Christmas Trees are people too

Shannon got a job offer last week...yay! I hadn't expected her to leave so soon but a little over a week later and she drives out tomorrow. I've been okay, then not okay, then okay again. She's been pretty much the same. It'll be good for both of us. As you can see, I'm kind of avoiding talking about it.

For those not suffering here in California, I'd just like to let you all know that it's still hot. Still summer. It's not fair! I'm ready for comfy sweatshirts and jeans on a chilly night. I'm ready to not use my air-conditioner anymore. I'm ready for rain, and marginally cleaner air. I am sneezing my head off worse than usual. Dear Mr. Weather, I hate your stinking guts....
In spite of the weather outside it's starting to feel very holidayish. We went to Disneyland for Shannon's last hurrah on Wednesday and they were all decorated for Halloween, and the Haunted Mansion was already switched over to the Nightmare Before Christmas settings, which run from now into the new year. I've decided I'm a real grown-up (sort of) and decided to buy a Christmas tree this year. I just purchased it via walmart.com and the free 'ship to store.' I am SO excited. I have a big front window to put it in and if you didn't know, there isn't anything I love more than Christmas...except for maybe my birthday. I don't normally get into all that sappy, cutesy housewares and decoration stuff but here comes Christmas and all of a sudden I find myself seriously contemplating that $35 baking pan for 8 mini bread loafs that have Christmas shaped indentations on the bottom for shaped bread. Adorable little christmas gift-shaped napkin rings, cake platters, punch bowls...it's bad news bears. Luckily a lack of funds has me restraining myself for the most part, but since I plan on spending quite a bit of time by myself I figure a nice tree of my very own will be just the thing to accompany a cup of hot coffee, and my 'N Sync Christmas album. YES, I just said 'N Sync....I LOVE that album. Shut it.
Also, none of this real tree crap. I bought a good old-fashioned fake tree, like the kind I grew up with. I have serious problems seeing all the poor little abandoned, DEAD trees, laying like carcasses all over the city once the holidays are done. They used to be loved, they used to be the beautiful centerpieces of people's time of joyful giving, now just forgotten about and dead. I would feel guilt, more guilt than I could handle. I have a real problem with giving inanimate objects thoughts and feelings. Imagine me with my dolls and stuffed animals as a child. I could never throw them around or leave them on the floor because what if it hurt their feelings? Needless to say, Toy Story did nothing to help me get over these issues. I have a huge amount of guilt this very minute over the fact that my old Cabbage Patch dolls are currently stuffed in a Von Dutch bag in the top of my closet. Oh! Shouldn't have thought of that...oh no...what if they can't breathe? I try to push it out of my head but alas, knowing me I'd have an old dead tree sitting in my living room for the next 5 years or I'd have to transport it to a faraway location to drop it off. It would feel too much like commiting murder and dumping the body.

Welcome to the zoo...literally

I consider it some kind of accomplishment that I seem to
be managing to post once a week. For me, the ultimate procrastinator, that's an achievement. I survived my first weekend back at work, and at a part-time job surrounded by 19 year olds no less. Funny story...

We were sitting in training talking about ourselves. The two girls I was training with are 18 and 19 and they asked how old I was. I said, "Well I'm old, I'm 27." Immediately they squealed, "OH MY GOSH, YOU DON'T LOOK THAT OLD AT ALL." It took all I had not to roll my eyes and hit them with my cane.

>

Anyway, my first shift certainly brought back memories - having to cash out and hope you're not too short or too over, having to explain to a pissed off woman why we can't take her husbands credit card without her husband being present, etc. Some things were new to me. My first real day was Saturday, the busiest day of the week and I had the unfortunate luck to be assigned the cash register next to the big fluff wagon. That's what I call it anyway. It's a giant machine that swirls around the cotton we use to stuff the animal skins we sell....essentially a Build-a-Bear station but with more than just bears. I managed like a pro on my first one and the rest of the ones that day, but on Sunday I totally forgot to take my foot off the pedal before removing the lion skin I was stuffing and POOF! I had white cotton from head to toe. It was pretty hilarious and I totally had it coming for laughing at my fellow newby for doing the same thing the day before. The kids of course think it's hilarious, and it really was. I forgot how exhausting it is to smile and smile and smile some more while trying to squash the three required things I have to say into a conversation with a parent who is trying to yell at their child, wrangle a stroller, and find their money all at the same time. Two hours in and I had an easy flow. I am a retail pro after all. I was waiting to actually make it through my two 8 hour shifts before tentatively saying this...but...I think I love it. As much as one can love a part-time job in retail. The people I work with are really nice, the guests are mostly great, and it's fabulous being outside in the fresh air near meerkats and otters. It's also nice being part of something. I was reminded of this as I was getting our lunch and she gave me an oversized slice of sandwich because I was staff. Did I mention they feed you for free? Only averaging 10 hours a week or so will keep me loving it too.

Someone walked by us while we were training and said, Welcome to the zoo! I totally laughed because normally when people say that they're totally kidding.

Chickens with Chainsaws

This week (obviously my idea of 'week' doesn't run from weekend to weekend) ended up getting super hectic. I finally went to sign papers for my job on Friday. I start this coming Friday....finally. Hopefully this heat wave will be done by then because I'm more than ready for fall.

Saturday brought Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios. Shannon and I went by ourselves this year and had so much fun! For those who might not know what that is, it's a special night event at the park throughout October where they turn alot of attractions into scary mazes and there are all kinds of live characters running around on the streets trying to scare you. The best maze is usually the walk through the Backlot where they actually have Norman Bates and a bunch of dead folks hanging out at the Bates Motel and Pyscho house. They also had some large people in bloody chicken suits walking around with chainsaws. I have to say that those made me giggle insanely more than they made me shiver in horror. At one point Shan and I stopped for some ice cream and made the mistake of sitting near a 'scare zone' on a low wall. All of a sudden I look up and these two creepy girls in masks with pigtails have positioned themselves way too close and are just staring. This went on for almost 5 minutes and all you can do is laugh nervously and whisper, "Should we go?" "No, I refuse to lose this battle of wills." Needless to say the whole scene was quite amusing for the passersby. Eventually they went away to chase some girl who yelled in their ears but I have to say it creeped me out just a little.

In other news I actually caught the vice-presidential and last nights presidential debates. I am ashamed to say that I haven't heard either candidate speak very much at all but after listening to both I am now completely comfortable voting for Obama. He is direct and competent and hopefully bulletproof. I also really like Biden so go democrats go! I recant earlier statements about needing more experience and so on. The more I think about it the more I feel like a fresh look at things is exactly what we need. Besides, look at the idiot that's been in office for the last 8 years, surely a whole family's worth of experience didn't save him from being a complete moron. The president has hundreds of people in his employ who each have a field of expertise to give advise in and pure common sense can take you far. What we need is someone who can lead people, someone people can get behind and have confidence in, and most importantly, someone who can at least give the illusion that he knows what's going on.