ComEd

I arrived at work yesterday morning to find the store in a state of confusion. It seems that there was a power outage some time Christmas Day (6 p.m., the theory goes) and there's a reason they're called "perishables."

Also, the grease trap apparently has an electrical component of which we were previously unaware, 'cause damn. Wanna smell a grease trap? Stick your nose down a clogged drain and take a deep breath. Then cube that. Yeah.

Soooo, we had to pull all refrigerated product off the shelves, write it off, throw it in ye olde Dumpster and start again. We didn't open until 2 p.m.

I'm tired.

Also, meh.

*THUD* ..... mmmmrrrppppphhhh

-- Is the sound of me being buried under a mountain of laundry. That I have to do today. That I don't wanna do. (Did that sound whiny to you? If not, back up and read again until it does.)

Auughhh! I am aware that the Christmas (or Christmahannukwanzakah) season is a joyous one. But from the retail perspective ..... waldskjg;awlrethyg. Totally crazy.

I've seen customers leave long register lines to fetch something for a total stranger.

I've been cussed out by a customer for not selling her liqueur candies before noon on Sunday. (FYI -- Glen Ellyn Villiage ordinance prohibits it. We could lose the liquor license and I'd lose my job. So totally not worth it.)

I saw a woman stop her shopping to make sure a crying little girl found her mommy.

I've had customers try to force me to open a register to which I am not assigned.

Two days ago, a little boy (about 2 1/2 years old) was singing, "Jingle bells, batman smells, Robin laid the [sic] egg .... batmobil mumble a wheel, Joker got away, HEY!" Over. And over. And over. And all the customers in line around him were just cracking up. (Mom was mortified.)

One woman complained the she couldn't get her Napa Creek (or is it Valley? We've had several geological features of Napa in wine form) wine anymore. I tried to explain that it was a one-time deal, we put that on the sign, es no mas. "But my family drank it all the time. You don't understand -- wine is like water to us!" Then she was upset about the potstickers. Well, ma'am, that vendor went out of business. Can't get no potstickers from a factory that don't exist, you see. "But they were so good! I don't know why you guys get rid of everything I like!" Rrgh.

Every morning I knock on the glass with my keys. Someone opens the door for me, I sign in. Check the Daily Log for morning instructions. Trudge across the front (dodging flower pallets), say hi to Alicia (flower child), the Bread Person, Joe (produce guy). Right after seeing Joe, I always notice this one case of onions. It's there every morning by the time I get in. Same place, on the floor right under the conventional cherry tomatoes. It's got a cartoon of a figure with an onion bulb for a head. This "head" has a pink bow on the top (tying up the remains of the stem, I guess) and long eyelashes. The Onion Girl is wearing a knee-length white skirt that "she" is holding up as she curtsies. Right next to this character are the words "Sweetie Sweet." Every day a new box, but always the same place, always from the same vendor.

This is a very disturbing recurring image to have. Little Miss Sweetie Sweet has started showing up in my dreams.

So I'm OK. Have good moments and bad moments at work, I try to remember the good ones more. (The last customer example above I have decided is hilarious. Oh so frustrating at the time, because communication was so not happening, but it's funny now.)

I'll post more later after I dig myself out from under this pile of chores.

See you in February!

Wow! It's not all about the *%^@ squirrel!

Just another really, really fun (retail) website. I think the magnets have all the images in the collection. HA!

Y'all are gonna get sick of this

Pic1: Still blurry, 'cause I'm still figuring this out. But it's Kerm in his pouch, trying (in vain, thanks to me) to sleep.
Pic 2: Trying out the broccoli. He ate it all, so I guess he likes it. He left the banana.
Pic 3: Checking out the Christmas tree from all angles. I found out this morning that he dug all around it (I was planning on vacuuming, anyway) and gnawed on the trunk. Hm.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Kermit's Nut. He will not yield it to Any One.

Actually, he's not that posessive yet. But he does tote it around with him (just in case he wants to work on it at odd moments), thus resulting in a very amusing Security Pecan effect.


Kermit has found the One Place Mommy Can't Get To:

I admit, I had to give up on this one. His loss: no breakfast for him! (Or my loss? He was already full on the previous night's Leftover Walnut.) (Which is a good name for a band.)

In other news, he has discovered our Christmas tree. He approves. But it needs more Squirrel. He has also informed me that I'm No Fun At All; He's a Big Squirrel, and Big Squirrels Belong In Trees, Even Fake Ones.

As a compromise, I have gotten him a real tree, in miniature, for his cage. I hope he's happy.

Kermit at rest

"Whaaaat? It's tooooooooo eaaaaarrrllllyyyy ..."

[The yellow fuzz by his nose is from his hammock. He's started to extract lint and carry it around with him.]

New Quirks

Kermit now has a favorite toy ... I suppose one could call it a toy, anyway.

It's a cotton rope we hung from the top of his cage. There are a few knots along the way, but it is otherwise unremarkable for a rope. We've never seen him climb it, or even interact with it in any way. But one morning, I noticed he had brought the end of the rope in through the entrance of his nesting box.

Well, that got undone when I cleaned the cage. He has since opted for his hammock over the nesting box. It's a 2-ply hammock, where he can burrow in between the layers. He's brought the rope with him. This time, it involved bringing the end up several levels of cage. The end of the rope eventually worked its way through the hammock, and Kerm had to bring it back in. Unfortunately, he looped it back through the original way in, thus pinching off his hammock. Oops.

I've fixed it this morning (he had retreated to curling up inside a log). I'm sure further hijinks will ensue.