Line Skippers and Other Angry Folk

Why are so many shoppers so ridiculously angry? They hate it that one person is in line ahead of them, they hate it that the prices are not the same as they were in 1973, they hate it that we don't employ enough people so we can follow them about and cater to their every whim, and sometimes they really just hate me.

I know enough not to allow their anger to spill over and ruin my day. I'm pleasant and I just laugh it off. I can endure anything for five to ten minutes. Roll your eyes, grunt, and insult the other shoppers or the employees all you want it won't affect my mood. If that is what you've been trying to do you've failed miserably. But you just enjoy your gloom and doom. You do enjoy it don't you? I mean that must be why you do it. Why else would you wallow in a bad mood like that day in and day out?

I seem to be having all the angry people all at once. Maybe they are more tense because living is getting more difficult for them at the end of the month, and perhaps they are just simply mean spirited people.

Several people have tried skipping in line this week. Some have said they didn't know there were others in line and others have said that they were in a big hurry or had somewhere very important to be. Why do you go shopping in the first place if you know you have an appointment on the other side of town in ten minutes?

I was waiting on a lady today. She had one simple and short request. She forgot her coupon and needed a refund. It only took a moment but the man behind her slammed his groceries on the counter and cussed. He looked at her again and rolled his eyes and cussed some more. I rang him up quickly and without comment. As he was leaving he decided to insult the previous customer some more by saying, "That lady was way too old to be trying to dress so young." She looked properly clothed to me. He was just looking for something to hurl out there and that was the best he could do.

Speaking of dressing, there are always interesting wardrobe choices in a grocery store. Many, many people shop in their pajamas. One lady came in and did her weeks worth of shopping in orange fluffy slippers, bright red pajama bottoms, and a yellow tshirt that said "Insane Asylum" across the front in bold letters. She topped her ensemble with a thick pink terry cloth bathrobe. She's worn that outfit a few times.

I was working as a cashier the other day and noticed several of my regulars from the service counter were choosing my line to purchase their groceries. I've been exclusively on the counter for a few months now and it was nice to have a change of pace. One of my regulars with a concerned look leaned forward lowered her voice and asked, "You didn't get demoted did you?" It's also really nice when someone has your back.

I have one more day to go before a much needed day off. I feel completely drained, utterly exhausted. I'm looking forward to getting more done around the house and figuring out something fun to do as well.

I'll leave you with this until next time: There is nothing cuter than a two year old in a diaper, his belly decorated with barnyard animal stickers, strutting down the hallway in a pair of high heels.

Stuck in Scrubbing Mode

I'm tackling all those big chores that have piled up. To be honest at the end of the day I just can't think of anything to write. Work, come home and scrub, or, wake up then scrub and then get ready for work. They wanted me to work a sixth day again this week and I asked them to please find someone else. I'm exhausted.

Today is closet scrubbing day. It's really gross but mold collects along one wall of our closet. I removed all the clothes the other day. In a few minutes I will scrub the entire closet clean. Tomorrow I will wash the clothes and put them back when everything is dry. This is one of the big annoying chores that I put off for too long. I did convince my husband to get rid of a lot of clothing, so there will be a lot less to put back. I got rid of a huge pile of shirts and skirts that I haven't worn in a long time too.

We made forty dollars by recycling some aluminum that had been taking up space in our garage. We still have a few more bags as we couldn't fit everything into the car. Next time we drive that way we can make another ten to twenty dollars.

In the midst of my cleaning a few days ago I received a phone call from an old friend. She had called me the month before to offer me a part time job in the store where she works. It is in the next county so I declined for the time being but I did consider moving and working there if my husband could find employment. She called me this time to vent her frustrations because she just found out her store will be closing and April will be her last month. She told me it was the hardest thing to gather her employees and tell them they would not have jobs after April. It's still very difficult to find employment here. I'm glad I didn't rush to move now. I'm saving for a bigger move this Spring or Summer. I still have no idea where, but not knowing is half the fun.

On technical notes, there is a lot I need to learn about blogging. I plan to get the pesky household chores out of the way, so I don't think about them all the time. I must quiet my guilt over the extreme dust in the bookshelves, the stained carpeting, and the pile of laundry. I want to fix the blog, learn a bit more about how to do things properly, and buy a camera that will work well with it so I can glam it up a bit. To be honest, I just slapped it together without learning much and ran with it. I hear others are patient and have a cue of articles waiting so they never have a long silence. I want to put more into it. I enjoy being here.

Now your turn. What big projects are you working on? And, are jobs still just as hard to find in your area?