Bohemian Bluestocking

so yaaah, I'm a loser.....haven't written for a really long time. you know, work gets in the way of real life. Between working at the theater and this retail lackey job, there wasn't a heck of a lot of time to write anything. But. interestingly enough, while working backstage doing wardrobe I did finish 4 scarves and 3 pairs of socks.

Right now it's onto Fall Festival again, hundreds of school kids and lots of Shakespeare. Luckily, I am at the same schools as I was last year, so I'll know most of the kids and parents.  I have not idea what shows are planned, but will probably get swamped next week when I go on contract. yipee!

Sort of. My cold has returned with a vengence. Now it has become bronchial. yech. For those who are interested, some photos from Fall Festival are now available. The site is Digiproofs. You will, however, need these event keywoods: ffs05mtgreylock & ffs05taconic to access the photos properly. I have not cut and pasted them because they are technically copyrighted and I should really give credit where credit is due. Plus, it's not that.... hard to link and enter a password.

I have some knitting projects on the table(besides my own stuff, which I will detail tomorrow or Friday, if I have time.) But for other people, and for cash($$ -- yipee!!), there are 2 hats and 2 scarfs and some mittens, and a vest. So a little cash flow, plus my other retail lackey work.

There is definitely some randomess/entrophy/dark matter floating around the universe these days:

• Veteran's Day I was working at my retail lackey job, and for the mist parts minding my own business, when a customer, out of the blue, asks me: "Would you happen to know what the time zone the Western Theater of Operations was on when the Armistice was signed in 1919?" Now admittedly I *do* know the answer (GMT) but what ever prompted this man to ask me? I am blandly running my cash register, singing to myself to pass the time. (not aloud, mind you) odd.
• We had a wonderful ring around the moon last night. I left the theater after tech rehearsals, and there it was, huge in the sky, a hands-span from the moon, one of the largest I've seen in a long time. They typically mean snow is on its way (they are formed by moisture and ice crystals in the atmosphere), but we merited only rain when I awoke this morning.
• There's seems to be seamtress work swirling around me as well, as well it should since I'll be with one less paycheck very soon. So I am glomming onto as much as I can to get me through the winter. There might me design work as well, but I am not holding my breath for that. That would be a gift, and sewing is just work-a-day.
• The Fall Festival of Shakespeare opens Thursday and runs through Sunday. The shows are ready to go. One looks fab and the other I am ok with. It's workmanlike work, and while I am certainly not ashamed of the look, I'm not incredibly excited either.

I've decided to develop a cashier's 10 commandments. I am thinking that I need to let the WORLD know what is appropriate and inappropriate behavior when you get in my line, damn it. So here it goes:

1. Thou shalt not throw money before thy cashier. For one, I don't catch so well. And for another, that pile of pennies might take my eye out. And another thing, I have change in the cash register, so giving me that pile of pennies living in the bottom of your purse, supposedly making you lop-sided, is not really that much of a help.
2. Thou shalt not address thy cashier with familiarity. To be honest, I haven't the faintest idea who you are. Really. Moreover, don't accost me at Staples or Barnes & Noble. I am not working. I have no interest in talking to you. They have to pay me to talk to you.
3. Thou shalt corral thy sons & daughters, and they shall honor thy cashier. Keep your ungrateful horde under control. Yes, you need to pay for that banana they just ate. Don't let them run around. We will knock them over, if given a chance.
4. Thou shalt not covet thy cashier's duties. We can bag those groceries much much better than you. WE DO IT FOR A LIVING, for God's sake. No ... We will not crush the eggs, put meat in with vegetables, not put the cold stuff together. Unless you really get in our way.
5. Thou shall choose simplicity over complexity. You just asked me to put a paper bag inside a plastic bag. On top of that, that meat you just asked me to put in another plastic bag, ostensibly to keep it from leaking, was packed in a plastic bag, then wrapped in butcher paper, then taped shut.
6. Thou shall look at thy cashier without shaded eyes. Those Chanel rip-off sunglasses don't do that much for your New Yorker-trying to fit in with the natives-look. And you might be a terrorist. And not taking them off only reinforces the idea that I am not worthy of you attention. BTW, my IQ is twice yours, and I dress better.
7. Thou shall take noone before thy cashier. Cell phone? Gotta go. Period. No, I will yank it out you ear so hard I'll puncture your eardrum. I swear I will.
8. Thou shall not ask thy cashier for answers. No, I have no idea where that upscale chi-chi restaurant in West Lenox is, nor do I care. I couldn't afford to go there anyways. However, I wil give you directions to the Turnpike, because then maybe you'll leave.
9. Thou shall not consume consumsible before thy cashier. Didn't your mother ever teach you it's impolite to eat stuff you haven't paid for?

 

Yes there are only nine.

Now that I've successfully vented, I feel soooo much better. I finished a new tote bag, very cool, pictures soon to post. I need to get the CD back from the grocery store where I am getting my pictures developed. More to follow soon.

It just keeps going on and on. Today, one of my fellow employees, we'll call her S. for short (fill in you own very of an expletive, but her name *does* begin with a S) decided it was finally time to change the bottles of antiseptic handcleaner at the registers. They were almost all on empty. This is an example of how OCD this woman is. 1. She has stashed the new bottles underneath the cash register, behind the paper towels and windex (that she has so diluted it does even work as windex anymore.) The new bottles have been there for 2 weeks. 2 WEEKS people!!!! 2. She proceeds to take the several empty bottles and attempts to empty them into a half-used bottle. Think of this looking like someone emptying the last dabs of ketchup from one bottle to another. 3. This is the same woman who puts bottles of water at each register to rewet the sponges we use to dampen our finger so we can open the plastic bags. Now grant you, it is all of 10 feet max. to the flower display that has BUCKETS of water to plunge the sponges into. Yes, I'll plunging her head into that self-same bucket altogether too soon. Watch it on Fox.

I work Guidos, this natural foods supermarket in Pittsfield. A woman came in today and wanted to buy some ornamental kale. (it looks like cabbage, but you can't eat -- this fact becomes important later on -- remember it.) She's got a bunch of other stuff, and I start ringing it up. During this she asks me, how money she has on her food stamp card. I can't check this. Our computer system is not set up that way. The balance only prints out on the receipt. I tell her this. She doesn't understand. (that's because she's stupid.) I then tell her that the *ornamental* (read -- not edible) kale won't be eligible. Why not? You can't eat it, (wench.) But it's kale. But it's decorative plant. Then I don't want it. OK.

The other thing is that she's buying all this really high end groceries with food stamps -- FOOD STAMPS, people. And she's got these really nice clothes on too. Damm it, it's just not fair.