as I'm already pretty sarcastic, but that's why it's called an "endeavor" and not a "guarantee."

Maybe I'll start off the month with a list of the players in my life. Just to set the stage for my millions of readers. You know.

M (aka "DH") - my husband; best friend; shall I go on?
Kane - eldest son; started high school this year; loves ROTC; great kid; wants his own room
Ry - middle son; started junior high this year; incredibly smart; always ready with a joke and a laugh. Oh, and he knows Star Wars trivia better than George Lucas himself. Oh yes he does.
Pey - youngest and only daughter; in the Gifted program at school; beautiful and talented; loves to sing; wants a puppy of her own
Bailey - damn dog

Dad - actually my stepfather, but since my real father is below slime, I consider myself fortunate to be able to call this guy Dad
Jude - Dad's live-in girlfriend (they're both over 50, but that's still "girlfriend," right?); love her love her love her
Nony - younger brother; lives in Oklahoma; divorced from the best thing that ever happened to him; I love him more than pie but damn he's stupid
Tree - youngest brother; is a cop; love him to death but cannot stand his girlfriend (wish he'd taken a clue from Dad in the girlfriend department)
Clueless Beyotch - said brother's girlfiend (that's not a typo); couldn't stop running her mouth if her life depended on it; no one in the family can stand her
EMTsis - sister (one of the twins); fantastic medic; love her but we don't agree on parenting styles, and that causes drama sometimes (*I* believe in discipline and the idea that kids don't get to run things; EMTsis defers to every.single.thing her 11-year-old daughter says)
Tnk - sister (other twin); got married last weekend; is a cop; nearly killed by a drunk driver in March 2006; have more in common with her than with EMTsis, but not as close to her as I am to Jen...
Jen - best friend since we were kids; love her better than a sister
Mary - very good friend since we were kids; lost her son at age 4

Gary - store owner and my boss; friend; major co-irker
Watson - 18-year-old co-worker; super personality; love him; he says he's "part of my family now"
Zac - 17-year-old co-worker; likes soccer; semi-weird; won't be a frequent character in my blog posts
Jay - 17-year-old co-worker; loves singing and acting; may be gay; nice kid but not the best worker in the world - but he's new, so we'll see
Pho - 17-year-old "assistant manager" at the store due to her longevity (one year - working two days a week, woohoo); does NOT deserve that title; other kids at work hate her and are coming to me about it; Gary and I don't agree on what to do about her; more drama to follow, I'm sure

That's all I've got for now, as I need to get off here and get to work. Tomorrow is when the juicy stuff starts! No, really! Okay, maybe!

GOIN' TO THE CHAPEL

Let's get straight to the bullets, shall we?

• Tnk's wedding is tomorrow. Tomorrow. Ohmigosh, we're never going to be ready. So much already done; so much left to do.
• I have completed almost all the decorations for the wedding. All that's left is what we need to do to the actual location tomorrow - set the tables, start the coffee, hang sheets on the walls, etc.
• Yes, I said hang sheets on the walls. The wedding is going to be held at my neighborhood's clubhouse, and while the building is new and clean and has a lovely view, it is also ... functional. Meaning, unless we want to see bright red EXIT signs in the wedding photos, we've got to cover those walls.
• We're not allowed to use tacks or nails to cover said walls. That leaves us heavily relying on the brilliant minds at 3M. I am praying with all that I am and all that I have that those "holds 100 pounds; leaves no mark!" gummy-backed hooks will actually live up to their hype.
• My refrigerator and freezer and ice chest, even, are stuffed with wedding consumables. We've got three pans full of roast pork, eight bottles of champagne, two bottles of sparkling cider, three vats of potato salad, and two gallons of sherbet chilling as I write this. In addition, I've got five bottles of sprite, two Sam's Club-size packages of rolls, and a large bag of butter mints, not to mention the five gallons of tea I'll soon be brewing. Fortunately, my stepmom is making the green beans. Woo, dodged that bullet! [eyeroll]
  
• That's just part of the food.
• Oh, we're also doing the music. DH actually needs the computer right now in order to burn the ceremony CD and the reception CD. Uh oh.
  
• My guest room overfloweth with wedding flowers and other decor. I have an eight-foot arch and two three-feet-tall urns, all complete with greenery, three bouquets, six boutonnieres, a guest book (that I made myself) and pen, forty punch cups and two punch bowls, forty champagne flutes, a dozen vases with flowers, and too much more to mention, really.
• I am running completely on adrenaline right now. My job keeps me "on" and on my feet for 10 hours a day lately; my family needs me before and after work; my sister needs me to help with ... well, everything; and I have zero time for myself. Sadly, I'm at the point where I literally want to start crying when someone asks me to do something.
• What I need right now is a big bed, TIME, and no one around to wake me or ask me for anything.
• I am looking forward to tomorrow, though. We have to be at the clubhouse to begin decorating at 9:00 a.m. We'll take a break sometime in order to come home and get dressed. Then the wedding is at 4:00. This will mark the sixth day in a row (seventh, practically) that I've been on my feet from sunup to sundown, and tomorrow I get to do half of it in heels!
• To Do List Before Bed Tonight: My eyebrows need to be plucked, my nails need to be done, and my hair needs to be washed.
• Whew, I feel myself about to cry again. I need some rest. Maybe after tomorrow.

Keep us in your prayers, send good wishes to Tnk & D, and have a good weekend. And thanks! :)

WARMIN' UP FOR NaBloPoMo

Much has happened of late, but alas, I have been remiss in blogging about it. Stupid of me, as I consider this blog my life journal.

So in typical Me fashion, let's get to the bullets.

• DH is in southern California again on another driving business trip. I went on the last trip with him, and I do not envy what he has to do while on them. First you sit down in the car. Then you drive, park, write, drive, park, write, lather, rinse, repeat. Occasionally you step out of the car to grab fast food, but the vast majority of the trip is spent sitting on your rear, and that quickly gets tiring. And painful, believe it or not - I actually came home sore from the last trip.
• I've been promoted to manager of the store. Go me. It included no pay raise and only a slight shift in responsibilities. However, all the teenagers who work there immediately stopped talking to me. Instead, they've mysteriously bonded with each other (guess I'm the focus of their negativity now) and are apparently telling each other that I'm a bitch! Score!
• I just remembered that I actually did hate high school. It's all bullshit.

Oops, time got away from me - I have to get Pey to school now. More later!

DRIVERS: PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, PAY ATTENTION

This is just happening too damned often: http://chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5178185.html

Jason worked at the same precinct as my sister, Tnk. Jason's brother Ty, mentioned near the end of the article, is Tnk's fiance's best friend.

We're all very saddened by this, particularly since Tnk's accident last year could very easily have ended up the same way. We are so blessed that she survived, yet can't help but feel extreme sadness at the realization that we could just have easily have had to bury her as to help her recuperate.

Jason's family will not have that choice.

Please pray for the family and friends of this dear man, and also for Tnk. She is struggling with feelings of guilt for having survived her accident. No one can really explain it, but at the same time, her feelings are understandable.

Thanks. Again. And please - hang up and drive.

AS THE TILL BALANCES

Fish, the till did balance - once I got there and adjusted it, that is. The new girl had paid out about $30 that she did not notate, so I just had to put that under Expenditures and Voila! Balance was restored.

Last night we went to hubby's sister's house so that the kids could play Halo 3 with my brother-in-law's XBox 360. They had a blast. That said, however, I absolutely refuse to get a 360 - the kids just bought a Wii this week (with their own money ... wow), and that brings our game system total up to around forty-seven. Let's see, we have the original Atari, two Nintendos, a Nintendo 64, a GameCube, an XBox (sans the 360), and now the Wii. Pey has a GameBoy Advance, Ry has a Nintendo DS, and Kane has both the GBA and the DS. If you toss in all the PC games we have, well, it gets kinda pathetic.

We do actually get out of the house sometimes, I promise.

Today has been fairly uneventful - among the five of us, at least one went to the grocery store and Office Depot, and did lawn mowing and tree planting and laundry. We also went out to lunch (Mexican food!) at Los Compadres - yummy, but gawd am I ever full. Bleh.

Tomorrow is back to the grind for all of us - hubby and me back to work; kids back to school. Next weekend should be doubly-good: it's a three-day weekend, and Saturday marks seventeen years that dh and I have been married. We've got some big plans which include an overnight at the beach while the kids spend the night at the grandparents' house. Heh, I can't wait... ;>

FRIDAY

Today hubby took the day off and stayed home playing video games this morning while I went to work. I know that sounds weird, but the truth is that we both really enjoyed it. I liked the feeling that he was just a couple of minutes away, and he liked...well, not being at work.

I came home early and we went out to lunch at a local place called Puffabelly's. They have good burgers and very good chicken fried steak. I got the burger and was only able to eat about half of it. It was huge.

After that, our car was blocked in by an 18-wheeler, so we couldn't leave. No biggie; we went for a walk around Old Town Spring, where I got a mint chocolate chip milkshake. I've never had one before, and it was delicious.

I got two phone calls from work while I was out to lunch. The new girl we hired has been "in training" all week, yet she seems to lack the ability to complete even the simplest of tasks. I'm going to go back to the store this evening and check her work. I suspect the cash register till will be quite a bit off.

Anyway, overall it's been a good day. Fridays usually are.

DIDN'T MEAN TO OMIT ANYONE

In my last post, I thanked, by name, the people who'd commented on my Appearances post. I just wanted to add here that I am also deeply attached to several other online friends, including but not limited to:

• EvilAmy, who sent me flowers last year when I was on the verge of a breakdown. She may have saved me with that gesture, and I'm betting she doesn't even know it.
• Fish, who I met at a Steve Burns concert and instantly connected with. I'll always treasure the memory of her calling me at 6:00 a.m. to pray for Kane when he had surgery last year.
• Katie, who has no idea how much I admire her - not only for her strength in raising a large family, but also for her raw honesty. Knowing I'm not the only mom who sometimes just wants to be left the hell alone is strangely comforting.
• Shelly, who I really REALLY wanted to meet when I was in SoCal, and who has always been very supportive of me, no matter how whack I got.

I know I'm forgetting someone, and I apologize in advance. Just know that you all mean the world to me, and I love you more than muffins.

YOU GUYS ROCK

You know, I've had some good friends in my life. I've even had great ones - tell-all-your-secrets-to, commiserate-with, closer-than-sisters great. But I must say that I never thought I'd feel that way about people I've never met.

Yesterday was a very hard day for me, and all of you were right there when I needed you. So to Robin, Pez, Kim, and Beth, I say this:

Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

My world is a better place with you in it, and I love you all.

And hubby, for all you've done for me and for all the support you gave me yesterday through my umpteen desperate phone calls, I also thank you. You're my rock, and I can't imagine life without you.

APPEARANCES

Why do all the hairdressers I've ever met feel the need to comment on everyone's appearance? And what makes them think that their clients want to hear negative things about themselves? Because I've never once heard one of them say "oh, nice highlights!" or "what a pretty color your hair is!" Or anything positive for that matter.

My 11-year-old son, Ry, has beautiful light green eyes and jet black hair. He also has patches of gray hair on his head. He is not self-conscious about it right now, but puberty is approaching and I know that he probably will be sometime soon. You'd think that someone meeting a preteen with any kind of obvious physical issue would not speak of it. I mean, WHY bring it up? Because basically what you're doing is saying, "Hey, look how not normal you are!"

This happens to Ry every.single.time we take him for a haircut. And it's done L-O-U-D-L-Y.

Today it was my turn.

One of the store's "regulars" came in today. She is a hairdresser. She is also a pain in the ass, because she thinks she's the only customer in the world and we should bend all the rules for her. But I digress.

Let me paint a picture: I'm standing at the cash register. One of my co-workers is standing at the end of the counter. My boss is to my left. Three other customers are in line around the counter. This is the moment this person chooses to ask me what kind of shampoo I use. Thinking, wow, I am having a good hair day! (I thought I was), I answer "Pantene." She says, "I have this forty-dollar bottle of shampoo I can sell to you because I see that you're losing your hair. It's really falling out, isn't it?"

I was shocked into silence.

She kept on talking, and I finally looked her in the eye and said, "Stop. Stop it. Stop talking right now." She finally did shut up, paid for her purchases, and left.

I checked out the rest of the customers with a pasted-on smile on my face, and when they all left, I broke down and cried.

How dare she - or anyone - point out something like that in a crowded store? I don't think I've ever been so humiliated. My mother had thin hair, so I may have a predisposition for it. I didn't think it was all that bad, but now, of course, I'm upset and freaking out. I feel like everyone's looking at me and thinking the same thing.

Damn, sometimes I hate people.

SEVEN AND A HALF HOURS

On my feet today. It's not a record - that currently stands at 11.45 hours - but it's long enough. I listed only one thing on eBay, then spent the rest of the day managing the shop. I do enjoy my job; I really do. I am just so wiped at the end of the day that all I want to do is come home, take a bath, and go to bed. I'm exhausted.

But it's a "good" exhaustion, you know? I mean, I like being productive and making sales and meeting new people and even dealing with irritated customers. In fact, I think I may actually be pretty good at dealing with grouches - I've noticed lately that the madder they get, the calmer I get. That is totally not my personality, LOL, so I don't know what's going on, but I am thankful for it.

Today I had the following going on at one time:

• One annoyed customer on the phone
• One annoyed customer near the register
• Me trying to ring up another customer's items
  
• A child pulling over a large mirror
• Three customers trying to get my attention for "just one quick question"
  

(Truly, the latter are the most annoying of all. Dammit, wait your turn like everyone else!)

Somehow I handled it all. All by myself. And without losing my cool. I'm kinda proud of that.

In other news, Ry's bus came ten minutes early this morning. Naturally he was not out yet, so he missed it. I swear, I think I have bus driver issues EVERY year. I'm just waiting for the fun day when I get to deal with the bitches in the front office.

Dang, thinking about them killed my good mood. I think I'll go soak my feet now and revel in the warm bubbly water.

Toodles!

WAFFLING

I need to go back to work after K gets home from school. I don't particularly want to, but I *need* to. I'm feeling unproductive because the afternoon dragged - a lot - and so I did not get much done. Except that I did get a lot done this morning. But the afternoon is more recent, so the "did not get much done" feeling is what I've got going on.

Does that even make sense?

I have several eBay auctions to post, but this morning all I did was Craigslist (then hours of store-minding, which is torturous when I need to do my online stuff).

I suppose the world wouldn't end if I waited until tomorrow morning.

Sorry for the rambling. That is all.

AUCTIONEER EXTRAORDINAIRE

That's what they ought to call me. This morning alone I posted fourteen eBay auctions, one Craigslist posting, and helped out in the store. It was a VERY productive day, due in no small part to the fact that most of the customers did not interfere with me while I was working. My desk is at the back of the store, and most people don't really see me back there. And I don't advertise. ;) I guess what usually happens is that they usually follow the sound of the pounding keyboard.

Today was not like that, and I am not complaining. It's nice to be able to get your job done in the time allotted.

Oh, and in other tiny little baby Jesus news - the kids started school today. Yawn.

I am KIDDING! It was a big morning - K had to catch the school bus at 6:45 a.m.; Pey's bus came at 7:45; Ry's at 8:15. The biggest shocker (so far) was that all the buses were within ten minutes of their "due" time - typically, first days of school they run a lot later.

We'll see what happens this afternoon. Wish us luck!

MMMMMMojitos!

Contrary to what you might think, it turns out that I'm not hung over. I did have one drink at the game last night, then dh opened a mojito for me when we got home. That second one went right into the fridge, though, as I was sweaty and tired and really not in the mood for a drink at the time (gasp!).

However, as it is now fourteen hours later and I've cooled off ... ! :-D

The Dynamo tied the Crew last night. The Crew was even down one man to red cards, yet we still couldn't pull it out. I guess I should be thankful for the tie, as Columbus was up 1-0 for most of the game. At least we scored a goal.

This morning I went to my personal hairstylist (a'la "Supercuts" - and btw, I also shop at a fancy little boutique called "Tarjay") for a trim and a straightening. I was hoping for uber-straight - meaning, this suckass Houston humidity wouldn't have its usual fun frizzing my hair - but the stylist said that the flat iron was not necessary. Granted, my hair does look and feel pretty good, but it's not STRAIGHT straight FLAT flat. This picture from last year is what I was wanting:














Instead, I got soft but not stick-straight. It's okay, I guess, but I paid for the styling because I want it to last for several days with no touchups - if I have to work on my hair tomorrow morning, I'm going to be pissed.


















Okay, that's enough gritching. The kids head back to school tomorrow, so we're going to hang out as a family today. I'm thinking lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings, then hours of game playing - XBox, Phase 10, and UNO.

But first, let me get that mojito.