Where's Eddie?

So, I went to see Fantastic Beasts last evening.  As someone who is, for the most part, totally ignorant of the Harry Potter Universe, I sat down in my seat with a little trepidation, only a little, though.  Since it was Tuesday night my ticket only cost $5, and my popcorn and soft drink only came to $4.24, not a bit investment.  Colin Farrell plays the villain... quite well, this former pretty boy is aging rather well.  Eddie Redmayne is the hero and I suspect his genes are not as good as Collin's, but then I'm not an Eddie Redmayne fan.  He is not a ginger for the ages.
Anyway, there's this evil thing killing people in New York and Collin tries to put the blame on Eddie's beasts, and, well the plot is rather standard.  Katherine Waterston and Fine Frenzy (bad stage name?) are very good.  The CGI effects are... spectacular.  This movie looks simply amazing.  But then there's Eddie.  No doubt he's trying.  I mean the guy can act, but he's no Daniel Radcliffe, who, even in his flops is more than just a screen presence.

And then, right at the end, that horse's ass Johnny Depp shows up.  Evidently his brief cameo is supposed to be built upon in the next 3 or 4 sequels.  Holy Shit.  And, evidently, his casting is also quite controversial because everybody who is anybody knows Depp is box office poison.  What a terrible shame.  This franchise looked a bit promising.

The DT's

Haven't written anything political lately, so I thought I'd drop in a line or two before I went to work.

There are a number of people out there who are still dumbfounded by the election results.  I've come to terms with them.  Plan ahead.  The Republicans have never been good with the economy, every one, except the rich, always loses money.  So, safeguard your 401k.

Prepare yourself for the spectacle of infighting.  Republicans are no longer united, even though that's not what they want you to think.  I've read that in a closed door session a minion of the incoming president has actually said that "there is no long a Reagan Conservative Party, now it's the Trump Populist Party."  This is going to get messy.

And then there is the 'incoming' president.  My friend Betsy can't even mention his name, she calls him "that man."  Some just leave a blank line.  Me?  I think we should call him DT because over the next couple of years we will be suffering from the DT's  Follow the link if you don't know what they are.

Holy Crap, even their elephant has gone pink... or... they'll probably just call it Salmon.  You can bet your bottom dollar the DT's are going to force their hallucinations into reality.  By doing so they will swerve erratically, and fumble their phony election promises.  All we need to do is grab onto something substantial and hold on tight because we're going to be going watching "It's a Small, Small World" built with drunken auto-animatronics. 

Left Behind

Interesting title, isn't it?  Am I talking about one side of your butt, as in "I have a pain in my left behind cheek?"  Or am I veering into Krazy Kristian territory. Of course, then, I might be talking about something connected to neither butts nor faith.  Remember, I work for a home improvement chain.  There are times when people come into the store and they don't exactly know what they want, but they do have the old item; the thing that broke on them and sent them to us in the first place.  We see a lot of light bulbs from refrigerators and microwaves and oddly shaped desk lamps.  We get a lot of attachments, meaning things that look like screws or bolts but aren't really, yet they do something similar.  Last evening I walked back to our Self Checkout, after closing down some of the service desk registers, and the clerk pointed to a shopping cart and said "That was left behind," and I didn't have to walk over to see exactly what he was talking about.

A toilet seat.  And it was old... and it was dirty.  That's right, some moron evidently needed to bring in his old toilet seat to make sure he got the same thing, as if there's a big variety.  It's either round or it's oval.  And even though they may be made of wood, or plastic, or padded, or purple, or green, they're all the same size.  This is because shitters are all standardized.  Still, someone felt the need to bring their old, dirty, toilet seat and leave it behind... like some lost soul.  Associates are now laughing at this pseudo ignoramus because they brought in an old toilet seat, with crap on it, and...Left It Behind.

Burning down the house

Yesterday they had coffee and cookies out in the Garden Department for customers.  Nice, huh?  Anyway, after I closed down the garden registers (and yes they'll be open until Christmas... trees... we also sell live trees), I loaded up the crumbs and cups into a cart and pushed them back to the lunch room for the associates and ran into Steve.  He's a runner.  He runs at least 100 miles a week.  That's right, 100 miles a week.  He claims to be a dopamine junkie.  Anyway, as I was unloading the cart he asked me what day of the week it was.  "Saturday," I said.  His response?  "Really?  I didn't know what day it was."  So I reminded him that the day before had been Black Friday.  I watched as he nodded his head, slowly saying "I forget the days, you know."  To which I said, "yep, I know, I use a calendar."  Which is a bit on the sad side, having to look at a calendar daily to see just where exactly in the week I was. Sure, having a work schedule does give me some point of reference, but more of a start time reference rather than a daily reminder.  I had a nice conversation with the Store Manager who told me I needed to just start brushing things off, not let them nag at me like little pin pricks.  But then he also said that maybe in January they could move me away from the Front End.

Right now there's too much going on.  Christmas, remember?  And we're beginning a new freight system.  And there really weren't any manager openings at present.  But in January our Electrical Department manager is stepping down, retiring, and that position will come open.  I smiled.  I nodded.  And I thought to myself, oh, shit, now they're going to give me the chance to burn down somebody's house.

Christmas Junk

Well, Black Friday is history.  I worked as a cashier.  It was fine.  I don't mind cashiering.  No muss, no fuss... and most of the customers were fine.  I ended up selling 3 of those horrendous dog beds.  We also sold artist kits, and artist paints, and tents, and drones, and Amazon Echo's, and... well you name it.  Most of it was Christmas Junk.  Sure, people call them deals, but the presents they buy are not made to last.  Just because it's cheap doesn't meant there's quality, in fact most often the opposite is the reality.
Anyway, we have Cyber Monday coming up.  I've already done my on line shopping.  You see the same thing holds true about Cyber Monday - there are some real deals out there, but mostly, you're going to end up settling of shit.  Of course you're not going to know that you non-name brand merchandise is going to crap out early and until it does, well, it's still a deal.  And once it craps out?  It's Christmas Junk.

There was a time before American Capitalism turned the holidays into a season of "must have" toys and electronics and sneakers.  A time before it mattered if you got the hot seller or not.  Those times are gone.  Be wary on Cyber Monday, not all deals are made of gold.

Thanksgiving

Another day off, that's 2 in a row, almost normal.
So, what am I doing for Thanksgiving?  Going to my brothers.  I'm making Green Bean Casserole.  Some of his 6 kids will be their, most of them won't.  My sister is going to bring my Mom... it's a bi-level and I have no idea how they're going to get her up the stairs.  She hasn't gone up stairs in over a year.  I suspect the time there will be short.  This is fine with me.  I have to get up at 0330 to go to work.  That's right.  Black Friday.
Since this idea of truly retiring has been percolating around in my head, the idea of going to work is aggravating.  I'm thinking of telling them to just make me part-time.  I could set my own hours.
Anyway, I saw this featurette yesterday from La La Land and can't wait.

And, of course, this spring we'll all get a chance to see Alien: Covenant.  Neat poster, huh?

"Run"... don't you just love it?

So, I think I might go back to sleep for an hour or so, the dogs are already snoring away in there.  Have a good Thanksgiving!

Job Search

Well, it's my first day off in a row.  Yippee, that's right, I have 2 days off back to back, and have I ever been busy cleaning, and doing laundry, and applying for jobs... well, I applied for at least one, and it wasn't with the large retail organization I now work for...  My gut is telling me that 8 year relationship is slowly coming to a close.
Originally I had expected to step down from my management position shortly into the new year, but, as things go on, that may not happen.  I find myself growing more and more irritated on a daily basis.  Retiring this early would not give me full benefits, however I have more than enough to live comfortably.  Unlike a lot of people, I don't have to worry about health care... really.  You see, back when I was 18, I and my friend Frank Marco decided to join the Navy.  Buddy system, you know?  Except they split us up right away.  Anyway, 12 months later, after A School, I was over in Vietnam.  I am, as far as the Federal Government is concerned, a Grade 6 Veteran "who served in the Republic of Vietnam between January 9, 1962 and May 7, 1975.  And this gives me health benefits, as long as I get them through the VA.  The closest VA outpatient clinic is about.... 2 miles away.  There's a copay of $15 for a visit, $50 if I need to see a specialist, say for my Glaucoma.  Drugs are dirt cheap.

So I actually spent some time on the computer this morning looking for a new job.  It doesn't have to be full time, which would be very, very nice.  That would mean I could spend more time with my dogs.  More time doing what I want.  No more 0300 mornings, or getting home at midnight... I think I'm talking myself into this.  You know what I mean?

Tis the Season for....

All sorts of shit.  I know.  I work in retail.
And, starting tomorrow morning I, along with the other managers in my store, will start to prep for Black Friday.  How do we prep for Black Friday?  We start cluttering our aisles with all the non-essential, non-home improvement merchandise they can hold.  I'm lucky this year.  I don't have to work on Thanksgiving Eve, when those managers working will be ripping off all of the black, plastic shrouding covering up the special deals... or, as we call it, shit.
And it is.  I mean, who in their right mind would go to a home improvement store in order to buy a non-brand name toaster?  Or an electric wine bottle opener?  There will be giant Teddy Bears, and pink and blue rocking horses and... shit.  All of it made in China.  Now that would make sense if you were buying a bamboo cutting board... you know?
Anyway, tomorrow I work my regular Monday schedule (we all have the same schedule on Mondays) so it won't be until Tuesday, when I open, that you'll find me hauling around quarter pallets of... shit.
One of my favorites are the AKC Dog Beds.

We usually get 2 large boxes, about 40 altogether, and we'll end up selling about 35, which means we'll have to mark down the rest.  And then, the day after Christmas we will see them again as customers begin to return them.  That's right.  That's right, a lot of them are returned, not all, but quite a few.  This happens because they are... shit.

I bought a dog bed for Lily once, it survived for about... oh, maybe 3 days before she realized how to pull the stuffing out... and then it was all over the house.  Tis the Season, you know?

Jane again, and little bit about Ginger Beer

Remember Jane?  The elderly cashier who had surgery on her vagina?  Well, there are issues with her... approach to cashiering.  Evidently on one of the days I had off she had brochure from a prominent Credit Union by her register and was using it to tell people about their credit / debit card.  Instead of talking to her about it at the time, the Head Cashier waited till she was on break and then took the brochure and gave it to another manager... who failed to talk to Jane.  And that meant I had to talk to her.  And she got very angry.  While she understands the importance of selling customers one of our credit cards, she believes that good customer service requires her to tell them about this Credit Union debit / credit card.  Wrong.  And, of course, in her mind she doesn't do anything wrong.  She is 77 years old and there is no way she can change.  She has to work because she manages her finances the same way she approaches her job, she does what she wants because in her mind she's right and you're wrong.
On a different note.... I made Ginger Beer.  Tasty, it is.  Gingery.  Really it's home made ginger ale, but it doesn't look like ginger ale.

The only thing I did wrong was not straining the grated ginger well enough, so there's some sediment in the bottom of the bottle.  The taste is great.  Oh, and it's non-alcoholic.  This is a great way to get your ginger.,, 

Apps olutely irritating

So I have a Smart TV.  It access the Internet.  It's a Sony and Sony gives you so many Apps.  I have access to Play Store, which lets me add other Apps.  I also have got myself an Amazon Fire which gives me access to more "TV" Apps.  I was pleased to see that the Amazon Fire gives me access to NBC Sports.  You see I have a yearly subscription to the NBC Sports App on my laptop since they show many the the cycling races.  Sounds good right?  Wrong.  You see the 2 are not connected.  The App for the TV only gives you highlights.  I can't sign in with my password and "watch a race."  If I want to watch cycling, I have to connect the laptop to the TV.  Ain't that a bitch?

A lot of Apps need you to buy a subscription, which doesn't bother me since I know what I'm getting.  There are a number, however, that will not work unless you have a cable provider.  Excuse me, but if I got rid of cable because I didn't want to pay for all those hundreds of useless channels, why would I want to pay for cable in order to get one or two Apps for which I will need to then pay for a subscription.  So, guess which Apps I can live without?

RINO in the White House

Was at the eye docs this AM - turns out the Glaucoma was worse than they thought - looks like I'll be on some form of prescription eye drops for the rest of my life.  They're starting me out with something called Travatan, only in the right eye in order to validate its effectiveness.
Saw that Anne Marie was going to suspend her dancing shoes temporarily because of the election.  I told her I didn't think it would be for long.  We got a RINO in the White House, you know?  He's been walking back all sorts of promises he made to the crazy right electorate.  He's got an anti-Semite as his strategist but his Jewish daughter and son-in-law seem to be the ones who have his ear.  My brother wants to believe that the Republican controlled Senate and House are going to control him... personally?  I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't hit those crazy, right wingnuts back hard for stabbing him in the back.  Remember Dump Trump?  All those Republicans who told people not to vote for him?  I'll bet he's already calling Mitch O'Connell 'four eyes' to his face.

Anyway, I did throw a little ditty together last night.  Here's part of it.

We've got a RINO in the White House

And we know just who's to blame

They hated Hillary

And voted GOP

Because she's got that Clinton name

We've got a RINO in the White House

They set the stage for Donald's loss

They stabbed him in the back

With nondescript attacks

Thinking his election was lost

Because their Dump Trump failed

They found their ship had sailed

No hating Hillary

No one to pillory

He knows all their names

He's holding all the cards

So every one he blames

Will get punched back hard

We've got a RINO in the White House

An Independent sort of guy

He don't hate the gays

That faux Christian way

Can't you hear those Republicans cry?

There's more, but that's it for now.

I think I might have been channeling Cole Porter 

Ginger

With the diagnosis of arthritis in my neck, several people have come forward with both remedies and comments, some kind, some not so kind.  At work I was challenged by a man 20 years younger who said "well, I've been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, what do you think of that?"  And though I wanted to say "oh, it sucks to be you," I didn't.  I kept my mouth shut.  Now, isn't that amazing.
What I've been getting is "eat this," and "drink that," and "do this," and "do that."  One of my Navy friends told me his 86 year old father was diagnosed with arthritis at about my age.  His treatment was to take 6 alfalfa tablets 3 times a day.  I bought a bottle and discovered that alfalfa has a lot going for it.  It has a lot of 'anti' qualities, however it's also a really good diuretic.  The last thing I really want to do is to spend most of my work day standing at the urinal.
I have a prescription for naproxen, however at the dosage I would need to take I would end up with high blood pressure, and that's just one of the minor issues.
Surprisingly, one of the best anti-inflammatories out there is ginger.  I like ginger.  There was a movie out a while back named "Ginger Snaps" which had more to do with werewolves than it did the baking of cookies.

And then, of course, there is the other popular ginger, the one a lot of you think of when I say "Ginger," and while this ginger might be good for me, it's definitely not an anti-inflammatory. 

No, I'm talking about the root plant.  You know, the spicy thing?  Ginger.  I can take it by eating it or drinking it.  I actually looked up a recipe for Ginger Beer, which is non-alcoholic and is a lot like ginger ale, but with real ginger.  So, I think I'll give ginger a shot and see if it snaps back or not.

Other things and... the plug

At this point around 74% of Americans are accepting the fact that Donald Trump is our 45th president - that doesn't mean they like that fact, just that they are accepting it.  As time has passed since that fateful night more information has been made apparent.  This is a good article from the Chicago Tribune.  She won the popular vote, but by less than 1/10th of a percent, if you look at all votes cast.  The Clintons like to do what they want, even if it might be questionable, and they don't seem to understand that if it's questionable their opposition can easily hammer it into a negative perception.  Her private server is a perfect example.
And then there's Trump who played his hand well.  Millions believed every word he said... except....
Now the "Wall" may not be built.  We may get something that has a similar effect, which is probably going to be more boarder patrols.  Evangelicals voted for him a big way.  He got more white Evangelical votes than George W. Bush.  On the campaign trail he was the most socially conservative candidate in history... except... he wants Rudy Giuliani as his AG and Giuliani is... Pro Choice.  Oops.  And Trump has never been as stringently anti-gay, what were they thinking?  They needed to look at the way he's treated contractors, signed contracts and then reneged, and filed for bankruptcy to get out of paying just about anything he didn't want to pay.  He told them what they wanted to hear.  They haven't hit their WTF moment yet... but it's approaching.
And then there's the plug.  That new lamp I bought?  Well, it has a rubber plug on it.  Not plastic, rubber and Big Seig thinks he has to chew it.  Twice so far.  Last night I got home from work and he had pushed the table and my Morris chair out of the way to get to it.  The cord was still attached to the lamp, however I found the plug on the sofa.  He got yelled at, and a swat on his butt, which, when you're a 108 pound Boxer is nothing.

And he looked at me with the big brown eyes and even though he can't talk I knew he was saying "oh I am so so sorry and I promise never ever ever to do it again," all the while his little stub of a tail wagged back and forth ever so slowly.  So, of course, I had to forgive him.  Am I easy or what?

Pain in the Neck

Well, yesterday was Veteran's Day so, being a Veteran, I took the day off to... try to put reality into focus... and failed.  There are bright spots out there.  This I found interesting.  Another bright spot is that because those millions of white, rural, racist voters elected Trump the GOP can no longer say they are all encompassing.  Of course we've always known they've been white racists.
And even though I could have gotten 10% off all of my purchases at the store yesterday, I did not go shopping.  And it's not because I got a write-up for that cash bag I left in my apron, which is what the end result was, but more because I don't like going to my work place on my days off.  If I want to buy something, I'll buy when I'm there, not make a special trip.  The discount isn't worth it.
I also had a doctor's appointment yesterday, with my specialist.  My neck.  When even I turn my head to the left or right there's cracking and popping, and sometimes pain.  It's not like I didn't know what he was going to tell me, I just needed it to be official, if you know what I mean.  Arthritis.  He gave me a list of exercises to do so I can strengthen the muscles.  If that doesn't work there will be Physical Therapy ahead.

Right now I'm just going to sit back and watch Trump's approval ratings slowly decline.  Remember when he stupidly said "this will be our Brexit?" totally clueless about what the consequences of that vote would be?  Well, prices are going up in the UK because the Pound keeps deflating.  Get ready, it's going to happen here.  How do I know?  Because I'm a pain in the neck!

Pussy Wrangler Wanted

Well, we have a new president.  Ezra Klein wrote an interesting piece about him and his future presidency.  Trump will surround himself with 'yes' men.  And, of course, the Republicans are all 'yippy skippy,' they don't care if he lost the popular vote.  They don't care about what the majority of Americans think.  All they want to do is rule.  The one thing Klein says that is so true is that they will have to manage him if they want to maintain control of the House and Senate.  This is probably going to be much more difficult than most believe.  You see Trump is a vindictive man.  He holds grudges.  He likes to 'hit them back hard.' and there quite a few Republicans who came out against him during the campaign.  He is not a George W. Bush, the last Republican to get into the White House thanks to the Electoral College.  They rallied around that asshole.  This one?  Probably not so much.  I suspect they're going to work to try and contain this mistake because they don't want to lose the Senate in 2 years.
This is the 2nd Republican president in which there have been protests which tells you something about the Republican Party and it's lack of popularity.
Anyway, for those interested, you can bet there are going to be a lot of new jobs opening up in the White House.  Staff you know?  The most interesting, no doubt, will be that of Pussy Wrangler.

You see Donald likes to grab 'em, which could be embarrassing especially with other Heads of State, and those in their entourage.  So they're going to have to hire someone just to wrangle those pretty pussies away from his groping fingers.

Unbelievable

Well, it's over.  The election is now history.  Trumplodites are ecstatic.  The world is in shock.  A man who believes dictators are strong (they just do bad things now and then) has been elected President.  And on my birthday, no less.
Republicans are happy because they've gotten one of their own into the White House... but he isn't a Republican, all he did was wear that mask.  Sure, he may throw them a small bone now and then, but mostly he's going to try and be a strong president so he's going to strong arm them into giving in to his agenda, which I suspect is fairly non-existent.  I mean, his entire campaign was based on lies, false promises, and Hillary hate.
From what I understand, it was those rural voters from the rust-belts of Pennsylvania and Ohio which put him over the top.  I'm sure they're all happy as pigs in shit right now.  I wonder how happy they'll be when their children get sent off to a war their President got us into because he's stupid.
They next four years are going to be a mess.  I remember reading a comment by one of the Koch brothers in which he said they weren't going to get involved in this year's presidential because it didn't make a difference who won.  The real election will be 4 years from now when the country needs to elect a president who will be able to pick up the pieces.

The unthinkable has happened.  All we can do is deal with it.

My Birthday!

It's today! My birthday!  And Election Day!  and, for those with an interest, it's also International Radiology Day which is interesting since my Dad, after leaving the Air Force, started his civilian career by become an X-Ray Technician.
I'm a Scorpio and I do have a temper, though I always seem to keep it in check even when people really, really piss me off.
For those who don't know, I'm a Vietnam Vet, though barely.  The war was, for the most part, over when I transferred onto the USS Constellation though we did run a lot of flight ops and sailed endless circuits up and down the Tonkin Gulf.
During my stint on the Constellation I got to experience the first race riot at sea and also something called a Broken Arrow ( a lot of sailors were crying around me during the latter, me?  I figured if it's over then it's over).
I've been to the Chinese boarder but have never set foot in the country.
I've always wanted to grow a beard (not enough facial hair) but never, ever considered marrying one.
I came out to my parents on Christmas Day, 1974.... Merry Christmas.
While in college I directed 2 musicals, Applause and West Side Story.
I've been to 3 Grateful Dead concerts.

One of my novels was up considered by a Hollywood Agent... who passed on it.

My degree is in English Education and most of my adult working life has been spent in accounting.

There's a lot more, but I've got to go shower.  I'm going to go have lunch with my brother.

The 11th Commandment

As I was skimming down Facebook yesterday, and yes, I do skim, I don't read everything posted, I saw that one of my friends, Alicia, had posted anti-Trump video in which actors sang some sort of song.  I didn't watch it, however I did read the 2 comments.  The first was from a woman who put the 'K' in Krazy Kristian, and she went on... and on... and on, about using the Lord's name in vain, and how Liberals were going to burn in hell, and you know the diddy by now.  Now Alicia had posted a warning that there was some language in the video and this woman watched it anyway, with the sole reason, I suspect, to damn it to hell and back.  Being curious, I checked out this woman's page and found lots of Krazy Kristian links.  For Halloween she'd actually carved a pumpkin to look like Jesus... seriously.
Anyway, I had to put in my 2 cents.  I told Alicia to unfriend this woman since she was obviously unbalanced in a Krazy Kristian way and because she has never understood the 11th Commandment.  Now I don't claim to be a Christian Scholar, and I know there are only 10 Commandments on those clay tablets, but if you've ever read the New Testament you'll know there is one.

To be continued

Too many Christians don't pick up on it because they want to be the voice of Authority.  In case you're wondering, here's the 11 commandment.

Thou shalt not cherry pick My Word in order to justify your self righteousness and pass judgement.

That's it.  I mean any fool can pluck out a few words here and a few words there and use them out of context to damn you.  Think of it like eating a banana split.  You've got 3 scoops of different flavored ice cream, you've got bananas, you've got 3 different toppings, with nuts, and whipped cream and a cherry on top.  These people only eat the cherry on top because that's all they want.

I got a thank you note from Alicia.  And she unfriended the woman.

In the Home of the Enemy

Yesterday, when I got to work, I was told I needed to do some deliveries.  Fun, eh?  Deliveries happen every now and then.  Something gets delivered wrong and we have to replace it, or, as in yesterday's case, the delivery truck could not deliver the flooring this customer had ordered.  Why not?  Because the customer lived out in the friggin' boonies.  Translation?  A mile and a half from the customer's home we turned left onto a one lane, strip of black top which was supposed to pass for a road.  At the end of that mile and a half there was a driveway, gravel with bits and pieces of what may have one time been black top, which wound up a steep hill for another 800 feet.
I parked our small truck in front of the open garage door and walked to the front door (no sidewalk) while the associate with me started tearing the shrink wrap off the pallet of flooring.  I knocked and some kid answered and he told me to bring it in through the garage.  As I carried the first box in through I could feel my skin begin to crawl.  There, to my left, on the floor, were 2 Trump / Pence signs.  I was in the home of the enemy... a Trumplodite!
He was big and fat, at least 6'3" and 300 pounds, probably more, and very, very white.  And while for the most part the house was clean, it was also very cluttered.  The coffee table was stacked with NFL magazines, and Country magazines, and newsletters, and there coats and jackets tossed over the backs of furniture.  Two computer keyboards and a tablet lay against the side of the sofa.  And there were framed photographs all over the place. Seriously.  This Trumplodite's older son must have been a football player in high school since there was a wall covered with framed pictures of him in his uniform, and his prom date, and the prom invitation and football certificates - in all, probably around 30 of them.  One wall was dedicated to the 85" television on which NFL Today was playing.

While this is a facsimile picture, it was pretty much like this

From the living room you could see into a 'home office,' and I know he would hate for me to say this, but I'm using that word liberally since there were stacks of paper all over the place, and I'm talking stacks here, not 1" or 2" piles, but 6" - 8" stacks, a lot of them.

And this Trumplodite was not the most friendly of people, the original delivery truck couldn't get to his house because of it's location... and it was their fault, so I got stuck delivering it in a smaller truck, which meant the delivery was late and that (in his mind) was my fault.  In fact, as I was carrying in boxes of faux hardwood flooring, I realized that in this guy's mind everything he didn't like was someone else's fault.

Still, I am happy to say I survived my brief stint in the Home of the Enemy, and I suspect that the black hatred seething around his head will only grow after Tuesday's election.  He's going to need to blame somebody.

Old Dave

Yesterday our scheduling was a bit off, we only had one mainline cashier for 4 hours in the morning - when that happens either my mid-head cashier or I will open up a register.  Yesterday morning we switched off, he spent time checking out customers and then I would do a 30 minute shift.  We are always prompted to ask if the customer is going to put their purchase on a store credit - always.  So I asked this customer and his response was, "no, old Dave," (we have our names on our aprons).  My response was "well, I'm not really that old," and he actually said "well, you evidently didn't look in the mirror this morning before you left the house."
Is that an insult or not?
Now I could have been a smart ass, but I need to be kind - customer service you know?  So, I overlooked his ignorance figuring he was probably a Trumplodite.  Why would you even say something like that to a stranger?  Call them old?  I'm not as young as this guy was (probably mid-30's) and I'm not as old as my Mom (she's 83). True, I suppose I could be classified as an 'early senior.'  I'm too young to retire.  But I wouldn't qualify myself as being old.

And though I may have looked like this in my youth, I didn't pose for the sculptor

I'm not easily offended, so this guy didn't offend me.  I suspect this may have been his way of making a joke.  Or perhaps in his ignorance he called everybody older than himself 'old.'  The most perplexing thing for me, however, was that he said anything at all. Maybe I'm finding this so confusing because I really am 'old Dave,' or it could be I just don't want to admit to myself there really are utter assholes like this guy in the world.

The shitty schedule

I'm still here, just working a really shitty schedule this week.  Next week I have off 3 days, scheduled them, it's the only way.  Thanksgiving week is another shitty schedule - only 2 days off, which includes Thanksgiving day.  Lots of openings.  I hate openings.
Well, off to work.
Oh, 11/8 is not only election day, it's my birthday.  I like presents, very expensive presents, just to let you know in advance.