Another New Development

Sunday, October 04, 2009

I’ve been feeling a little tickle in my throat, so I chugged a glass of airborne last night during the movie. If it is mixed with orange juice, it’s not that bad. I’ve sucked down a few lozenges, and I decided to not set my alarm clock. I figured I’d have to wake up by 1pm. I was up a little before noon and decided that a run was not in my best interests today even if I’d had the time.

I read instead. Mrs. Loomis discussed the ease of American commercialism as opposed to the European variety where things are very difficult to secure. I couldn’t agree with her more. Though I love the more classic feel of things here, I would still like the superstore where I know I can find what I’m looking for without spending much (yes I’m talking about Wal-mart as much as I don’t want to admit it). I need a tall candle for the wine bottle. I’d rather not have to buy from the candle store where a single candle might cost me 3 Euro, but I’m not sure where else would have them.

Work was about the usual. John and I had a text conversation (which I hate, but seems to be the only way he does business). I told him we would take our break later and hopefully catch the crowd getting out of the pubs when the Arsenal match was over. He agreed and asked if we could not wear our jackets over the ER shirts (as long as we weren’t too cold or it was raining). I said I understood, but would it be possible to get ER windbreakers? He said that was a great idea and he would pick some up while he was in China over the next 3 weeks. John employs a lot of Chinese and he is also married to a lady who is Chinese. It was kind of odd till I found out his wife was Chinese then it made more sense why so many people who worked for him were Chinese. I was surprised he was so willing to provide windbreakers, but happy nonetheless.

While roaming the streets, the balloon man offered up balloons for free to people walking by. He was headed home and ready to get rid of what he had left. He handed me a monkey, but I asked for the spider instead. What self respecting girl would ask for a spider? One who wanted a Halloween decoration…I told you I was going through withdrawals. I held my prized possession as I walked down the street and made a quick detour to the apartment praying nothing would pop it till I got it back to my room. It is safely hung in the corner as my first Halloween decoration!

When we took out break John was still in the restaurant and asked us to work next Friday at the grand opening for TKMaxx. He asked Zach and me if we had those, so we said it was the same just called TJMaxx at home. He said “Oh, like a copy!” We kind of looked at each other and shook our heads thinking all the while about the irony since Eddie Rockets was itself a copy of an American brand. I had the club again, it’s just too good to stay away from and a half order of mash (mashed potatoes). They were greatly in need of some help, so I added salt, pepper, butter and some garlic sauce from the club to make a decent meal out of them.

Business today was very slow overall. People just didn’t want milkshakes or burgers. It’s good rejection therapy. I’m not only better at approaching complete strangers, I’m better at taking rejection - as long as they are cordial about it. When you get the jerks, I still have something to say about them.

I also thought today (triggered by what I saw) that even though I’ve jumped out of a plane and done some things others might consider dangerous, I would not be up for a motorcycle. While the idea of it appeals to me, the risk of injury does not. I feel getting on a motorbike might be more dangerous than most things. I do have my limits, and it would take a lot for me to feel comfortable with even riding on a motorcycle. If the conditions were right (being with a pro, going slow, nothing crazy, etc) I’d consider it. It is something I see as en enticing image, but just not worth the risk.

After work Zach and I grabbed serrated kitchen knives and concealed them up our sleeves for some sign removal (worth the risk!). The Lisbon treaty vote is over (don’t know the result) and many signs are already gone, but some are still left. So we were doing the city a service by helping to remove them. I needed some décor for my bedroom walls and this was just the thing. We staked out the ones we wanted and cut them down. We were discouraged at first because we couldn’t find any low enough to reach, but persistence proved otherwise and we soon had our booty of 3 signs. Although there was very little illegal about this act if anything we were still wary of getting caught. That might have made it a little more exciting. Does that make me a kleptomaniac?

I went over to Monica’s for a little bit. She had been baking again! We sat around and talked and watched the last half of Along Came A Spider while munching on chocolate chip cookies. She showed me her bounty from Amnesty’s clean out. That should keep her stocked for awhile. I checked my e-mail before I left to see if Erika had responded. She did. I have a roommate! I have mixed feelings about it. I’m very happy that rent will go down and excited about meeting a new person, especially from a country I know little about. She seemed to have a good command of English from the e-mail, but even so I don’t mind overcoming language barriers. I will be sad to lose the privacy of my own room and the shelf space, but it will also only be about a month that we share the room. We are also likely to have opposite working schedules. She should ar