My name's not Missy

This is just a quick follow up to what I wrote yesterday. The other night one of the guys I work with was getting ready to leave after his shift was over. As he was walking past the registers and headed for the doors he waved at me and said, "Have a good night, Missy." Well, my name's not Missy. I smiled and (trying not too laugh) I said, "You too." I thought it was funny that I had been feeling bad about not knowing people's names at work and here was a guy I work with who didn't know my name. It made me feel a little less guilty and I'm glad it's not just me!

Hello. My name is...

I want to start off by saying that I know that what I am about to say will make me sound like a terrible, horrible person but I need to 'fess up. I have been working at this grocery store for a year now and I don't know the names of many of the people I work with. So I walk in and everyone smiles and says, "Hi!" and I smile back and say, "Hey...you!" These people are nice and friendly and there is really no excuse for me not knowing their names. I should know their names. I guess there are a few reasons why I haven't learned some of the names of the people I work with. First--simply put--I'm just really, really bad with names (I mean, obviously). But maybe that's just a cop out--I mean the people I really like--I learned their names pretty quickly. Secondly, I work the night shift so by the time I get there most of the cashiers are already gone and I tend to work with just a few people all the time. Third, (and this by no means make it any better) I know about what every ones name is. If that doesn't make any sense let me give you a few examples. Like there are two girls I work with. They look a lot alike (everyone says that it's not just me) and they always hang out together. Their names even sound similar. I know one of them is named Wendy and one of them is named Wanda but most of the time I'm still not sure who is who.

Oh, and the other day I was standing there saying, 'Hey, Jack.' When he didn't turn around I called, 'Hey Jack.' again. I'm standing there thinking well, that's pretty rude, why isn't he answering me? Then it occurred to me that his name isn't Jack it's Jake. Damn it--and I was sooo close to having his name right. And once when I was working early in the morning Susan asked if I could give Gary his paycheck so he didn't forget to pick it up when he left. "He's over in produce." She told me. Well, not wanting to admit that I had no idea who Gary was I said, "Sure." and dutifully walked over to the produce department. There were two guys working there and neither had a name tag that I could see. Well, I thought to myself I have a 50/50 shot here. (Oh, I should have know better--games of chance have never been my friend)So I said, "Hey Gary." and started walking toward the guy who was standing closest to me--and the guy looked up (so for a minute I thought--Yay! I have the right guy). So I handed him the paycheck and the guy said, "This isn't mine." and the guy standing a few steps away (the actual Gary) walked over and took the check. How embarassing!

Anyway, writing this and seeing it all in black and white has made me realize that I have been pretty dismissive to a lot of the people I work with so I will make more of an effort to learn all the names of the people I work with because they have learned my name. Until I do learn every one's name I guess all I can say is thank god we all have name tags.

Oompa Loompa

Maybe I'm just being overly optimistic after a long, cold winter but I think there are a few sure signs that spring is right around the corner. The days are getting longer. There are a few patches of grass that are starting to turn green. People walking around wearing shorts (I personally think it's a little premature for that...but whatever). And everyone who has been pale all winter is now looking to get a little tan. A few of the girls I work with have recently started to go tanning. Rose started tanning and she looks nice because she didn't overdo it. She got a nice base tan and it just gave her a little bit of color. But one of the other girls I work with, Rachel, has spent way too much time with the spray tan machine. Rachel is normally really pretty. She has dark, wavy hair and pretty blue eyes so I was surprised when I came into work the other day and she was so orange that she looked like an oompa loompa. So here is an oompa loompa inspired song about tanning.

Oompa Loompa, do-ba-dee-doo
I've got a little story for you.
Oompa Loompa do-ba-dee-dee,
If you are wise you'll listen to me.
What do you do when you're white as a ghost?
And you don't want the sun to burn you like toast?
You spend all your time in a tanning bed,
when you think that you're pale, but it's all in you head!
A problem with tanning beds, as many of you know
If you tan in one too much
You'll have a bright orange glow!
And no one likes the look of it.
Oompa Loompa do-ba-dee-da

Age is just a number, right?

Let me start at the beginning--sometime in August and through the fall almost every time I would work with this kid, Frankie.  He's a nice kid (with the emphasis on kid--he's 19 and just graduated a year ago).  I tell him all the time he's a baby.  So when we worked together we would always talk, laugh a little and he would tell me about the problems he was having with his boyfriend.  It was a pretty good time, he could be pretty amusing and having someone to talk to at work always makes the time go by faster.

So after we had been talking for a few weeks Frankie asked if I wanted to hang out sometime (in case you missed it--Frankie is gay, so there is absolutely nothing romantic going on here)  I sort of hesitated and didn't really give him an answer but we exchanged numbers.  We worked together again a few days later and he asked again if I wanted to hang out.  Well, Christmas was coming up and I thought we could go to the mall and do some Christmas shopping.  I figured I would get my shopping done and we could just hang out for a few hours.  He said that sounded like a good idea and he needed to go Christmas shopping too.  Then he asked if I could pick him up...because he didn't have his license!  That's right--this kid couldn't even drive himself to go Christmas shopping.  He probably got money from the tooth fairy under his pillow last year--haha.  But I didn't want to be the type of person who wouldn't hang out with someone simply because of the year they were born.  After all, age is just a number, isn't it?

So we set up a time and I picked him up at his house and we were off to the mall.  We shopped for a while and went to the food court and I didn't have a bad time but after about 2 hours I was ready to go but Frankie was still shopping.  After a while I think I realized it wasn't so much the age difference as it was that we really didn't have anything in common.  I got to thinking I could hang out with anyone as long as we can have a descent, interesting conversation.  Without the distraction of being at work I didn't really have much to say to Frankie or vice versa.  

As I was driving him home, he said that was fun and I agreed that it was (not wanting to be rude) and he said, "we'll have to hang out again soon."  I smiled and nodded, really having no intention of seeing him outside of work again.  It was really like the akward ending of a bad first date.    

Time passed...Frankie got his license.

Then a few Sundays ago I was sitting around watching t.v., and waiting for my laundry to come out of the dryer when I got a text from Frankie asking what I was doing and asking if I wanted to go get something to eat.  Well I was just kind of bumming around and was sort of bored so I decided sure why not.  We went to a local diner, got some cheap, greasy diner food and talked for a while.  The subject eventually turned to going out to bars/drinking/clubbing...which (inevitably) turned to the topic of age.  Because Frankie's not even old enough to legally drink and when he goes to a club he has to go to the 18 and older nights.  He has only been old enough to buy cigarettes for a year.  Then we did the math.  I got my license when I was seventeen.  He was TWO YEARS OLD at the time.  When I graduated high school he was 3 years old.

Wow--math has never really been my friend.  But I sort of reached the same conclusion that I reached the first time we hung our going Christmas shopping--he's a cool kid to have a few laughs with at work but he certainly isn't someone I would consider a friend outside of work--age has a little something to do with it but beyond that we just don't have anything in common.

Ever had a day like this?

"It's a dog-eat-dog world and I'm wearing milkbone underwear."

A sweet suprise

Yay--It's girl scout cookie time! My uncle was visiting from out of town a few weeks ago and he came back to the house with a box of girl scout cookies--the classic thin mints. So the other day, things were slow at the store and my shift was almost over so I was standing around talking to Tina and I told her that I loved girl scout cookies but hadn't found anyone selling them anywhere. I told her my absolute favorites were the carmel delites. She said her favorite cookies were the peanut butter patties. So the next night I got a text from Rich. He was working with Tina and wanted to know when I was working next. I sent him a text that I worked on Friday night. I came in on Friday night and said hi to Tina. She got a little smile on her face and she told me to go upstairs and check inside one of the lockers in the break room. So (alittle confused) I went upstairs and opened the locker--and there was a box of carmel delites. Yay! I squealed--totally happy-and ran back downstairs to thank Tina and she told there were girl scouts selling them at a stand in the mall and she got a box for me. I told her I would pay for them but she said, "no." So I just wanted to say thanks again to Tina! It was so thoughful of her to pick up the cookies and such a sweet surprise to come into work and find girl scout cookies! I did finally find girl scouts selling cookies and I bought a box of peanut butter patties for Tina--but I am ashamed to admit--they never actually made it to Tina because we didn't work together for a while and I ate them before I saw her. But I promise I'll make it up to her next year!

Catch up!

Three tomatoes are walking down the street--a papa tomato, a mama tomato and a little baby tomato. The baby tomato start lagging behind. Papa tomato gets angry, goes over to the baby tomato and squishes him ... and says, "Ketchup!"