Wednesday, December 29, 2010

...ONE MORE THING...


I am taking my nursing duties very seriously, but I do have limitations.

I've had to help her in the bathroom, help her bathe, wash her hair, get her dressed.  Stuff like that.

But when she asked me to cut her toenails and shave her "good" leg, she got a "HELL TO THE EFFING NO".... this shit didn't get this way since day before yesterday.

Not touching it.  

No way.  No how.

I asked her if she's shaved her legs since we moved here.  She had to think then said something about not since it's been cold.  It's been cold a while. 

Crutches Suck!

I'm not talking about life assisting crutches like vodka or Prozac.  They don't suck.  What's the opposite of suck?  That's what they do.

I'm talking crutches crutches.  Were they designed to make you forget about your broken leg or ankle?  Because after a day of using those things, everything else startes to hurt...back, neck, shoulders, underarms.

So I did today what every good partner should do and I bought my girl a walker!  Even came with a little pink carrying bag.  Notice there's still a crutch in the picture?  It's to keep the dogs at bay. 

I've pointed out the Kibbles and Bits ashtray for you.  We do have real ashtrays, just so you know. 

Notice she's in new clothes?  She's clean too.  Big plus.  BIG.

I would be rich if I had a quarter for every time I've heard something like, "Where are my glasses?" or "Have you seen my lighter?" or "Where's the remote?"

She has pretty much been on that couch for two days, other than the bathroom and bed.  Still, she loses all her stuff.  I got a little basket for her to keep everything in.  It's a matter of time before I hear, "Where's my basket?"

Robin has finally discovered the beauty of Ibuprofen.  She's never taken it before because she was sure it would make her sick.  Like the kid who's never eaten something before, "I don't like that."  The Percocet wasn't touching the pain, so her doctor suggested she take Ibuprofen with it.  Much better.  So much so, she doesn't take the Percocet.  I got the prescription filled just in case.  One never knows when narcotics will come in handy.   

I am making the most of this situation.  I have never gone to bed with a dirty kitchen, but sometimes I wait and do the dishes later rather than sooner.  Drives her nuts.  So last night I left some dirty dishes within her vision.  I was planning on getting to them, but on Kim time, not Robin time. 

It's tricky juggling the dogs, but so far so good.  She must still have some Percocet in her system because I caught her being nice to Bodi this morning.

I have to work today 5-9.  Not bad, but tomorrow is 10-6 (Old Fart Day dammit) and I will be worried about her the whole time.  She does not know what nonweight bearing means and it's a matter of time before she tries it.  Oy.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Dear Winter, We're done. No Love, Kim

Got back from lunch break yesterday and Delores called me into the office.  "What now?" was my first thought.

D:  "Your mother called...."

Me (in my head):  "Oh my GOD...who's hurt?"

D:  (reading from notes)  "Robin fell in your driveway.  She slipped on ice.  Wally took her to the hospital and is with her now.  They think she broke her leg."

Me:  "Can I leave early?"

Long story short, I did leave a  little early, but not when I wanted to.  Like right then.

Got to the hospital and found Robin.  This was not our first rodeo when it comes to Robin and the ER.  Last time I met her there, the smell of the hospital made me so sick and I literally threw up.  (I'm very delicate.)  I must have looked awful because when the doctor came in, he thought I was the patient.  That's when she broke her hand. 

She had x-rays and sure enough, she fractured her tibia and fibula down by her ankle.  Took her to the orthopedist today and she is in a cast.  No weight bearing for six weeks.

Robin is a bad patient and I'm a bad nurse.  But I try to look at the bright side.  She is manic about getting the tree down before the new year.   If it was up to me, I'd leave it up until the needles started falling off and then some. In the past, I have gone to work between Christmas and the new year, and have come home to find my tree at the curb, usually with no less than five ornaments on it that she "didn't see".

Not this year.  I stopped watering the tree a few days ago in anticipation of the mess involved if there's still a lot of water in the tree stand.  Well guess what.  I watered that sucker to the rim last night.  I'm thinking of taking it down as a birthday present to her.  On February 19th.

My mom sent us tons of gift cards to various places, one of which was Lowe's.  Had visions of buying a snow shovel and some salt.  Or, if we don't get any more snow, maybe some flowers in the spring.  For some reason, I now see a sledge hammer in my mind and can't stop saying, "I know that, Mister Man."  You have to have seen Stephen King's "Misery" to get that one.  Robin saw it.  Robin is afraid.  I pulled into Lowe's on the way home from the doctor just to freak her out a little.

One of her friends just told her that she is at my mercy.  At my mercy.  I like that!!!!

PS:  I want to you to notice the can of dog food on the coffee table next to her meds in the first picture.  Her ashtray.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Floridiots!!!

That's what the people around here call the people who live in or just moved here from Florida.  Robin, originally being from FL, is truly a Floridiot.  I am more of what's referred to as a "halfback"  Born and raised in the north, lived in FL for a long time, and then moved half way back north.  Halfback. 

Robin is a Floridiot in more ways than one.  As you know, we are experiencing a ton of snow.  People are being advised to stay indoors and off the roads. 

About an hour ago, she asked me if I wanted to go to Main Street to look around and take some pictures.  I told her we shouldn't.  Rather than go back and forth and ultimately letting her get her way, I agreed.  Main Street is really really sweet and it is gorgeous now, I'm sure. 
 
First of all, the garage is flooded due to her having parked in there earlier with a car covered in snow.

Secondly, she said her brakes weren't working as we slid down the road.

As we got about 1/10 of a mile away, she turned pale white.  She was scared!  I was laughing so hard on the inside!  What did she expect?  She then decided it wouldn't be a good idea and we should turn around.  We stopped by her store because she needed chips.  I made the most of it and got some Heineken.  Hey, if I'm gonna be stuck indoors with her for days on end, I need to be armed.

Then the real fun began.  We could not get in our driveway.  We were doing donuts and sliding and she was freaking out.  She is a lot of things, but a freaker outter is not one of them.  Again, me with the laughing on the inside.  I think it was a nervous reaction.  After about 20 minutes, we finally got the car in the garage. 

Now she's upstairs calling all her peeps telling them about our near death experience.  I'm in the basement blogging about it.  It wasn't near death, but hopefully it'll teach Ms. Floridiot that she can't always be a daredevil.

PS:  That's a picture of me on my sled that I've had since 1968.  Schlepped it around all these years.

Brady says, "Sign me up for the next Iditarod immediately!"

Poor confused flamingo.

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas!!

You got your wish, Bodi!!! 

This is my girl (Hurricane Katrina rescue dog) watching it snow.  On Christmas! 

It wasn't supposed to start until this afternoon, but it came early. 

Once Robin gets home (noon), I feel a lot of  "and since we've no place to go, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow" coming on. 

Plan for the day:  Take a shower and put on my favorite PJ's which is really a velvetty navy blue dress - coziest thing I've ever owned, wait for Robin to get home at noon, make the prime rib and potatoes and creamed spinach, and open presents while the food cooks.  Or after we eat.  Or before.  Yeah, probably before ~ who am I kidding?  We have a big box of presents sent from my mom that, although I have been tempted to rip into it, has remained intact on the dining room table all week. 

It's a bitter sweet holiday.  Although the weather is absolutley perfect for Christmas, it would have been nice to have my family here.  Maybe next year.

What are your plans for today?

Whatever they are, remember the reason for the season and ENJOY!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND THANK YOU FOR READING MY BLOG!!!  ALL YOUR COMMENTS (here and on Facebook)  MAKE ME SO HAPPY (well, most of the time)!!!

Friday, December 24, 2010

Unbelievable!!!

We ate some of our Velveeta stuff. Robin then announced that she wanted spaghetti. Told her she was on her own, but first, I wanted to make some sausage balls. Got some cute Christmas plates today and want to take some sausage balls to a few neighbors and peeps.

I love to listen to my iPod (docking station) while cooking. The Cyndi Lauper version of "True Colors" ended and then "White Christmas" came on!!!!!! Then Jewel's "Ava Maria" came on!! So weird!!!!!! Then there was Susan Tedeski (spelled wrong) and some other faves. But to have two holiday songs randomly play on Christmas Eve was way cool!!!!

Merry Christmas Eve!!!

Christmas Eve Din-Din

I was on call today, which meant I  had to call the store at 1:00 to see if I would need to work.  Having so much to do, I got up and out of here early.  Had to buy Robin and the animals a few last minute things and buy groceries for Christmas dinner and stock up for the impending snow storm.

After much deliberation, I decided to splurge on prime rib for tomorrow tonight.  That meant Christmas Eve dinner would be financially compromised.  We had talked about just getting some snacks, but that adds up.  Then it dawned on me!  Robin's favorite meal is spaghetti.  I have some homemade sauce in the freezer.  I  indulged (had to use the thesaurus on that one - almost said "splurge" again - yikes) on some garlic bread and ...VOILA, Christmas Eve dinner!!!  She'd be happy and I could use the extra savings to buy something more important than food...like dog bones.

Got everything done and home by 1:00.  $20.00 under budget, I might add.  Called the store - don't have to work.  (Three days in a row off for me!!!!!  Happy Christmas!!!  Plus it's gonna snow!!!)  Took Robin some lunch and she asked about dinner.  Proudly told her of my plan.  Got an "Oh." 

One of the things we had briefly discussed when we were thinking snacks  for dinner was the Velveeta Dip that I make about once a year.  Velvetta, hamburger and salsa.  That's it.  It's sinfully delicious.

"Why the 'oh'?"

"No, that sounds good."

"Then why the 'oh'?"

"I've been craving that Velveeta stuff ever since you mentioned it."

"You'll be happy with spaghetti".  (I didn't really say that.  Just trying to act like I'm the one who wears the pants in the family.)

So after I left her store, I took the remaining money and bought the ingredients for our White Trash Christmas Eve Dinner.  Came to $18.64.  What can I splurge on for $1.36?

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

'Nother day...'nother "Oh no he dint int!!!!!"

An older than me but not old old male customer and I were talking about not being with family this holiday season. He told me his son and daughter aren't able to make it home this year for the first time. I told him that I, too, will be away from my family for the first time. I, of course, was referring to my mom, Nelson, my brothers, niece and nephew.

He then asked me how old my kids are. In other words, "How old are your grown children?"

Bastard.

But the reality is, I certainly am old enough to have grown children. This comment caught me so off guard. When my mom was my age, I was a senior in college. I've never really put a lot of thought into it, but I'm SURE that if I'd had a kid at the age my mom was when she had me, my kid (daughter) would be graduating magna cum laude from an ivy league school this year. This after years of arguing why she should graduate from college, THEN become the super model.  22 years old IS NOT too old in this day and age.  Jeez, Alexandra Kay.  Listen to your mother.  (OK -- Perhaps the thought has crossed my mind.)

In Delores news...I worked late today. One of the girls told me that Delores needed to see me when I clocked out. Great. She called a few of us over and gave us Christmas gifts! Sweet! Then we (they) started talking about tomorrow. Supposed to hit 91, an all time high. WHAT???? 91?????? I thought it was supposed to snow.  I was then informed that the store was planning to reach $91,000.00 in sales. The average is around $50K in a day. Delores went on to say that between senior day (oh CRAP! It's Thursday ~ Geezer Day), the holidays AND the impending snow storm, our store is gonna be slammed.

I thanked D (I like that! D for Delores) for the gift, hugged it out and suggested she work on her pep talk skills.

Dreading tomorrow.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Fun Day at Harris Teeter!!!

I got to work at 8:00 a.m. and was the only cashier.  Word on the floor was that management was very nervous because the "big wigs" were coming in today.  Tension filled the air.  Emotions were high.  Soon thereafter, in walk a bunch of suits wearing name tags.  They had arrived.  The head of HR introduced herself and bought a roll for 60 cents and had to use her debit card.  Another suit bought a $2.00 flashlight for his wife's stocking.  Another one tested me with gum.  Fine.  I didn't suck.  I am a morning person by nature and smiling at 8:15 and being friendly doesn't kill me.

Then an older tall nice looking man came through my line.  No name tag.  He said, "Young Lady?  Does Santa have your list this year?"

I replied:  "Do you mean does Santa know what I want for Christmas?"

He nodded.

"Oh yes!  He's known for a while.  Months, in fact."  (Wanted to say, "A better paying job", but I didn't.)

"Any worries?"

"No Sir...I've been a very good girl."

He chuckled and walked away.

10 seconds later Delores came up to me and said, "Girrrrlllllll!  You just done flirted with the president of Harris Teeter!!"


Then later a customer actually said, "I can't find my cotton pickin' card."  I got a cotton pickin' kick out of that.

Then Robin came in and asked Delores very loudly why she hasn't fired me yet.  Delores said, "No ma'am. I love Miss Kim.  She's a keeper.  She's excellent."

I hate to toot my own horn (well maybe not "hate") but it does feel good to feel appreciated.   


Monday, December 20, 2010

Lunch

I love sandwiches. LOVE 'em!!!  BLT (with C, C meaning cheese, of course), Reuben, Bologna and Cheese, Ham and Cheese, Tuna Melts.  I could go on and on.  Could eat them for every meal. Robin, on the other hand, hates them. Said Iris made her eat sandwiches all the time growing up. I will admit, Iris does love her sandwiches, too.

A little while ago, Robin announced she was hungry for lunch.  As she stared into the pantry (that she had just organized), she said we don't have any food.  Told her I could make turkey sandwiches.  Got the evil eye.  I then joined her at the pantry and picked out a box of "Pasta Roni".  Shells and White Cheddar.

Me:  "Let's have this."

Her:  "We can't."

Me:  "Why not?  We have milk."

Her:  "No tuna."

Me:  "We don't need tuna."

Her:  "It says 'add tuna'."

Me:  "That's a suggestion.  You don't have to add tuna."

Her (loudly):  "IT SAYS 'ADD TUNA'."

Me (louder than her, thank you):  "THAT'S A SUGGESTION!!!!!"

Her:  "I don't want that."

Me:  "Fine.  I'm making it.  Fend for yourself."

As she watched me make the friggen MACARONI AND CHEESE, she announced that she'd have some.  She loved it and said we need to get some more.

People who know Robin and me as a couple never wonder why I drink.  Never.

It's the week of Christmas!

I love this time of year, especially my tree and sending out (and getting - there, I said it) Christmas cards.

This year...I have to admit...is gonna be a little sad for me.  I haven't spent every single Christmas with my family, not the exact day, but we have always gotten together for a few days sometime during the holidays.  Not this year.  It's weird to wrap and ship a box off to the crazy Jones/Frasier clan.   The store has played nonstop Christmas music since Thanksgiving.  No, I am not sick of it yet.  I do get a little choked up when I hear "I'll Be Home for Christmas".  Especially the last line, "if only in my dreams."  Somebody get my mother a tissue?

On Saturday, I was on the first register, which is closest to the free coffee area.  My store (Ha!  Last time I checked, my last name was not Harris OR Teeter) has free coffee, cookies and balloons.  All day, every day.  I love when I'm about to check someone out and get an "Oh, Dear?  Would you mind throwing this (their half full coffee cup) out for me?". So on Saturday, my back was to the coffee area and I had not been paying attention to what was going on behind me.  All of a sudden, a blue grass band started playing Christmas music.  REALLY LOUDLY!  I didn't know they were there and about jumped out of my skin!  Blue grass music - you either love it or you hate it.  No in between.  Guess how I feel about it.  Go on - guess!

My store is closed on Christmas.  Robin has to work from 6 a.m. til noon.  Not bad.  She just asked me when do I want to do our Christmas?  We agreed we'd make a nice meal and exchange little gifts when she got home.  I think she (she's JEWISH, BTW) had in mind doing Christmas before she went to work at 6.
Then I started thinking that I could make a nice meal that morning and have it ready when she got home.  Prime rib is really what I had in mind and I mentioned it to her. 

Me:  "What do you want to eat on Christmas?"

Her:  "I don't care."

Me:  "I know!  Prime rib!  How's that sound?"

Her:  "I want ham."

What an outstanding Jew she is.  It's fine though.  I'll buy some Jewish rye and have great ham and cheese sandwiches for a few days.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

HO HO HO!!!!! (Not you, Faye.)

We have been without Internet since Friday. It's crazy how dependent I am on this thing. Was told Friday that 'they're working on it', but it likely wouldn't be turned on until Monday. Ugh!!!!

Then a Christmas miracle happened! After I threw my chicken in the crackpot a few hours ago, I decided to check my iPad for a connection. There it was!!! 68 emails - Facebook comments & and friend requests - my WW's message board!!!!

Merry Christmas to me!!


I was off today and other than some light cleaning and stuff, I watched episode after episode of the "Real Housewives of Atlanta and Beverly Hills". Cannot get enough of any of the "Housewives"!!

Being without Internet made me realize how much I google. For example, Faye Resnick was on "Beverly Hills Housewives". I knew the name. I recognized the face. But I could not place her.

Damn you Internet.

When I need to know something, I need to know it.  I need to google. I couldn't see the weather forecast. There was a recipe I wanted to track down. I don't know what's in my checking account. I need to know the Harris Teeter specials so I can coordinate sales with my coupons. It sucked.

But I'm back now and feel like myself again. You can't just quit the Internet cold turkey like that. I was very seizure-esque but am now on my way to recovery.

Thank you, Santa!!  ;)

And if you can't place Faye Resnick...google her.

Monday, December 13, 2010

Skinny Jeans ~~~

We all have them.  Jeans that would fit if only you could lose that 10-15 pounds.  Sure, some of us have single digit sizes and some of us have double digit sizes.  My skinny jeans are jeans that I'd gotten when we went to NYC a few years ago.  Nothing special about them, but I got them and wore them after having lost 45 pounds on Weight Watchers.  Shortly after that trip, I wasn't able to wear them comfortably.  Then there was the whole "The Biggest Loser" fiasco and I certainly wasn't able to wear them.  I packed them away and forgot about them.

Robin parked her car in the garage for the first time last night due to the weather.  We still have some unpacked bins and boxes down there.  I walked her out and a bin caught my eye.  Opened it up and it was full of jeans that haven't fit me in years. 

I am losing weight on this job.  The scale has definitely gone down.  For kicks, I decided to try on my skinny jeans to see how I measure up.

THEY FIT!!!!!!  I am about 15 pounds higher than I was when I wore them in NYC, so I figured I'd lose that amount and then see about trying them on.  When I tried them on just now, I certainly did not think they'd fit.  But they did!!!!   I shared a picture to prove it.

Guess these two prefer summer temps.

BRRRRR!!!!!!!

It's in the teens here.  With the wind chill factor, it's gonna feel like 3 or -3 tonight.  Not sure what they said, but does it really matter?  I have decided that the wind chill factor up here is the same thing as the humidity in Miami.  Temperature matters, of course, but the wind chill and humidity are really what makes things uncomfortable. 

We watched the news before going to bed two nights ago.  They talked about snow, but my take on it was that it would hit higher up in the mountains.  We're up there, but they do go higher.  So I was surprised, to say the least, when Robin woke me up at 5:00 yesterday morning, squealing with delight at the sight of snow.  It was/is very pretty, I have to admit.  But she has become obsessed with the weather now.  She is constantly watching the news, looking outside, calling her friends, and telling me things like, "How cool is it that we have snow?"  It's cool.  Or "Look how beautiful!" It's beautiful.  Or "I can't believe how cold it is!"  It's cold. 

We're in for a lot more snow and coldness.  I think it's here to stay.  The novelty is bound to wear off for Robin.  Then it'll be more like, "I can't believe all the effing snow."  And  "I'm can't believe how effing cold it is."

Getting ready for a snow storm is very similar to preparing for a hurricane.  I didn't think the people of NC drank much.  Afterall, there is only one liquor store in NC.....ABC.....someone told me there are no other liqour stores.  And they're not the nice ABC's like in FL, where you can get nice cheeses and fancy chips and stuff like that.  Very basic and generic.  However, the grocery stores do sell beer and wine and boy did I sell a bunch yesterday and the day before.  The people of NC drink afterall!

I think the dogs are adapting well, as you can see from the pictures.  Except for Baxter.  Although...when the neighbor drove up the other day and got out of his car to give the dogs treats, they all went flying through the snow, Baxter leading the way.


Saturday, December 11, 2010

Wonder why I'm tired.

I left the house today at 10:00. Stopped by Robin's store and had random strangers look at my car to see if I need anti-freeze. Majority says I'm good for now, but it could use a flush out. Soon. Stopped by a car place. Little girl at front desk said her daddy would help me shortly. Waited waited waited. Left. After all, I'm good for now. Did some very careful and thoughtful Christmas shopping at many different stops. I know my nephew loves "Spider Man" and I hope the other one was "Iron Man". Stopped at five different stores for cheap, yet thoughtful gifts. Got home around 1:00, when Robin was due home. Had a few minutes, went to call my mom to see if my nephew likes "Iron Man" (he better), saw I had a call from HT...can I come in two hours early. Rushed to get ready and made it by 2:00.

IT WAS A #%^><€ MAD HOUSE !!!!!

Why? Cuz it's gonna snow. Big effing deal.

This is like hurricane preparedness in reverse, if that makes sense.

Worked my ASS off. Went in early and was asked to work late. Fine. Whatever.

Got home and Robin had prepared a beautiful dinner. She just went to bed. I became manic. She thinks I died of thirst in a former life. I filled every single thing I could with water. Not sure why. All I know is I sold a lot of water today. I even went through my recycle bin for anything I could fill with water. Not dog food cans, if you're thinking I'm that crazy. Just a milk gallon, a couple of two liter soda bottles, stuff like that.

She's gonna wake up and think WTF. For the record...she's more WTF and I, being the much nicer and ladylike of the two, am more of a WTH. H meaning heck, of course.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Great.

Had a dream that James Brolin wanted me.  Bad. 

Just what I need...to be on Babs' bad side.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

It's just a matter of time before I'm appointed "Employee of the Month"!!

Last night (I was supposed to be off, remember?), one of my very nice customers came through my line.  She bought a six pack of some kind of Pale Ale (reminded me of Ingrid) and about six of the things pictured above.  Her total came to around $55.00.

I am not a crafty person, but over the summer while garage saling with Iris, I bought a bag full of those things.  Not exactly, but close enough.  They were more autumny.  I paid $3.00 for the bag and thought that was high.  The seller assured me that I was getting a good deal and told me how expensive they were at Michael's.  They were like $3.00 each at Michael's.  She was right and I made a beautiful fall wreath with the stuff.

When I rang this lady up last night, I stared at her purchases.  $55.00 for a six pack and six of those thingys.  I told her how that was too expensive and I didn't think she should buy the stuff.  Told her my garage sale story and maybe Michael's would have them for cheaper.  She agreed and I voided the entire transaction.  Except for the beer.

That'll teach HT to call me in on my day off.

BTW...Robin got a tweed Ralph Lauren jacket today at a thrift store for 50 CENTS!!!!!!

Oh, I want to mention...this could be a new section of my blog...running it through planning and development. 

A man bought Dole Watermelon Juice.  I had to try it - FABULOUS!!  Someone else bought Paul Newman's Remoulade Sauce.  Haven't tried it yet, but I'm sure it's good.  Didn't know you could buy that in the store.  Delores was pretty excited too.  Good times.

Monday, December 6, 2010

I need it to stop. Seriously.

At around 3:30 this afternoon, my day off, I was sitting around giving Robin her daily pre-work pep talk.  "It's not forever. At least it's something.  You'll find something decent after the first."  The usual.  Then the phone rings.  Caller ID says, "Harris Teeter".  I knew what it would be and I answered. "Hello?" "Hello?  May I speak with Kim please?"  "This is Kim."   "Hi Kim!  It's Delores from Harris Teeter."  Felt like saying, "DUH...."

Long story short, she asked me to come in for a few hours and I agreed.  Every few hours is a Christmas present for someone and all I had planned was starting on some Christmas cards.  I went to make sure I had a clean outfit (a/k/a "uniform") and I did.  I got ready and when I went to get dressed, my shirt, my HT shirt that I had JUST SEEN, had disappeared.  I had to wear a regular nonHT blue shirt.  No biggie, BUT WHY ARE THESE THINGS HAPPENING TO ME?

I know I saw it because it was folded in a pile of clothes and I remember knocking over a pink shirt when getting it out of the pile and thinking how cute the pink shirt is and I should wear it. 

I appreciate the Facebook suggestions and will look into each of them.  One of you mentioned menopause.  Glad Robin doesn't Facebook.  She would so run with that one.  She thinks I am beginning it.  She so badly wants me to go through it before her, even though she's four years older than me.  I say bring it.  I have really held back on the this blog when wanting to describe how working with severe cramps, a backache and a uterus that feels like it's hanging down to my knees feels. 

So, come on menopause.  Stop the periods and stop the insanity. 

I AM losing it.

Robin has teased me for a while that I am losing my mind.  I think she may be right.

1)  About a week ago I lost my car keys.  I am not a loser.  (Well, I kinda am, but not a loser of things.)  I was parked behind Robin and she had to walk to work.  I found them hours later on the bed in the guest room.  I don't know how this happened because I am very particular about things like where I put my keys, my phone, my purse, etc.  Hate having to wonder around aimlessly (like Robin does ~ all day every day) looking for things.

2)  I guess, by law, or at least HT rules, when you work X number of hours, you must take a break and a lunch.  A few days ago, at around 4:30, (I got off at 5:00) Delores came up to me at asked if I'd taken my break and my lunch.  Told her yes to both.  Minutes later another supervisor came up to me and said, "Either you're crazy, or I'm crazy, but I don't think you took a break."  Told her jokingly, "I think I would know if I took a break or not".  She said she'd go check the computer.  As I was thinking to myself how ridiculous this was and how I knew I'd taken a break, she came back and said, "You never took a break."  So at 4:35, I took a 15 minute break.  Went back and worked 10 minutes, then left.

That made me really start to wonder about myself. 

3)  I am off today and tomorrow.  On call on Wednesday.  So yesterday was my Friday.  I knew my hours yesterday were 11:00 - 5:00.  Not bad.  My body is adjusted to an eight hour day now, so six hours feels like nothing.  (Still losing weight, BTW!!!)  Robin's store is on the way to my store.  Her store is about two minutes away from home.  Mine is about three to four minutes away, depending on whether or not I feel like cutting through the SteinMart parking lot.  I always leave 20 minutes before I have to be at work.  I stop and visit Robin and get free soda.  (I'm so lucky.) 

I KNEW my hours were 11:00 - 5:00 yesterday.  At 10:55, I was very surprised when the house phone rang and it was Robin. 

Her:  "Where are you?"

Me:  "Uh.  I think it's pretty obvious.  I'm home."

Her:  "You're supposed to be at work at 11:00."

Me:  "Holy $%^$;!!!  I gotta go!!!"

While I was supposed to be leaving the house, I was busy taking pictures of Baxter and putting them here.  Nonchalantly.  Not a care in the world.  I also nonchalantly made dinner in advance (fajitas) because I had all this extra time. 

I honestly don't know what happened.  It is really concerning.   I called work and was able to get there only 15 minutes late.  (Didn't stop for my free soda....I mean....to visit Robin.)  Luckily, I had already showered so I put on about 30 seconds worth of makeup, got dressed and flew out the door.  No coat.  Wet hair.  It was about 28 degrees.  I mentioned it to a supervisor at work, the one who advised me I had indeed NOT taken a break.  Told her I think I am losing my mind.  She told me it's the weather.  I'm thinking I shouldn't have confessed that.  They'e probably really gonna be watching me now.  I would be watching me.

Speaking of weather.  I think living in NC is finally sinking in.  In FL, the cold snaps are few and far between.  It is unusually cold, supposedly, here right now.  High today will be 30.  55 is normal.  Gone are the days of 60 one day and 85 the next.  I am not complaining, mind you.  I like the coldness.

Now I'm gonna go eat dinner, then jump in the pool and try to figure out where I left my mind.

Hey!  Wanna have some fun?  Notice my new pink dog?  Put your mouse on the bag of dog treats and drag it to the dog's mouth.  Weeeeeeee.....YAAAAAYYY....clap clap clap!!!!!!

WTH!!!!  Where's the pool?

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Poor Baxter :(

His new dog bed didn't stand a chance.  Barely made it 12 hours before his brothers and sister got ahold of it.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Highlights of my day.....

A 12 pack of Diet Pepsi fell and I tried to grab it.  I kinda sorta hurt my right wrist when doing so and gave out a little, "Shit", in the mean time.  (Not literally, thank you.  I swore.)  Two customers were very nice and acted concerned.  I did not report it and now understand all those 20 something years worth of claimants saying, "I kept working, thinking it would get better." 

I kept working, but it was sore.  About a half an hour later, I managed to drop a dozen eggs on a customer's groceries while they were still in the cart.  The lady was very nice, but the mean bag boy/man was pissed because he had to replace all the groceries while I stood there.  (Then he had to clean the floor.  Tee hee.) 

I stopped by Robin's store on the way home and was loitering while drinking free soda. (I'm so lucky.)  The mean bag boy/man came in a few minutes later, without thinking, I was cheerful and like, "Heyyyy!!!  What are you doing here?"  He totally ignored me. 

There actually IS a highlight of my day, I think.  The next door neighbor (not the nice one) has a beautiful dog that he keeps chained up 24/7.  The dog looks like a husky.  Actually, he looks like a wolf.  He's gorgeous.   I have kept my nose out of it, even though it has bothered me every single day since we moved here.  Robin told me at first that she saw him take the dog to work with home, so that made me feel better.  Plus we had a big vine that took over the fence and I really couldn't see over there.  Well that vine is dead now and for the past few days, whenever I looked over there, that dog is just lying (laying?  I don't know this one) listless on the ground.  So I have managed to keep my nose out of it.  Until last night.  It is getting really cold here and after a little liquid encouragement, I anonymously called the police department (did NOT dial 911 - called the regular number) and reported it.  Was told someone would be sent out.  The dog was there this morning, but when I got home from work, he was gone, as far as I could tell.  Fingers crossed this has a good ending.  Either he has him inside or they took him to a shelter.  The dog is very meek and mild.  All my heathens can be barking at him and he doesn't bark back.  Seems very adoptable.

And, BTW, Mom?  I know what you're thinking, "Oh Kim!  What if your neighbor reads your blog?"  A)  I doubt he has a computer and 2)  I doubt he can read. 

Friday, December 3, 2010

And "The Most Interesting Customer of the Day" Award goes to.....


The little old lady who bought a thing of "KY Jelly", a big bag of BIG zucchinis and some "Tucks".

I promise you ~~~ I am not kidding. 

This may be a picture of her later in the day.  A cigarette probably wasn't enough.

Again.  Not kidding.

Pssst....

Robin has a blog of her own...visit

http://mylifeinadjectives.blogspot.com/

Sign up and follow!!!!

Thursday, December 2, 2010

I now hate Thursdays.

Thursday used to be an OK today.  Day before Friday.  Weekend is right there.  Just have to get through Friday and it's allllll good.

Now I hate Thursday.  Thursday is Senior Citizen Day at HT.  You get 5% off your total purchase if you're over 60.

Thursday now sucks.

The store  is flooded with "seniors" on Thursday. 

They stand there with their scrunched up faces fixated on the screen making sure every item is rung up properly.  Some of them?    Some of them, I think their lower lip is gonna swallow up their nose and suck their face inside their neck, it's so scrunched up. 

The nicer ones announce themselves...

"It's old farts' day.  I'm an old fart." 

"I'm a geezer.  Gimme my discount."

"I'm not old, but my wife is."  (Sounds like something Nelson (my step father) would say.)

"Notice my gray hair?"

"One good thing about being 60."  (Too bad that one was 75 - easily.)

"I'm a senior."  Wink.

"I'm 63 years old."  (Really?  Then I'm 23.)

Do you know how many times I just wanted to say, "NO SHIT?" today???

One cute old lady said, "What's with all the old people?"  I liked her.

But they all, every single one of them, at the end of the transaction, said, "Did you give me my discount?"

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

I am so pleased with myself!!!!

If you haven't noticed, I have been putting off getting a coat.  A)  Will I really use it? and 2)   I don't want to spend a bunch of money on something that I may wear a few times a year.

I have learned over the past few days here in Western North Carolina that I do need a coat.

Got paid today and figured that half my check would have to go toward a coat.  I've been looking but nothing has jumped out at me.

Until today.

We went to Iris' favorite thrift store (benefits 'Meals on Wheels') as an afterthought on our way to the 'Humane Society' thrift store.   Figured, why not?  What's the harm in looking?  It's on the way.

Drum roll please.

I found a full length, like new, lined, LONDON FOG coat.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!~~~FOR FOUR DOLLARS~~~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had Robin take a picture of me as I modeled my new purchase.

$4...$4...$4...$4...$4...$4...$4...$4...$4...$4...$4...$4...$4...$4...$4...

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Two of my favorite shows...



"The Real Housewives of New Jersey"
(actually ANY "Real Housewives" show) and "Two and a Half Men".

Is it me, or does anyone think that Caroline Manzo and Angus T. Jones could be twins?
(canyoutellI'mbored?)

Uh oh.

I'm screwed.

Robin announced that she wants to start a blog of her own.

Me:  "That's great!  I'll help you set it up.  What will you write about?"

Her:  "You.  Sweet sweet revenge."

Gulp.

I don't feel well again.

And Mom?  I'm pretty sure you should be very afraid too.

So happy to be sick today. And tomorrow.

We have had A LOT of rain for the past 24 hours.  Flash flood warnings all over the place.  I got caught in it yesterday and haven't felt well since.  That's a picture of me in my HT uniform.  I had a friend take it and email it to me.  Could NOT get warm last night.  Robin said she could fry an egg on my forehead.  (I think she meant that because it was hot, not big.)

I am scheduled to be off tomorrow.   Follow up doctor appointment from Septemeber that I've canceled twice because I never went for lab work.  Still haven't gone for lab work.  The reason I am happy to not feel well today is because I was "on call" again.  Like a doctor.  No drinking before 11:00 a.m. for me on days like these.  See, the profession of being a cashier is a very important one and should be taken very seriously. When I called at 11:00 and was told I was not needed, I sighed a sigh of relief, changed my PJ's and settled in for the day.  It's still dark and pouring and is very cozy up in cheer.

But here's what (Andy Cohen, I know)...I watched the "TODAY"  show.  They have a segment called "Jill's Deals and Steals".  Had no expectations whatsoever, but OMG.  I found a perfect Christmas gift for Robin.  Originally was $135ish and they're selling for $25.00.  Talk about a steal and a deal!!!!  So excited because she is oh so hard to buy for.  Who knew about this Jill person?  I will be stalking her for sure.  Plus she was selling $89 teeth whitener for $10.  "Go Brite" - it's good stuff.  I know because, uh, a friend told me.  A friend with nice white teeth. 

PS:  I lied about changing into clean PJ's.

PSS:  I'm feeling better, but don't tell Robin.  Got a couple hours left of milking to do.

Monday, November 29, 2010

This was my fault.

Hendersonville police seek man in connection with Harris Teeter robbery


Published: Sunday, November 28, 2010 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, November 27, 2010 at 10:51 a.m.

The Hendersonville Police Department responded to a call that an elderly woman was assaulted and robbed Friday outside Harris Teeter on Spartanburg Highway on Friday, according to a news release.


Police say they are looking for Matthew James Taylor, 23, of Hendersonville, in connection with the robbery.


He is 6 feet, 2 inches tall and about 150 pounds. He has short brown hair and blue eyes. He has a tattoo of a grenade on his right arm and a tattoo of flames on his back.


The thief was outside the store when an elderly female approached the entrance, the release says, adding that he assaulted the female and stole her purse. The suspect fled the scene in a dark-colored Ford truck, possibly an F250, with the words “Harley Davidson” on the side.


The woman was taken to the hospital and was in stable condition Friday night, after her injuries were treated, police said.

Anyone with information should contact the police department at 828-697-3042 or CrimeStoppers at 828-697-STOP.
       _______________________________________________

Last Friday a customer spent $121.47 on groceries and wrote a check for $20.00 over.  I acknowledged that she wanted cash back.  We began chatting about something and I completely forgot to give her the cash back.

Delores came up to me at the end of the day and said that the lady had called.  I remembered exactly the amount of the check (was way pleased with myself for that) and said that yeah, I could have forgotten to give her her money.

Delores said it wasn't a big deal.  No worries.

The above mentioned victim was my customer on the way into the store to get her $20.00.

It was on the news and in the paper.  I had no idea until I got to work at 8:00 and a coworker asked me if I'd heard about all the excitement.  He mentioned that a lady had been mugged on her way in.  And when he mentioned that she was coming in to get $20.00 that was due her, my heart sank.

I do feel horribly.  Gonna check with Delores first, but I want to call her.  Super nice older lady.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Frasier Fir on crack and in drag

Neked (NC for naked) Frasier Fir

Ready...set....

Here he (the neighbor) comes!!!!

Waiting....



Baxter keeping a watchful eye.

"These dogs are pig begging whores"

...a quote by R. A. Hellman.

But it happens to be very true.

The next door neighbor has given them dog biscuits through the fence from time to time since we moved here.  Very nice.

But now whenever I let them out, they run to the far back right corner of the fence and sit there and bark until the man comes outside with treats.  It's embarrassing.  If they were kids I could explain that you just don't do that.  Like when I was little and would go to Mrs. Blitz' house and ask what present she had for me.  She always gave me stuff, but my mother explained to me that I couldn't just expect things.  It's rude and it's wrong.

How do you explain to a wild pack of dogs to quit acting like crack hos?

Brady's the worst.  He jumps up and down and barks his little girl bark.  Baxter's bad too.  He barks and barks and then when the man offers him a treat, he sniffs it for a minute as if he thinks it may be poison.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Decorating in the COLD!!!

It was 30 degrees here this morning!   I HAVE to get a coat.  Not another hoodie.  Not a jacket.  A coat coat.  I have a beautiful long navy hand me down from my mother that would fit if I lost 20 pounds (story of my life) but I can't wait that long.  I need a coat like yesterday.

Having said that, we are getting our Christmas tree today!   My tree has always been my favorite part of the holiday.  When we needed to evacuate in Florida due to hurricanes, I always took my special bin of ornaments.  I survived 27 Christmas' in Florida and my tree is super beachy-esque.  Think we will be adding a few new NC ornaments this year.  Like a bear.  They're big around here.  Oh ~~ maybe I can find a goat ornament!  That'd look cute next to my manatees and FL Santas.

I worked on Thanksgiving until noon.  Robin and I were going to skip Turkey Day, but the day before, along with all the other idiots, she went crazy and bought a turkey (whole turkey, not just a breast) and everything else.  We had a feastivus!!!  Today I will be trading in all my fall and Thanksgiving brown and orange decorations for all my red and green and tons of pink decorations.  Not having a fireplace, I will miss my mantel.  That's OK.  It's cold!  It's all about the trade off.

I worked Monday through Friday this past week and have the weekend off.  I feel like a person.  Last night was the tree lighting downtown.  It started at 5:00 and we were supposed to go.  Wound up not going because it was too cold.  Wouldn't have been too cold had I had a coat coat. 

I have got to get a coat.  I keep putting it off.  Seems like a waste of money.  Do I really need one?  It's not like I'm outside much.  House to car to work and home.  Maybe I can put it off until I lose that 20 pounds.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

It's official. My "career" as a cashier is coming to an end.


But hear me out.

It's two days before Thanksgiving.  Not one cart had less than $100.00 worth of groceries in it today.

At the end of my shift...

Them:  "Kim?  Can you turn out your light and come to Customer Service?"

Did as asked.

Them:  "Kim?  Has anyone talked to you about wait time?"

Me to myself in my head:  "Are they going to say something to me about my weight?"

Me to them:  "No."

Them:  "Well, HT has a policy that no customer can be rung up in longer than a minute."

Me:  "Even with a very heavily loaded cart?"

Them:  "Can't take longer than a minute.  It's policy."

Me to myself:  "Where's the effing candid camera?  Am I in a SNL clip?" 

Me to them:  "How is that possible?"

Them:  "We've been watching you.  You're great with the customers.  Very engaging and always smiling.  But your scanning technique needs improvement.

Then they demonstrated a swim like technique.  Fine.

Them:  "You don't need to even look at the item for a UPC code.  Just keep twisting your wrist until it clicks."

I had ALL I could do to bite my tongue.  Being in the world of workers' comp for 100 years, I could still be there talking about how wrong that is on many levels.

I did figure out something that has been timing me longer than it should.  I don't "secure" my register like I should.  All that unsecuredness counts as time. 

My mom is afraid someone from work will read this blog.  No they won't.  There's no time to socialize and make friends. 

All these little crappy things are all gonna just be a chapter in my book one day.  And I won't care who reads it.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Home from dinner with Iris and Joe.

They leave for Florida tomorrow for the winter.

Went to a new restaurant and the waitress asked us to be patient with her as it was her first day. We were seated in a booth, Robin and me across from Iris and Joe. Robin and Iris ordered Shrimp Fra Diavolo, Joe got the trout, and I ordered flounder. The waitress came back and every order was wrong, except for mine. So it all went back - mine, too, to keep it warm. No problem. We were all very nice to her, but I'm sure she cried a litte.

As we waited for the real dinners, Iris noticed a man staring at her. Of course we all looked and he was. Then Robin started in.

Robin: "He probably wants you to take your shirt off."

Iris: "That's OK."

Robin: "Would you take your shirt off and eat dinner for a million dollars?"

Iris: "Yes."

Robin to me: "Would you?"

Me: "Yes."

Robin to me: "Oh really? Would you sit here naked and eat for a million dollars?"

Joe: "No! Chest alone is one thing. Nothing lower."

Me to Joe: "Right."

Joe gave a quick stern nod as if to say, "Glad we're on the same page."   I acknowledged it with a purposeful blink.

Me to Robin: "Would you run naked through Walmart for 20 minutes for a million dollars?"

Iris: "I would!"

(Was asking Robin, not you, thanks.)

As Robin was deliberating, the older lady behind us popped her head between Robin's and mine.

Lady: "Excuse me, but I didn't mean to eavesdrop."

Oh shit. I keep forgetting we're in North Carolina now and people here are decent and nice.

Lady: "I think streaking through Walmart is a little too risky."

So then we had a nice conversation with the very conservative appearing couple about what we would and wouldn't do for money.

Our food came, it was great, and when we left and were outside, Robin stood outside their window and lifted her shirt. Joe, not seeing her because he was paying the bill, came out and did the same thing.

The good news is, they both had shirts on underneath. Or at least I hope so.

Got called into the manager's office last night.

I think I've mentioned this before, but I like to consider the physical part of my job as a fringe benefit.  (BTW, down 13 pounds as I type!!!)  I've always been a good cardio-er, but have never liked lifting weights and refuse to do so.  I am taking this opportunity to do so...lifting turkeys, gallons of milk, cases of soda isn't so bad.

12 packs of soda are always on sale.  They rotate between Coke and Pepsi products.  The sale is buy two get three free.  It's a good deal and about one out of every three customers buy five 12 packs of soda.  That's a lot of soda I'm lifting.  People tend to put it on the bottom rack of the cart.  I was told early on to use the hand scanner for things like that.

I don't like to.

First of all, by the time you get the cases turned around to where you can scan it, you  may have well have lifted the damn thing to the real scanner.

Secondly, I'm working out lifting all the soda.

Delores was staring at me last night, waiting for me to finish with a customer.  When I was done she came up to me and said, "Miss Kim?  I have noticed that you aren't using the hand scanner.  Do you know why we want you to use the hand scanner?"

"Uh?  To prevent injuries?"

"Yes, ma'am.  Now can I get a commitment from you to use the hand scanner from now on?"

"Yeah."

I finished out my shift and overheard the manager say, "I need to see Kim in my office when she's done."

CRAP.

I went in there and said, "What'd I do?".  He was very nice and told me I hadn't done anything wrong.  He said that Harris Teeter is really focusing on employee safety.  All the employees have to sign a "Commitment to Safety" letter.  I signed mine.

Then he went on to explain workers' compensation.  How reducing on the job injuries saves the company tons of money, means more money in our own profit sharing...stuff like that.  He went on and on and on.

I just nodded.  Then he did tell me how well I'm doing.  Said that I seem to require a lot less assistance than the other new hires, and he's not the only one who noticed.  Yay for me.

I told him I appreciated hearing that since this is my first cashiering job.

"Oh really?!  Well, you're doing a great job!!   What'd you do before?"

"I was a workers' comp adjuster for about 20 years."

He turned beet red.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

The dogs are driving me NUTS!!! Pun intended.

I am a big time animal lover, except for rats.  I am now starting to hate squirrels too.  And that makes sense, because as Carrie Bradshaw once said, squirrels are just rats in better outfits.  I hate them because they taunt my dogs on a daily basis, many times a day.  Front windows as well as back door.  The dogs go crazy barking and jumping and scratching and jumping over each other.  I can't take it any more.  Don't squirrels hibernate or something?  When?  I'd volunteer to help them find nuts just to send them on their way. 

I was trying to watch a movie before it's time to go sell turkeys to old people, but I decided to come downstairs, download some Beatle music (you can do that now - couldn't before the other day), and try to write something on my blog.

Um...the people look different here.  Men as well as women.  I wish I had a dollar for every time a customer said something about me looking like I just came from being on vacation.  There are many tanning salons in this small city, am I the only one who goes?  I did see a familiar type face the other day.  A lady looked liked she was visiting from Aventura.  For those who don't know, Aventura is a city lodged between Miami and Fort Lauderdale.  Every single woman there has had extensive facial (and probably other parts) plastic surgery.  This lady had big duck lips and her face was so tight, I had to resist the urge to try to bounce a nickel off it.

I lied to my nail tech today and I really have no idea why.  He asked me if I'm ready for Thanksgiving.  Rather than go into the whole thing about already having it when my mom was here, I said, "I guess so.  Never cooked for 25 people before, so it'll be interesting."  Then some yentas overheard and were like, "Oh my!  25 people?  How big of a turkey did you get?"  I lied again and said, "A 50 pound turkey."

Did they even have 50 pound turkeys?  I felt like a jack ass.  Probably will never see them again.  Until two Saturdays from now at 10:00.  Great.  This lie will go on forever. 

Naa na na na na na na na, hey jude.

That's it.  Gonna go beat the dogs.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Lounging day turned productive...

When Robin wasn't up by 10:30 and I was still in my PJ's, I figured it'd be a good day just to lounge around the house. Maybe I'd get dressed, maybe I wouldn't. When Little Miss Sunshine finally arose at 11-ish, I suggested the lazy day idea to Robin. "Can't", she said, "Iris is making us get flu shots".

This one really needs to be blamed on my own mother. Every day she was here, she tried to make us go and get shots. We always got around it, but the morning she left, I overheard her and Iris on the phone. Since we didn't do it when my mom was here, she passed the flu shot baton on to Iris. So as one of the loose ends Iris and Joe have to tie up before they leave on Monday, flu shots it was.

We got to their house and they insisted we come in. Joe gave me their house key. Doesn't trust Robin. Iris gave us plant watering instructions. Said they're turning the water off, but there's a gallon of water in the kitchen. Told us to bring some from home when it runs out. Robin told her, "Thanks for telling us that. We never would have thought of that on our own."

Joe, in his usual fashion, kept interrupting. Finally Iris lost it and said, "Joe, if you don't stop interrupting, I'm gonna tie you up in the friggen closet.".   Didn't stop him.

In the meantime, I handled some well overdue banking business and switched over my car insurance. Premium is HALF of what I paid in Miami!!!!

Once updated on how to handle their household while they are out of town and given everything from their pantry and frig, we piled in my car to go get the shots. Joe always sits in front with me and gives directions. This town is not very big and I'm pretty sure I know my way around. We get in the store and the pharmacist's name is Dick. Iris had something to say about that. Then something was said about it just being a little prick and this sent her into hysterics. We all had on long sleeves and had to roll them up. Except for, you guessed it, Iris. She practically took her shirt off, flirting with Dick the whole time.

They insisted on taking us to dinner at 4:00. On the way to drop them off, something was said about a plant...kudzu. I didn't believe it was a plant because they are always trying to mess with me with dirty Yiddish words. I thought it meant the female body part. So for the rest of the way home, Joe did a Charo impression, "Coochie coochie. Coochie coochie."

Just got home and Iris called. "Did you girls remember your sunglasses from the restaurant?"

With all their craziness, bossiness and micromanaging, I really will miss them.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Too lazy to go all the way downstairs, or there'd be a picture attached...

But...

A customer today had something I'd never seen before. It was a small walletesque type thing that alphabeticalized your credit and grocery store cards. Very cute. Said there's a website...cardcubby.com or something like that.

Good Christmas gift, doncha think?

I really would like to blog every day.

But sometimes there's just not much to say. Robin is outside blowing leaves. I just woke up from a nap and ate a sandwich.

See what I mean?

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Ahhhhhhhh.....

I think I'm starting to feel like myself again. I have the day off and by noon, I had gone grocery shopping, cleaned the house, done two loads of laundry, made homemade spaghetti sauce and cleaned a trunk I'd gotten at a flea market when my mom was here. It's super cute - red and black plaid. Since I started this job, I really haven't had energy for anything, so I think maybe I have turned the corner.

I think I may now go through the Sunday paper and clip coupons. It is amazing how much money can be saved with coupons. Especially when combining them with sales. Some of my customers have really inspired me. Speaking of work...there is something wrong with the farting bagger. It's not obvious and I can't figure it out. One of the ladies at work told me to be careful with him. Couldn't finish our conversation cuz of a stupid customer, and now my curiosity is heightened. The other day a lady was buying bunch of frozen food. She told me something about not being lazy, but she was about to have surgery and her husband doesn't cook. I guess she thought I was judging her. What the hell do I care? Anyway, Fartboy kept asking her what kind of surgery she was having. He asked her like six times. She just ignored him. Then some man was buying a "Maxim" magazine and Fartboy said, "Ahhhh....I know why you're buying this". Yesterday a lady was buying dog biscuits and he told her that she probably eats them and he started barking. This kid has no filter and makes me very nervous. Last night a lady was buying fresh clams and they smelled like, well, fresh clams. I felt Fartboy start to smell them and before I knew it he said, "What smells like"....Before he finished his sentence, I quickly interrupted and said, "What are you gonna make with these?". (Linguini with clam sauce.)

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Day off...

Yesterday Robin and I had the day off together.  We had planned on playing it by ear...maybe go to Asheville, maybe take a hike, maybe have lunch at an outside cafe on Main Street.  Whatever.  The weather is gorgeous right now, highs reaching mid to upper 60's.  Figured we'd wake up and decide what to do.  The world was our oyster.

Wound up going to Walmart and stocking up on a bunch of Lean Cuisines and Smart Ones cuz we're too tired to cook any more.  The highlight of the trip was buying an egg crate mattress pad.  Since we are obviously wrecking our bodies (I mean getting in better shape), I don't feel guilty spurlging on the $17.00 pad.  We are doing much better managing our money.  It's simple.  You have less, you spend less.  The old impulsive me surfaced though.  There was a sock display.  Magical socks.  Had aloe in them.  $3.00 a pair.  What the hell.  Maybe they'd help when I'm working.  I also bought a "Burt's Bees" thing of cuticle cream.   Had a dollar off coupon, thank you.   (The job is also tough on my cuticles, but my nails are fine - WTH!) It looks just like the lip gloss.  Had some on my desk in Miami and I just loved it when the girls (Alex and her sister, Sarah) came and used it on their lips.   Ha ha - good times.  Well now the joke is on me because I can't get the damn thing open.

Our al fresco lunch plans turned into a visit to "Jack in the Box".  But we did sit outside, so that counts.  Splurged on the "Ultimate" and it was worth every one of those 20,000 calories.  Best burger I think I've ever had.  No lettuce, no tomato, no onion, no pickle.  Just burger and cheese, mayo, ketchup and mustard - they way a burger should be.  My lunch used up more than my daily allotment of Weight Watchers points, but I wasn't gonna stress over it.  I'd eat a light dinner.

Came home, put the matrress pad on.  Decided we'd better check it out.  Three hours later, after a long nap, we decided it was a good purchase.  An investment in our heath, if you will. 

Got up to find the heathens having a game of tug of war with my magical socks.  Although slimmy with dog saliva, I put them on.  Still have them on, in fact.  Have a feeling I was taken.  No magic here. 

My light dinner turned out to be another impulsive Walmart purchase.  A "Hormel" cheese and pepperoni and more cheese and salami and crackers platter.  It was inviting because everything was already cut up.  I was too tired to cut stuff up.  Very healthy eating day yesterday.

Robin works 7-4 today.  I go in at 4.  I have some projects that I could be doing right now, but I'm off tomorow.  Why do today what I can do tomorrow?

Just got a text from Robin..."Will you bring me a PBJ?"

Crap.  Now I have to get dressed and go out.  I'll make the most of it and grab a tan while I'm out.