Contemplations on the Big Apple

Yesterday my mom helped me move my stuff back home and we had a looong talk on the way home. I guess it's a little weird for me to open up to my parents about things that I would tell my friends in a heartbeat. That doesn't sound right, does it? In any case, she had no idea before yesterday that I was planning on moving to New York for my internship (like I have a choice--I can't ask the publishing houses to relocate!). Of course once she knew, she dedicated a goodly portion of the ride home telling me about all the awful things about old Eastern cities in general and New York in specific. She kept saying that she wasn't trying to dissuade me from pursuing my dreams, but that she only wanted me to know what to expect. Hmm. While I do believe that she wants me to be prepared for anything, after the fifth random fact about New York's disgusting buildings or their rent prices, I started to believe maybe she wasn't too keen on the whole idea.

New York will be amazing. Dirty, expensive, hard, moldy, cold, lonely, exhausting, and amazing. I can't wait.

Sad

I'm sad. I don't want to leave. I don't want to keep mentally pushing away the people who are closest to me because I know that I won't be seeing them for a long time. It's a stupid defense mechanism. That's why I keep saying that I'll never see people again. Because I've got to get used to the idea, right? So saying it out loud helps me know that it is real. I hate today.

Blog: Special Christmas Edition

So yesterday I flew into Vegas at 11:35 a.m. I was supposed to be there at 10:00, but the plane was delayed for unknown reasons. I wonder if there was a bomb threat...nah. That would be way too cool to actually happen. I had downloaded a tv episode on my laptop for the flight because I hate just sitting for an hour, and I'd packed up all my books, but as soon as I got onto the plane, I fell asleep. I woke up when the plane skidded to a stop at McCarran Airport. I guess I shouldn't have stayed up so late the night before.

Then I had a delightful lunch in my dad's office. This year for Christmas we were supposed to make something for the person whose name we drew out of a hat, so my dad was carving a Welsh love spoon for my mom. He was on his fifth attempt, and his hands were covered in callouses and scabs while his desk was littered with tools and sawdust. He isn't the absolute best master woodsmith in the country, but he gets an A+ for sentiment.

As soon as I got home from the airport, my mom sent me out to pick up foodstuffs for Christmas Eve. Oh, and I needed to buy a white elephant gift. Have you SEEN Target on Christmas Eve? Holy cow, was it crowded. But I enjoyed the noise, panic, crowds, and desperation. I kind of like to be in the middle of a big fat mess as the only one with a calm disposition. It makes me feel kind of powerful.

Then Christmas Eve happened: we did our games and opened our small gifts and ate our food. My sister needed help wrapping presents, so afterwards I went to her house with three of my other sisters, but I don't think I was much help. I put her children to bed and told them a story (they like to decide what characters they'd like to be in the story--it's a big hit). As soon as the story was finished, I lay down for just a moment. I woke up at 7:00 this morning. Whoops. More tired than I thought.

Anyway, Christmas was great, I took tons of family pictures, and I loved being around the noise and the crowd and the laughter. And I'm a little tired again. My sister invited me to stay with her and her fiance for this next month to help them out with their business. I could use the work, and they do live in Arizona where it's still warm...hmm. Something to think about over the next day or so. My sister is playing Christmas music on the piano downstairs and my nephew Chris is showing me all the notes he learned on his new guitar. I love my family.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

I Wasn't Cut Out For Customer Service...

When I was 17 and a senior in high school I thought it would be nice to have a little money, so I got a job working at Mervyn's. It wasn't bad or anything, except that I was stuck in the "home section", which is where sad, tired, and cranky mothers go to buy their stupid bath towels during the half-off sales. I abso-friggin-lutely hated my contact with the penny-pinching shrews who shopped in my section.

One such delight came in late one night when I had had enough of people and the store was about to close. She tried to buy her bed sheets with two coupons and I explained to her that the store only allowed one coupon per person--news she did not receive well. But I was still clinging to my last vestiges of courtesy, and agreed to check the policy with a coworker whereupon I learned that I was wrong.

I respectfully apologized for my misunderstanding, at which point the lovely customer began ranting about how the customer is always right and how I should have known about the double coupon rule. She then demanded my name so that she could report me to my manager. By this time, I had had enough, so I calmly gave her my name and told her that I couldn't care less what she did because I got paid whether she bought something or not.

Her mouth fell open and, speechless, she walked away without purchasing her stupid sheets and without reporting me to anyone.

True story. I hate people.

Uh-oh

You know you're in trouble when you don't want to do the work that you have to do. Absolutely have to do. But don't want to. It's a problem...