The Adventures of Being Me

Merry Christmas to all my family and friends. My year started badly with the sudden death of cousin Tammy after 2 ½ months of fighting pancreatic cancer. Then on to the family Christmas at Mom’s house (last one there) where Great Aunt Katie had sent a cd of old photos we watched on TV. Niece Annika loving the Barbie Swan Lake video I gave her decided she wanted dance classes and sister Sylvia found someone to start her at midterm. Soon sister Sylvia’s family cat Scout died from ingesting a toxic substance which lead to kidney failure. Perhaps I was still in shock when my company’s owner decided to sell out and we had to interview to keep our jobs. I was dismissed. I should have won an Emmy for my last day performance pretending nothing was wrong in front of customers I helped. The next day Sylvia took me out to dinner and I entered a drawing for a free week at a local gym to actually win. A couple days I exercised with my friend April explaining my routines based off high school dance ...

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone. I am thankful for Mom supporting me so I didn't have to live in my car after losing my job. And thankful I found a new job to tqake the stress off Mom. Can't have HER go bankrupt before I get back on my feet. Tis the time for the usual Christmas threat. Tell me what you want or you get scented soap/lotion/candle set. That always gets a response.

Who says cats are dumb never met mine. Tonight my Precious laid down on my signed xmas cards and placed a paw over my unsigned pile. Gave attention fest and go back to signing cards. Two paws get placed over my unsigned pile. Another attention fest was in order and I was not signing cards w/out a fight from Precious.

Happy Birthday to my niece. Today I will give her gift after school and stay for supper. Big party with Barbie cake and family is at Thanksgiving.

It finally has happened. I get hit with an overdraft fee b/c Mom's checks didn't get deposited fast enough. Well, the bank can wait til payday on Friday to anymore money from me. I had to call Mom twice begging for money this weekend and not eager for a rerun so soon.

Congratulations to Prince William and Kate Middleton. Hope you will be very happy. If I thought they would receive any engagement gifts I would send, but I know they would be thrown away by their staff so I will write it here. To Kate: Read America's Queen from Sarah Bradford about Jackie Kennedy Onassis. She was a classy lady who learned to deal with the press, public expectations, and yet followed her own heart. Read the book and learn from her. To William: I remember you, a little fuzzy, but I do remember you as a lost boy after you mother's death and heartbroken when I picked up the phone and didn't know who you were. I still have your mother's 10 pence coin and visited England in 2002. Hampton Court had the most beautiful gardens I've ever seen. The most important words to say in your future marriage are as follows: I'm sorry, I'm scared, and You are the most beautiful woman in the world. Again Congratulations to you both.

God my feet hurt. I bet it is the new shoes. Saw a visitor from corporate at the store this morning. The guy actually said Good Morning to my coworker and I. Most corporate people from past jobs never speak to the riffraff so this was nice. Past jobs the corpoarte visitors only speak to managers, talk about sales numbers, customer surveys, and presentation of things. You are lucky if they reply when you say a simple hello. Usually they just stare at you as if thinking "Why are speaking to me?". Had a lady come in the store with an exchange. Ok, go get what she wants to exchange and I will do it for her. She returns with the exchange item w/out the original item. Oh, she thought you just switch items and walk out (on what planet does this occur?). No, I scan her receipt, scan the returned item, and scan exchange item to give her a receipt for new item (and not f*** up inventory numbers). Oh, that's how it's done (at every store I been in). She gets the r...

Did my 1st 8 hr shift today complete with lunch break and 2 snack breaks. This retail job schedules your breaks to make sure you get them. We have a breaker come by when it is busy (new coupon came out in the newspaper so it WAS busy) to give us our breaks. I like this job. Other retail stores let you pick your break between customers. And when really busy or coworkers refuse to cover your area, you often don't get them at all. Or managers scream how you left your area unattended and I defend back I have to take breaks (they dock your pay for break times even if you didn't take them b/c it's illegal not to give employees breaks). I like my store. 

Guy stopped his car to ask to take a photo of Precious on his cell. He is the biggest cat he's ever seen. Yes Maine Coons are the biggest cat breed. He doesn't pose well, but hope he got his pic. People think it's hilarious to see a cat on a leash.

Is it just me or does anyone else think a prohibition on fast food is coming, after all America had it with alcoholic beverages and we all know how that turned out. French fries just might become a controlled substance under control of the FDA at this rate. These people already ruined McDonald's fries I use to love so much, now with the nutritional oil they tasate like garbage. Now they work on destroying the Happy Meal. How will explain to my niece and nephew they are not allowed to eat French Fries with their hamburger? I want my French Fries. 

With Daylight Savings Time giving me an extra hour of sleep, I still sleep in late and missed my sister phone calls requesting babysitting. I did an overnight w/them on Friday night, give me a break. Neighbor can have a turn. I got my window open and heat off. Precious likes this weather.

Got a call from sister asking to pick up the kids from daycare and feed them at my place.You mean like an overnight. Yes, that would be good. She is sick and got off work early to come home. Of couse, she can ready a bag for them and I'll swing by before picking them up. I have leave now so bump off Frodo napping on my lap (he is so cute when he sleeps I hate disturbing him). Sister is on the couch and had not packed anything. She tells me where everything is and gives me food to take. Pack tomorrow clothes and jammies with underwear and socks. Grabbed mac and cheese, vegetables, and snack. Pick kids up. Darn I forgot the sleeping bag. Kids stay in car w/ me taking their school bags inside and grabbed sleeping bag. Got home and went straight to the Strawberry Shortcake dolls I said I got new. I have only one Shortcake doll and found a couple more only an extra inch taller so got them. Clothes were mostly interchangable. Old tights a little short on new dolls but exceptable. Showe...

Happy Election Day. Go vote b/c the outcome will be determined only by the people who actually do. Polls mean nothing when people never cast a ballot. I'm so good at telling people what they want to hear. I won't be voting today. I see neither political party with a plan to solve problems, I see a power struggle to win control. Whoever wins or loses will have no effect on me. I will still be broke and working a job that pays about half to where I was before I was let go from my job. I will still be begging Mom for money to just get by. And like last year I will very unlikely buy Christmas presents b/c I'm broke with no savings and no hope of this suffering to end. Every time an economist says the recession will end this or last year, a company discards hundreds of workers and economy just gets worse.