18:42 - 18.01.09
Arabian Tales
It started before Christmas - the earworm. "Tusk" by Fleetwood Mac. Don't know why that song, but it reminded me of their one concert here in this city. Outdoors on a beautiful summer's day. One of the best concerts I ever attended, I think. I remember Stevie walking past us inside the secure area seeming to interact with some of the concert goers. Maybe I dreamed that.
That earworm was still playing in my head on the Tuesday after New Years Day. A+ and I were still in movie watching mode, although the temperatures had moderated a little. I think that might have been the day we watched "An Inconvenient Truth". Uh huh. We have an on-going discussion about political issues both locally and abroad based on our own interests and experiences. This certainly stimulated a lot of debate.
Wednesday and Thursday my assignments were at two different outlets of the same chain drug store. Both days I was assigned to train the newest hires - each day about a dozen new people. Not tiring in the physical sense, but very demanding in that I was constantly answering questions or providing support as one or another of the crew tried to figure out the intricacies of the hand held computers we use. A team from the Kootenays was in town to help out and were an interesting bunch all on their own. I had some of their crew to tend to as well.
The first day was a challenge because of one male. An evangelical to the extreme. He would speak only about scripture continuously even when trying to count or manage his computer. He was continuously accosting the other workers trying to convert them as well. It bothered one of the store staff so much that she requested that one of her managers stay nearby, because she felt so intimidated by his behaviour. I was managing to cope with it until he started in on that Eden thing. The so-called original sin.
When I was old enough to have learned the minimum about human sexuality - about 15 I was in those classes, I think - I realized that the story was likely a metaphor for the loss of innocence. An apple is full of seeds, representing the womb. So the snake.... hmmm. Made more sense of the rest of Genesis where "The first lady and first man" are driven out of Eden and into a fully developed society with other humans. Uh huh. And what was that about Lilith - that other woman before Eve? I was so grossed out by the thought of intimacy, as taught in those classes, that I vowed to myself to become a nun when I was of age. Then those technicalities started popping up. The church we attended didn't have a system of convents. Then there was that vow of obedience. Yes, well. At that time I didn't know any females past a certain age, other than widows, who lived alone, so I thought there must be some law that forbade it. Innocent I was, wasn't I.
One day, one of the other new workers arrived with half her face bruised. It was also apparent that she wasn't feeling well. She worked hard during the shift. She made it clear she really needed the work, but didn't want to discuss anything else. I tried to make certain she was cared for without making it obvious to the rest of the crew.
Friday was a trip out to one of the small mountain towns - a drug store again. It was a beautiful day. A+ had loaned me his camera, so I was able to record some of the time spent there as well. We had a small crew who were all very compatible and who seemed to enjoy the work as well. On the way back to the city, our crew manager texted the area manager to tell him that we had been detained at the work site - due to an avalanche. He was trying to inject a note of levity into his boss's day, knowing that the most intense weekend of the year was already underway for his boss. The crew manager's phone rang almost immediately after and we could all hear the stress in the area manager's voice as it was obvious he was trying to figure out how to extract us from our mountain hideaway. Laughter ensued when the crew manager 'fessed up immediately. I guess it was one way to remind everyone that work is just work and that there are more important things to think about.
Saturday and Sunday were spent at various sites for the same lingerie company. Do you know how many panties can fit on one little display table? I do. Over 700, if you really want to know. The Saturday night gig I was assigned to train staff again and also count those tables filled with lingerie. We have to keep a running total in our heads because our machines won't let us proceed to the next table until we've entered the exact number counted for each table, you see. Not even an error of one is allowed. Given the number of interruptions I had when I needed to coach or answer questions, I'm surprised I managed to count as many tags as I did. On Sunday, at the morning count, I was told I'd be supervising the lunch count at one other store. Surprise! When we arrived at that second store it was obvious that the work area was too small for all the people to fit who were assigned to work there. I was instructed to send any late-arrivers home - with some pay for their travel and time. The manager of the previous count had bought a branded mug and a leopard print thong as a gag gift for the same area manager, again to try and lighten his stress. We all signed the mug with words of affection and one of the women in my afternoon crew was delegated to make the presentation when he dropped by to visit. Much laughter ensued again.
Have to go now dear diary so Scheherezade will continue the story of her adventures later. Good night.
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