Really boring day off with me sleeping 9 hours due to menstral cramps, popping meds for the cramps, the exhaustion that goes along with it and mowing the in-laws' yard and earning $20...and being alone. I never see Jon anymore. He's always at work...or I am. Then Jon comes home for an hour, we eat something tasty then he informs me he's heading to his other mistress, Shane's house. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't really care, but hey, I've seen the man a total of one hour a day all week...and yesterday was his day off, during which he changed the oil in my engine but I saw him....maybe 5 hours all told as he was running errands and such and talking to his mom. (I don't mind sharing him with his mom, she's going through something and I'm not sure what.)
Then I go outside once he leaves to dump some trash in the recycle bin and a guy walks over.
"Hi. I'm Jerry. Jerry's son." He indicates the nice house next door that's been empty since March. "Someone broke in and stole the plumbing out of the basement, did you see anything?"
Oh, shit. My blood just runs cold. "No, no, I didn't. That's awful."
We have a brief conversation in which I promise to call the cops if I see anything suspicious at all. I verified that the realtor drives a blue GMC SUV and that the kid that mows the lawn has a white glass repair van. I already knew that this Jerry is driving his dad's special black Caddy we nicknamed the Batmobile before he died. That old man was soooo excited to get that car, he acted like a ten year old and it has so many gadgets on it (Old Jerry explained them to us in great detail) that it really was the Batmobile, at least to us poor folk.
I come back inside and phone Jon.
He HAS seen something over there. Two guys in an escort messing with the central air. I keep him on the line and hand him to Jerry. They talk.
And I am alone again. Waiting for Jon to come home. I don't feel safe here. A few months ago the neighbor girl's car was stolen. Now, the other neighbor's plumbing a/c and furnace coils have been stolen...probably, all while we were home. And we are the house in the middle. I've always thought we have nothing really worth stealing. But, then, we do have plumbing, cars, and a furnace. And we'd be crippled if any of those things went missing or broken.
I want out of this neighborhood. No down payment, no nothing. And probably no one would want to buy this crap shack with its shaky plumbing and other issues--most of them less serious. Plus, we'd have to sell it to be able to move elsewhere....leaving it vulnerable to break-ins.
Sigh. I hate being ghetto adjacent. Three years ago, we weren't ghetto adjacent. Now, however, we are.
This sounds better.
I want to go back to my roots. Funny, Jon prefers my roots even those these urban roots are his. He'd rather live with the cornfields and the cows than the people.
Too many people, too much anonymity. I lived in a very small community. When someone was robbed, there was an 80 percent chance someone recognized the culprit. Why? Because to know where we lived and to know our habits, you had to frequent the area. And country people don't miss too much. They know each other's cars, work habits and just patterns in general. When someone suspected something wrong, you'd get a direct phone call or a visit...and that neighbor would be toting some sort of firearm--just in case. Why? Because it the sheriff managed to find the address--an hour later (it would take about that long for them to drive there) it would be too late to do much good.
My family unfortunately had some experience with the county sheriff taking forever and my dad arming himself and me with various guns while we were waiting and the culprits were running about the area near our house after wrecking their truck into the ditch next to our driveway. Scary shit. All while the corn was 10 feet tall..impossible to know where the bad guys were. Of course, they got away, but dad wasn't leaving us unarmed either.
Maybe I'll get really lucky and a cyclone will transport my house and its contents safely to a rather uninhabited area just like the Land of Oz.
Unrelated side note from back home: Amish in the U.S.
For the uninitiated, a "large" family for the Amish is at least 5 children...usually more like 8. But, hey, for all their inhumane treatment of their own family members, animals, and such, I never once caught any of them stealing copper plumbing. They DO commit crimes, mostly against each other. Weird, but true.
I'd still like to introduce a bunch of Amish into Detroit and see if they could turn the city into a big desolate farm. I really think they could. And I really think it would be an improvement. Maybe it would be a public service: Amish in Da Hood!
Monday, July 30, 2012
Thursday, July 26, 2012
When Good People go Ga-Ga
Picture this, quirky, usually fairly rational people in a room, you've known three of them most of your life, and one for about five years. Enter a baby, four months old, drooling, cranky, stubborn and refusing to sleep because there are too many people to stare at. See the usually rational people suddenly not be able to carry on an adult conversation without suddenly lapsing into "ah, poor thing!" As if there were something wrong with the perfectly healthy baby other than she is sleepy. It makes for heaps of weird.
This happened to me when I went to visit my parents, who are, first time grandparents because I would rather perform a self-hysterectomy than have a screaming, pooping. drooling little drunk person in my house at all times. My brother was perhaps the most logical of the bunch. My sister in law has completely lost her mind. Staring at the kid with bug-eyes and talking to it as though she were "singing" along to a death metal song. I use the term "singing" quite loosely. Death metal is all about gutteral devil-sounding voices.
It was as though I'd fallen through the looking glass.
My dog, Emma, was quite terrified of the voice that made the baby laugh. I am quite sure that this baby is going to think people talking happily will be the worst thing ever--or that its mother is secretly professional wrestler John Cena...I don't know how to spell his name and I don't particularly care.
Just when I thought things couldn't become MORE weird, I came back from a bathroom break to discover the conversation had turned to my sister in law wanting to get the baby's ears pierced. What if she doesn't want her ears pierced? At least let her get old enough to decide on her own. My brother was particularly angry looking about the announcement. Apparently this had not been discussed before. Hopefully he can be the voice of reason and stop this nonsense.
I really don't want my niece being included in an episode of Toddlers and Tiaras.
Maybe next time I go visit my parents, we'll be discussing the merits of tramp stamps for toddlers.
Otherwise, it was a nice trip home. The dogs had happy run time and we got to get stuffed on Mom's cooking, and the local Mexican restaurant, which we miss. We didn't get to eat at our favorite pizza shop because it doesn't open on Mondays and it doesn't usually open until 4 pm and we needed to be heading back by then.
Jon started his new job at General Bearing yesterday. It's five miles from our house, which is good since he is driving that big V6...so not only will he be making more money, we will be spending less on gas. He says that his job is easy, could get boring, but that his employers were treating him as an actual person!!!! Never got that at Burger King. I know I much prefer the smell of his clothes. They just smell like grease, oil, and metal lubricant. Much much better than old burgers, stale fries and ass sweat. All in all, he had no real complaints yet. I'm sure that will change but since he is getting lots of overtime and steady hours that should help outweigh whatever the complaints will be.
This happened to me when I went to visit my parents, who are, first time grandparents because I would rather perform a self-hysterectomy than have a screaming, pooping. drooling little drunk person in my house at all times. My brother was perhaps the most logical of the bunch. My sister in law has completely lost her mind. Staring at the kid with bug-eyes and talking to it as though she were "singing" along to a death metal song. I use the term "singing" quite loosely. Death metal is all about gutteral devil-sounding voices.
It was as though I'd fallen through the looking glass.
My dog, Emma, was quite terrified of the voice that made the baby laugh. I am quite sure that this baby is going to think people talking happily will be the worst thing ever--or that its mother is secretly professional wrestler John Cena...I don't know how to spell his name and I don't particularly care.
Just when I thought things couldn't become MORE weird, I came back from a bathroom break to discover the conversation had turned to my sister in law wanting to get the baby's ears pierced. What if she doesn't want her ears pierced? At least let her get old enough to decide on her own. My brother was particularly angry looking about the announcement. Apparently this had not been discussed before. Hopefully he can be the voice of reason and stop this nonsense.
I really don't want my niece being included in an episode of Toddlers and Tiaras.
Maybe next time I go visit my parents, we'll be discussing the merits of tramp stamps for toddlers.
Otherwise, it was a nice trip home. The dogs had happy run time and we got to get stuffed on Mom's cooking, and the local Mexican restaurant, which we miss. We didn't get to eat at our favorite pizza shop because it doesn't open on Mondays and it doesn't usually open until 4 pm and we needed to be heading back by then.
Jon started his new job at General Bearing yesterday. It's five miles from our house, which is good since he is driving that big V6...so not only will he be making more money, we will be spending less on gas. He says that his job is easy, could get boring, but that his employers were treating him as an actual person!!!! Never got that at Burger King. I know I much prefer the smell of his clothes. They just smell like grease, oil, and metal lubricant. Much much better than old burgers, stale fries and ass sweat. All in all, he had no real complaints yet. I'm sure that will change but since he is getting lots of overtime and steady hours that should help outweigh whatever the complaints will be.
Friday, July 13, 2012
And More Idiots Came out of Nowhere
Ever hear of returning a defective item bought from a store, with no receipt and NO defective item? Yes, this happened. The customer was incredibly irate when the assistant manager and I told her this was just not possible. She threw a fit and called us to ask for the corporate phone number to file a complaint. Corporate must have told her it was company policy and that what she was asking was not possible because we received no email of doom from corporate telling us just how this customer's ass must be kissed.
Usually, its much like this:
I also witnessed the largest camel toe I have ever seen. My friend Jason's face turned green when this lady walked into the store and I decided I didn't need to notice anything. Ignorance is, sometimes, bliss. A snickering Brandon then told me it was a sight not to be missed....so I looked. Erm, wow, I thought about taking the woman to the full length mirror in the dressing room and asking if she saw what the rest of us were seeing.
It looked a lot like the Mariah Carey image on the right....except this woman was 80 pounds heavier. Jason said it was almost like he could do a gynecological exam without the woman needing to disrobe. This led to much snickering.
Wanted: full length mirror
This is pretty gross. It belongs on People of Wal Mart. I guess no matter how many stylists, hangers-on, and money you acquire, all of them are afraid to say "Hey, Mariah, you have camel toe!"
Today was Friday the 13th. I didn't even realize that until about an hour ago. I am not superstitious, but it was a day filled with crazies.
Minor crazies ask questions and expect me to know all about a certain weed killer and have apparently become illiterate the moment they step inside the store and for some reason think they need me to explain the merits of Roundup in some bizarre boring adult story time. Mixing instructions are on the label and its actually quite a thick booklet.
"And then Roundup killed everything it came in contact with. THE END."
Usually, its much like this:
I also witnessed the largest camel toe I have ever seen. My friend Jason's face turned green when this lady walked into the store and I decided I didn't need to notice anything. Ignorance is, sometimes, bliss. A snickering Brandon then told me it was a sight not to be missed....so I looked. Erm, wow, I thought about taking the woman to the full length mirror in the dressing room and asking if she saw what the rest of us were seeing.
It looked a lot like the Mariah Carey image on the right....except this woman was 80 pounds heavier. Jason said it was almost like he could do a gynecological exam without the woman needing to disrobe. This led to much snickering.
Wanted: full length mirror
Today was Friday the 13th. I didn't even realize that until about an hour ago. I am not superstitious, but it was a day filled with crazies.
Minor crazies ask questions and expect me to know all about a certain weed killer and have apparently become illiterate the moment they step inside the store and for some reason think they need me to explain the merits of Roundup in some bizarre boring adult story time. Mixing instructions are on the label and its actually quite a thick booklet.
"And then Roundup killed everything it came in contact with. THE END."
Saturday, July 7, 2012
The Deep South Visits Michigan
There were thunderstorms just in time for Independence Day; which, I am sure put a damper on some folks' holiday, but I counted it as lucky; considering Michigan just legalized Ohio-style fireworks so all the idiots were out playing with big boom sticks--even though the houses around these parts are 15-30 feet apart and the threat of fire in this very very dry summer would be quite high. So people in Michigan no longer are making border runs to Ohio to buy fireworks...I wonder if Ohio will now legalize Kentucky style fireworks--because all the Ohio people want the larger Kentucky fireworks. Seems the further South someone travels in America, the bigger the stick of dynamite it is legal to detonate. I wonder if this is somehow connected to the higher rate of illiteracy in the Deep South?
Back home in Ohio, there were bad storms. People without power for seven days in this oppressive heat and humidity. My parents were out of power from June 29 until July 5. Doesn't sound like a long time until you factor in nearly 100 degree temperatures and scads of humidity. They were lucky enough to be able to stash their food in my grandpa's freezer (he has a generator) so they didn't lose all of it. The worst part of losing power in the country is the water situation. Well pumps run on electricity--and take LOTS of it. No power, no water. My dad stockpiles water for toilet flushing and hand washing, but its not really good to drink stale water so they have to buy water or find someone with a strong enough generator to run a well pump. Most generators won't.
Here, it has been oppressive as well. Feels like I'm living in the Deep South instead of Michigan. The recorded high yesterday, according to weather.com was 99 degrees Fahrenheit. It is currently 93 degrees at 9 30 am. Emma, my gung-ho outside dog, doesn't even want to stay out there lately. Usually, she wants to be out there for hours, lately, she's itching to come inside where its cooler.
Jon and I have decided to take a little road trip to Ohio over his birthday...three days or so, just for fun. My parents are always willing, and since they don't mind animals in the house, dogs can go along. They have extra beds and, since I don't, they have only been here to visit us twice. Once after we moved, and once for our wedding. They don't much fancy sleeping on an air mattress on the floor--especially because my dad broke his back a few years ago and I think its still pretty painful. I never think of them as old, which I guess they aren't, but I don't think of them as their real ages either. Dad is 62 and Mom is 60. Somehow, for me, anyway, they stopped aging at around 40.
I love/hate going home. Family is always nice, sleeping on a comfy non-worn out bed is great (our mattress is shot and I don't want to go into more debt to replace it, I need to pay off my car repair first), but the things that have changed make for sadness. Like more development, less trees, that sort of thing. But the trip is usually fun and driving on winding roads is a treat. The curviest roads I drive on lately are Kensington Road, Grand River, and Spencer Road and none of them are THAT curvy. Plus, Spencer is gravel and one has to think about pedestrians, kids on bikes, and chickens in the road....which makes me smile and reminds me of home even though Spencer is twice as wide as the road my parents live on. To pass a Mack truck on my parents' road, the smaller vehicle pulls to the side as far as possible and STOPS to let the big thing pass. Sometimes, depending on the bit of road on which you meet, it can be pretty hairy.
Back home in Ohio, there were bad storms. People without power for seven days in this oppressive heat and humidity. My parents were out of power from June 29 until July 5. Doesn't sound like a long time until you factor in nearly 100 degree temperatures and scads of humidity. They were lucky enough to be able to stash their food in my grandpa's freezer (he has a generator) so they didn't lose all of it. The worst part of losing power in the country is the water situation. Well pumps run on electricity--and take LOTS of it. No power, no water. My dad stockpiles water for toilet flushing and hand washing, but its not really good to drink stale water so they have to buy water or find someone with a strong enough generator to run a well pump. Most generators won't.
Here, it has been oppressive as well. Feels like I'm living in the Deep South instead of Michigan. The recorded high yesterday, according to weather.com was 99 degrees Fahrenheit. It is currently 93 degrees at 9 30 am. Emma, my gung-ho outside dog, doesn't even want to stay out there lately. Usually, she wants to be out there for hours, lately, she's itching to come inside where its cooler.
Jon and I have decided to take a little road trip to Ohio over his birthday...three days or so, just for fun. My parents are always willing, and since they don't mind animals in the house, dogs can go along. They have extra beds and, since I don't, they have only been here to visit us twice. Once after we moved, and once for our wedding. They don't much fancy sleeping on an air mattress on the floor--especially because my dad broke his back a few years ago and I think its still pretty painful. I never think of them as old, which I guess they aren't, but I don't think of them as their real ages either. Dad is 62 and Mom is 60. Somehow, for me, anyway, they stopped aging at around 40.
I love/hate going home. Family is always nice, sleeping on a comfy non-worn out bed is great (our mattress is shot and I don't want to go into more debt to replace it, I need to pay off my car repair first), but the things that have changed make for sadness. Like more development, less trees, that sort of thing. But the trip is usually fun and driving on winding roads is a treat. The curviest roads I drive on lately are Kensington Road, Grand River, and Spencer Road and none of them are THAT curvy. Plus, Spencer is gravel and one has to think about pedestrians, kids on bikes, and chickens in the road....which makes me smile and reminds me of home even though Spencer is twice as wide as the road my parents live on. To pass a Mack truck on my parents' road, the smaller vehicle pulls to the side as far as possible and STOPS to let the big thing pass. Sometimes, depending on the bit of road on which you meet, it can be pretty hairy.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Of Cabbages and Kings
It has been a really really long time since I posted anything. I was kind of waiting for "something" to happen. Lots of things have happened.
The old fridge decided it would freeze the veggies constantly and just as constantly heat up the freezer portion so that ice and food in general was impossible. I have a wonderful aunt. I call her Auntie Max. She used to struggle with bills and such but has been quite fortunate in recent years. She out of the blue, offered to write me a check for the cost of a basic refrigerator (after me posting things about looking for used ones) with the stipulation that I buy a brand new one. I cried a bit, because I was so happy to be offered something so unexpectedly. Then I took her up on her offer.
So, thanks to her and some finagling with the salesman by Jon, we have a brand new GE fridge that works great and feels much more roomy than that old side by side. Because it wasn't offered in black, and because the idea of a giant white box sitting in my kitchen didn't really appeal to me, I invested in some chalkboard paint, so the front of the fridge can now be used as a giant message board. Awesome! Chalkboard paint is one of the most brilliant inventions ever. I even bought some sidewalk chalk that can be wiped off with just water. Also awesome--no dusty eraser! And it was cheap, which is always good when you are on a budget.
BEFORE & AFTER
I have been working the past two Sundays at the Howell store. The place is a mess. But I get to gossip with Nannette and the Dread Pirate Roberts and the day goes fast plus I get to keep all my hours. So, its fine. I have not seen the heinous manager and don't expect to since I am told he rarely, if ever, works Sundays. Also I work with the Graham Cracker's younger brother and he is just as hard a worker as she is so that makes me smile. He also has her mannerisms packed into a very blonde package instead of her very brunette one.
I do miss having my two days off in a row. I seem to accomplish more and feel more rested. And maybe the in laws' yard will need a mow soon. I need to work off $20 and I'd like to earn $20 more at some point. I haven't mowed my yard in a month. Theirs I haven't mowed in two weeks.
The New Hudson store has a new receiver. We have always derogatorily referred to her as The Princess. It's for a good reason. She took this job on TOP of her current duties with no raise. What an idiot. But, she isn't doing her work and is pawning it off onto others and the Spurminator, of course, is enabling her to do so. You want the job, you do the work. End of story. I have so far squirmed out of several things that were her job because I didn't agree to take the job of receiver. It's a rough job. I have worked with some of the best receivers in the business. I respected and HELPED them of my own choosing. I do not and never will respect The Princess.
The Princess and Spur Girl crossed paths two days ago. The Princess was putting pallets in Spur Girl's way. An altercation ensued. Spur Girl has the temper of an old stick of dynamite and the mouth of a truck driver. So she called The Princess out on her laziness, threw some mini skids, and The Princess responded with general mouthiness about doing the work of three people (an absolute lie) which exacerbated the situation. The Princess is a manager. Managers can not behave that way. No matter what names she's called or language is used. She is supposed to be professional and grown up and handle it that way. Did not happen. All people who witnessed this altercation were asked to write a statement for Human Resources. One refused. And the rest were good sheep. Too bad I wasn't a witness. I would have written a statement saying that the Princess added fuel to the fire and that if she'd been doing her job properly the last three weeks this never would have happened. In a fair world, both parties would get a write up. In the TSC world, I'm sure it will only be Spur Girl.
Took both dogs to the mobile vet in the Wasteland today. $125 for 3 months Heartguard for both dogs (I will have to buy more but am not currently made of money), two heart worm tests, two three year rabies shots, and two toe nail trims. It's one hell of a bargain. Doggles, of course was a complete baby about the blood draw and the nail clipping. He made awful little piggy squeal noises the whole time and the other people there with dogs just laughed at him and said he was a pretty dog. Emma, was quite surprisingly well behaved an unafraid of the other people and dogs. I was quite surprised. She even made friends with a pretty little cocker spaniel and wanted to play! Generally, I have to watch her because she is so terrified she gets a little snippy.
Then both dogs had a bath because I keep finding random fleas despite having the animals on flea treatments. I swear these city fleas are becoming immune. And sprayed the carpet with Wisdom TC which is supposed to be the shit (I did this last week as well) but apparently the larvae are nearly impossible to kill so you have to wait until they hatch. Good thing about Wisdom, it doesn't leave an odor or stain.
I went to obtain new dog licenses because in June they are $10 a piece instead of the usual $30...so its worth the deadline. I found that the dog license lady is now obsolete and they have combined this service with the water department at the water department building. Might have been nice to tell your residents?
I know, it probably makes lots of economical sense, but I was annoyed that I had to drive somewhere else in the 90+ degree day when I just wanted to go home and do laundry and get all my chores done so I can relax. Also, I had to listen to some man pleading with them to not shut off his water because he had been out of town for months and months and didn't realize his pipes had burst over the winter and had been paying down the balance a bit at a time, couldn't they work with him? You know, the usual.
The lady looked very relieved that all I wanted was dog licenses.
And that's the past three weeks.
The old fridge decided it would freeze the veggies constantly and just as constantly heat up the freezer portion so that ice and food in general was impossible. I have a wonderful aunt. I call her Auntie Max. She used to struggle with bills and such but has been quite fortunate in recent years. She out of the blue, offered to write me a check for the cost of a basic refrigerator (after me posting things about looking for used ones) with the stipulation that I buy a brand new one. I cried a bit, because I was so happy to be offered something so unexpectedly. Then I took her up on her offer.
So, thanks to her and some finagling with the salesman by Jon, we have a brand new GE fridge that works great and feels much more roomy than that old side by side. Because it wasn't offered in black, and because the idea of a giant white box sitting in my kitchen didn't really appeal to me, I invested in some chalkboard paint, so the front of the fridge can now be used as a giant message board. Awesome! Chalkboard paint is one of the most brilliant inventions ever. I even bought some sidewalk chalk that can be wiped off with just water. Also awesome--no dusty eraser! And it was cheap, which is always good when you are on a budget.
BEFORE & AFTER
I have been working the past two Sundays at the Howell store. The place is a mess. But I get to gossip with Nannette and the Dread Pirate Roberts and the day goes fast plus I get to keep all my hours. So, its fine. I have not seen the heinous manager and don't expect to since I am told he rarely, if ever, works Sundays. Also I work with the Graham Cracker's younger brother and he is just as hard a worker as she is so that makes me smile. He also has her mannerisms packed into a very blonde package instead of her very brunette one.
I do miss having my two days off in a row. I seem to accomplish more and feel more rested. And maybe the in laws' yard will need a mow soon. I need to work off $20 and I'd like to earn $20 more at some point. I haven't mowed my yard in a month. Theirs I haven't mowed in two weeks.
The New Hudson store has a new receiver. We have always derogatorily referred to her as The Princess. It's for a good reason. She took this job on TOP of her current duties with no raise. What an idiot. But, she isn't doing her work and is pawning it off onto others and the Spurminator, of course, is enabling her to do so. You want the job, you do the work. End of story. I have so far squirmed out of several things that were her job because I didn't agree to take the job of receiver. It's a rough job. I have worked with some of the best receivers in the business. I respected and HELPED them of my own choosing. I do not and never will respect The Princess.
The Princess and Spur Girl crossed paths two days ago. The Princess was putting pallets in Spur Girl's way. An altercation ensued. Spur Girl has the temper of an old stick of dynamite and the mouth of a truck driver. So she called The Princess out on her laziness, threw some mini skids, and The Princess responded with general mouthiness about doing the work of three people (an absolute lie) which exacerbated the situation. The Princess is a manager. Managers can not behave that way. No matter what names she's called or language is used. She is supposed to be professional and grown up and handle it that way. Did not happen. All people who witnessed this altercation were asked to write a statement for Human Resources. One refused. And the rest were good sheep. Too bad I wasn't a witness. I would have written a statement saying that the Princess added fuel to the fire and that if she'd been doing her job properly the last three weeks this never would have happened. In a fair world, both parties would get a write up. In the TSC world, I'm sure it will only be Spur Girl.
Took both dogs to the mobile vet in the Wasteland today. $125 for 3 months Heartguard for both dogs (I will have to buy more but am not currently made of money), two heart worm tests, two three year rabies shots, and two toe nail trims. It's one hell of a bargain. Doggles, of course was a complete baby about the blood draw and the nail clipping. He made awful little piggy squeal noises the whole time and the other people there with dogs just laughed at him and said he was a pretty dog. Emma, was quite surprisingly well behaved an unafraid of the other people and dogs. I was quite surprised. She even made friends with a pretty little cocker spaniel and wanted to play! Generally, I have to watch her because she is so terrified she gets a little snippy.
Then both dogs had a bath because I keep finding random fleas despite having the animals on flea treatments. I swear these city fleas are becoming immune. And sprayed the carpet with Wisdom TC which is supposed to be the shit (I did this last week as well) but apparently the larvae are nearly impossible to kill so you have to wait until they hatch. Good thing about Wisdom, it doesn't leave an odor or stain.
I went to obtain new dog licenses because in June they are $10 a piece instead of the usual $30...so its worth the deadline. I found that the dog license lady is now obsolete and they have combined this service with the water department at the water department building. Might have been nice to tell your residents?
I know, it probably makes lots of economical sense, but I was annoyed that I had to drive somewhere else in the 90+ degree day when I just wanted to go home and do laundry and get all my chores done so I can relax. Also, I had to listen to some man pleading with them to not shut off his water because he had been out of town for months and months and didn't realize his pipes had burst over the winter and had been paying down the balance a bit at a time, couldn't they work with him? You know, the usual.
The lady looked very relieved that all I wanted was dog licenses.
And that's the past three weeks.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
I fought the Law
Tomorrow is my first day back at the Howell store in over a year. Should be interesting considering I only know three people who work there now. Everyone else quit or relocated due to an asshole manager. But, since it was a beneficial situation for all parties concerned, I got my way. It's good to pick battles based on knowledge of the probable outcome. I'm all for it. I get to keep my hours up around 40 per week and NOT use well-earned vacation hours to pay my bills. The Spurminator (my store manager) gets to cut 10 hours per week from his payroll. And Birdman (the asshole manager) gets an already well trained and seasoned veteran to help run his store since all his people walked out.
I've been singing this little ditty all week..."I fought the Nazis and I won! I fought the Nazis and I won!" To the tune of "I Fought the Law"
The family of the man that died next door rented a huge dumpster to clean out anything that didn't sell at the estate sale or that no one could possibly want. This is cool by me. Under the cover of darkness I got rid of a broken chair, a pallet, and a falling apart table that have all been sitting outside from varying periods of one to three years. Yes, yes, illegal dumping and all that rot.
If Redford doesn't want people illegally dumping couches and mattresses in alleys and along freeways, maybe the cost of bulk pickup should be less than $100 for one item and $50 after that. Ridiculous. So we usually leave things in our backyard until one of us breaks out the sawzall and chops them up into pieces to go with the normal trash pickup. We did that to a sleeper sofa. That was a bitch.
Tonight was the fourth of July. Did you know? Me either. Apparently Redford does fireworks the first week of June instead because they think people won't attend on July 4 due to larger fireworks shows in the area. And people think to attend fireworks in June? I certainly had no idea until Emma started going bonkers from hearing all the explosions. Why waste all that money if that's the case? Save it for fixing the roads or plowing in the winter.
Last weekend was also Memorial Day. Bet you didn't know that, either. Beech Daly from Six Mile to Five Mile was cordoned off by police so Redford could have a Memorial Day parade a week after the actual Memorial Day. Why? Same reason. They are afraid no one would attend being out of town or attending other parades. Ridiculous. Also, makes driving from my house to anywhere pretty much out of the question. They were even blocking off side streets in some areas.
I am going refrigerator shopping on Monday!!!! (Yes, exclamation points. I have no idea how long its even been since I bought something brand new.) I was planning on finding a decent used fridge but, my Auntie Max stepped in and sent us a check. It's enough to cover a basic fridge. And she stipulated that we buy a new one, so we shall! Then we shall scrap old gigantaur that freezes the veggies but won't make ice. Damn thing.
I've been singing this little ditty all week..."I fought the Nazis and I won! I fought the Nazis and I won!" To the tune of "I Fought the Law"
The family of the man that died next door rented a huge dumpster to clean out anything that didn't sell at the estate sale or that no one could possibly want. This is cool by me. Under the cover of darkness I got rid of a broken chair, a pallet, and a falling apart table that have all been sitting outside from varying periods of one to three years. Yes, yes, illegal dumping and all that rot.
If Redford doesn't want people illegally dumping couches and mattresses in alleys and along freeways, maybe the cost of bulk pickup should be less than $100 for one item and $50 after that. Ridiculous. So we usually leave things in our backyard until one of us breaks out the sawzall and chops them up into pieces to go with the normal trash pickup. We did that to a sleeper sofa. That was a bitch.
Tonight was the fourth of July. Did you know? Me either. Apparently Redford does fireworks the first week of June instead because they think people won't attend on July 4 due to larger fireworks shows in the area. And people think to attend fireworks in June? I certainly had no idea until Emma started going bonkers from hearing all the explosions. Why waste all that money if that's the case? Save it for fixing the roads or plowing in the winter.
Last weekend was also Memorial Day. Bet you didn't know that, either. Beech Daly from Six Mile to Five Mile was cordoned off by police so Redford could have a Memorial Day parade a week after the actual Memorial Day. Why? Same reason. They are afraid no one would attend being out of town or attending other parades. Ridiculous. Also, makes driving from my house to anywhere pretty much out of the question. They were even blocking off side streets in some areas.
I am going refrigerator shopping on Monday!!!! (Yes, exclamation points. I have no idea how long its even been since I bought something brand new.) I was planning on finding a decent used fridge but, my Auntie Max stepped in and sent us a check. It's enough to cover a basic fridge. And she stipulated that we buy a new one, so we shall! Then we shall scrap old gigantaur that freezes the veggies but won't make ice. Damn thing.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Corporate Pigs
The corporate Nazis that rose to power by being, well, Nazis apparently told Wall Street that TSC was going to make "X" numbers vs. operating costs and, guess what, greatly over estimated "X". So full time employees are all being dropped down to minimum hours (meaning 30 hours per week) and are being told to use paid sick and vacation leave to cover the shortfall in their paycheck for a month. I earned every vacation hour by dealing with corporate and customer bullshit over the past five years...and I greatly resent any corporate entity telling me that either I use those hours to cover the $400 gap in my income over the next month, or deal with my checks being $200 short for two pay periods.
Why can't the CEO, Regional Managers, and District Managers, and Managers nationwide cover the shortfall? I don't even know what any of them earn. I'm sure it equates to a hell of a lot more than $9 an hour. I happen to know the bonus for Store Managers making the numbers for their stores is enough to buy a brand new Ford Focus outright. Must be nice. Wonder what sorts of bonuses District Managers earn? Or Regional Managers? Buy a house outright?
Yes, let's just shit on the people who are barely making ends meet once again. Full time team members who are the backbone of the stores...oh, and precious part timers who fill all the gaps in the schedule and whose hours are never guaranteed. I wonder if any of them will even get to work this month.
So, while complaining to a pal at a store where I used to work, I asked if she's like to "borrow" me one day a week just so I don't have to use my vacation hours. She put it to her manager. He's agreeable, but no one knows if this is even possible. (There are only 9 people on their payroll because all their part timers quit again...and its a six million dollar a year store--compared to my current store which is a three million dollar a year store.) We are now different districts, and the one day of work would have to come out of Howell's budget.
Being known as a competent and hard worker may come in handy.
We shall see.
Why can't the CEO, Regional Managers, and District Managers, and Managers nationwide cover the shortfall? I don't even know what any of them earn. I'm sure it equates to a hell of a lot more than $9 an hour. I happen to know the bonus for Store Managers making the numbers for their stores is enough to buy a brand new Ford Focus outright. Must be nice. Wonder what sorts of bonuses District Managers earn? Or Regional Managers? Buy a house outright?
Yes, let's just shit on the people who are barely making ends meet once again. Full time team members who are the backbone of the stores...oh, and precious part timers who fill all the gaps in the schedule and whose hours are never guaranteed. I wonder if any of them will even get to work this month.
So, while complaining to a pal at a store where I used to work, I asked if she's like to "borrow" me one day a week just so I don't have to use my vacation hours. She put it to her manager. He's agreeable, but no one knows if this is even possible. (There are only 9 people on their payroll because all their part timers quit again...and its a six million dollar a year store--compared to my current store which is a three million dollar a year store.) We are now different districts, and the one day of work would have to come out of Howell's budget.
Being known as a competent and hard worker may come in handy.
We shall see.
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