Friday, September 28, 2007

unexpected nerves

Yesterday I had this sudden case of nerves while I was working. One of my employers asked me to perform a task which I've done dozens of times over the course of working in the shop. Basically, four identical gift baskets had to be made up, and in an unprecedented show of faith in my abilities she asked me to make them. Now, when she isn't in the store I make these things all the time. It's usually fun, but this time I got nervous. I guess it was just with the weight of expectation (all presumed of course, based on former gift basket making sessions with her). I mean this task is easy but I suddenly developed shaking little arms and hands and I was obsessing over every little detail that I normally just take care of without thinking or blow off.


I was amazed at my response to such a situation. I know I get nervous easily, but this was just silly. By the third basket I was mostly back to normal.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Magical gate to another world

I came up with a theory today: the shop contains a magical portal into another world.

So often people come into the shop and we go through the usual, "hello, how are you today?" "oh fine thanks, I'm just looking" "okay well let me know if I can help you with anything." I see them go to the back of the store, look at the shelf unit in the kitchen and after that point I never see them again,
not even leaving the store. I've even gone in search of people upstairs and in the bathroom because I never see them leave and I wonder what has happened to them. Surely I can't be so oblivious as to miss entirely someone's exit from the back of the store to the front door.

I am now quite sure that the door way between the front of the shop and the back room can transport those who know how to use it into a magical world. Otherwise, how else do these people disappear? I never hear the back door open or close, I never see them leave via the front door, I never find them wandering around upstairs or nor even crouched in the bathroom.

Now I want to know, what magical fairyland are these people transporting into? And can I come?




Monday, September 24, 2007

curmudgeonliness

Matthew and I have this terrible disease: curmudgeonliness. Hopefully we can find a cure soon. Although it's awfully fun to complain about things. A coworker said she read a study which suggests that complaining is the main human mode of communication. It is the main way that we get to know and understand each other. Hmmm...why can't we all just make cheerful declarations about our favorite things all the time, like Maria in The Sound of Music?

Who is she to criticize Oregon?

The other day, one of the neighboring shop owners came up to me in the store and started telling me about her recent trip to Kansas and how wonderful a place it is, how much she adores this state. "The people are soooo nice and down to earth," she says with her midwestern accent. I say, "oh yeah, just like where I'm from, Oregon" And then comes a little closer to tell me something with all seriousness, "you know which state has really weird people? Oregon." Wow, I just about want to slap her, but she could sit on me and kill me so that wouldn't be a good idea, so I say, "oh really? Well they're very nice, you know where the weird people are? here, Southern California." But she insists on telling me how strange and white trash everyone is in Oregon and how the reason is that the people who settled Oregon were really odd and not all there.

The whole problem is that if someone I respected had said this to me then I would listen and maybe consider it, but this woman is one of the strangest people I've met. We all try to avoid talking to her because we know we'll get sucked into a strange, drawn out conversation with her. Who does this weirdo think she is claiming that Oregon is full of weirdos? But really, truth be told, Oregon is weird and is full of strange people, and a nice mix of them at that. That's what I like about it. The weirdness isn't all the same variety.

So, she can have her fantastic Kansas, the whole midwest for that matter, and her California roll land and never have to visit Oregon and it's weirdos.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

I thought I'd start a "real" blog

Well, as real as a blogger.com blog can be; at least it's more real than a myspace blog. Although I'll keep using myspace too.