h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

sorry

You alright?

Um... mostly I sleep and work, with a few bodily functions intruding in between.

The house is a mess and I just rearranged a portion of it.
I hurt my back while moving furniture and I'm not sure if some of it should remain where it is or visit the curb.

Two idiots decided to play demolition derby on the corner outside my house this morning. SNAFU.
While they were cleaning up the scene and taking statements, another idiot, who'd had an incident on this very corner five or six years ago, when a new Mercedes sedan plowed into her Jeep Wrangler, decided to stop and commisserate with the white mommy who'd been hit, thus, tying up traffic from another direction in her Lincoln Navigator.

The WR has been playing mindgames again, but she called me in to help with the store this afternoon. I showed up slowly, half asleep, as it is my DAY OFF, and found another SNAFU.

Because one idiot I work with had filled the Dumpster with unbroken-down boxes, another idiot decided to store the trash they'd collected in the store storage room... and another idiot decided to walk on those bags of trash and ignore them because they "are not my job".

Well, evidently, it is MY JOB to clean up after all these people, since, being adults, they can't clean up after themselves. So I spent an hour and a half setting right what should have been taken care of in ten minutes earlier today.

I wouldn't trust 90% of this planet of adolts with a sick kitten in a veterinarian's waiting room.

One of my problems is the heat. I stay hydrated, but I can't run my A/C too much because I can't afford it. I'm barely eating as it is.

So, when I'm not at work, I sleep. It's easier than slogging through the heat.
Not that I have that much to do, anyway. I can't afford to go anywhere.
And I dont' want to go anywhere alone, because that makes me even lonelier, seeing all those people who are together...

no one wants to go anywhere with me... because I have no money...
no vehicle... and I'm no fun once we get there... sniff-sniff-sniff-

Oh my! Sounds as if you're in need of a

What sorts of things are you eating?

mostly write-offs from work.

I imagine that a write-off is food that's past its sell-by date?

Yep.
Just got in from spending another night goofing around the store.
The moron who was supposed to work came in, said she was sick and went home. The WR had to stick around and do another shift, although she had already been there since 2PM.

I spent most of the last week working overtime.

What's that stupid phrase? Not a happy camper.

There was also a "holiday" this last monday and since I worked both sides of it, I get time and a half...

Everybody tells me I should be so happy to be getting a large check next time. We'll see what I've got left after taxes.

Ah, taxes - the one certain thing apart from death, so they say!

Your experience reminds me of someone who was doing the breakfast shift somewhere in NY state when I was there yonks ago visiting a friend. She was very pregnant, had obviously been working a long shift and was visibily exhausted. Her 'Have a nice day - come back' was very forced and I remember feeling very sorry for her.

I have a biography of Tolkien for a bathroom book.
It was so weird when he finally made a packet from his first book and he couldn't touch any of it until the taxes had been dealt with.

Sending the taxman after people who have MONEY for the first time in their lives is so bizarre.

I also read that the Queen goes around the palace at night turning off unnecessary lights.

Working retail is bizarre enough, I did hardware stores for years, but working in an twenty-four hours store (I know that's not strictly true, but I can't do the math right now) that sells tobacco, petrol, candy, and rewarmed food is just overwhelming.

Some people take to this odd existence, others struggle along with it.

A manager of one of our stores disappeared last week after working three shifts in a row.
The night person just locked up the store after not being relieved at 9AM.
I'm not sure what happened after that, but our district sales rep had to step in for a few days. I know him. He probably enjoyed that.

I have to go back down to the store right now, on my day off, to go play with the corporate CBT or computer based training.
Supposedly, if I manage to crawl through enough of it's poorly-designed bumpf, I will be awarded an nother dollar an hour.

Here comes that Tax fellow!

'I also read that the Queen goes around the palace at night turning off unnecessary lights. ' I seem to remember reading this somewhere too. It wouldn't surprise me.

A friend tells me that where he lives, there are more affluent people moving into the neighbourhood. He spoke to a local cafe owner and said 'This must be good for business'. The cafe owner said no, it is the poor people who spend money in cafes. Richer people eat at home - they save their money.

Most of us over here pay tax direct at source, so it's not a hassle.

You mean VAT, or paying the Inland revenue once a year?