An Update

Was feeling better, now feel like slag. And now Prime has it.
More details later; I'm going to crash out. Again.

--Weasel, "Maybe I'll be over this shit by May. I can only hope."

I'm Alive

More or less.

I've had the cold from hell for the past freakin' week; it started up last Sunday and hasn't let go. I had to call in to work last Tuesday because I felt so damn bad. It isn't just the usual chest/head congestion either: I've had the worst sore throat of my life, which has hung on for the past week. Eating has been almost impossible and talking hasn't been fun to say the least. The only thing that's been keeping me together has been liberal doses of Tylenol cold medication and sleeping in on my days off. (I'm dead sick of sleeping until dark!) So yeah, I haven't been on the 'net worth a damn.

I'm feeling a bit better now so I'm hoping the worst of it is over. I figure if I deal with this shit now, I won't have to deal with it later in the year..... like oh say, around BotCon.

--Weasel, "Pass the Tylenol, dammit. Seems I need another hit."

Merry Christmas

And a happy go to hell.

We're clearing out all of our Cashmas crap, so people are snapping the slag up like there's no tomorrow. And I've been dealing with the usual after season sale bullshit-- wrong prices, missing UPCs, cranky idiots, you name it. But nothing could top the bullshit I dealt with today.

The woman wanted to buy two pre-lit Cashmas trees; one was already in her cart while the other was still in Lawn and Garden. She wanted someone to bring it up. "It's a white tree," she insisted. So I called back to Lawn and Garden, asking them to find a white tree.

They couldn't find it. There were no white trees back there.

When we told her, she replied, "Oh the tree is green, but the lights are white."

It was all I could do not to go House on her. Seriously.
We've had fake Cashmas trees in more colors I could count: Red, blue, black, purple, pink, green and yes, even white. And we're not talking light bulbs, we're talking foliage.

See the problem here?

I would scream, but I'm not too keen on pissing off my throat.

--Weasel, "Is it May yet?"

Like It Can't Get Any Damn Stupider....

I didn't think much of what I saw; one of the heads was wiping down our dry erase board at the podium just as I arrived. It wasn't until later that things got serious. It seems the note on the board read that all cashiers were required to smile. If we didn't we could get coached. Or worse.

We could get fired. For not smiling on the job.

It was either someone's idea of a joke or they were deadly serious about it. And I'm thinking it wasn't a joke.

The news spread like wildfire. No one was happy. Which is probably why the damn thing was erased.

This whole thing leads me to ask: Could management get fired for being stupid as fuck? Cause they seriously need it.

--Weasel, "And I was hoping to use my 'psycho' smile..."

Hotel Hopping, Mark Two

So Fun Pub announced the hotel details for BotCon on New Year's Eve.

The Wednesday through Monday block filled within two hours. We're looking at doing the hotel shuffle. Again. It's shades of 2007.

Small price to pay. Whatever it takes to get to the 'Con, I'll do it.

--Weasel "Now the wait until May.... that'll be a pain in the ass."

Best. Christmas. Ever.

Yesterday, I got one of the best Christmas presents ever: BotCon 2009's date and location. I'm heading to Pasadena, California on May 28. But Prime won't be my only companion on this trip. I'll be taking my brand new laptop.

Yes, you read that right: I have a laptop. Just got her today. She was a gift from Prime, his mother and her husband.

I've yet to pick a name for her (I'm leaning towards Alexa) but she'll be coming with us when we hit the skies next year.

This has been the most awesome Xmas ever. Seriously.

--Weasel, "And it'll be the most awesome BotCon ever, to be sure."

Best Cashmas Gift Ever

This past Saturday was the busiest shopping day of the season. We were crammed to the gills with customers, most of them pretty cranky. I was bracing myself for what would be a horrible day when one of my former co-workers spotted me. We said hello and chitchatted for a bit. Then she dropped a bit of news from the old workfront:

S got fired. The bitch that made my life a living hell finally got fired.

I went through the day with a huge smile on my face. It couldn't have happened to a more deserving person.

Boot to the Head

Got saddled on lane 15, which is never a pleasant thing for me. But things took a turn for the worse when I saw the customer who was walking towards me. I knew her instantly; she was the customer who screwed us out of twenty dollars. Only instead of a shopping cart, she had a dog with her. Then, she asked The Question.

"Do you have some paper towels and a plastic bag I could use?"

Her dog had shit on the floor. And other customers knew about it. And complained. Loudly.
So management kicked her and her untrained dog out of the store.

I had a smile on my face for the entire day. I just hope to Primus the stupid twit gets the message and doesn't come back.

--Weasel, "That would be the bestest Cashmas gift ever!"

Read. Just Read.

There are no words to describe how this makes me feel. But it seriously pisses me off. Not only do these morons have the wrong damned house, not only do they shoot this woman's dog, but this takes the cake:

After the shooting, police wrote Viilo a $122 ticket for letting Bubba run loose.

I thought that only the Chinese government pulled that sort of bullshit. Looks like I was wrong.

--Weasel, thinking that the Milwaukee PD should be spayed/neutered for public health and safety.

I Work With Idiots Redux

Was on GM self-check for most of the day. Normally nothing major happens on that side of the store.

Well, something happened today.

It seems somebody brought in a shitload of empty Wal-Mart bags, filled them with 17 unpaid toys and walked out with them. He went straight through the self checks and walked past two greeters. Nobody stopped him.

This happened during my first break. So I'm getting "talked to" about something I didn't know about and couldn't prevent.

Yeah, I'm not really happy. Not with the cashier who filled in for me during break, not with the greeters who couldn't be bothered to do their damn jobs, not the thieving asshole, not with anyone or anything.

Can we skip the rest of this month? Please? I seriously can't deal with this shit anymore.

Merry Fucking Blitz-mas, Assholes

Welcome to my nightmare.
Seriously, is this bullshit worth a goddamned $200 flat screen TV? I don't fucking think so. What the hell is wrong with you fucking morons?!

Keep it up, guys. My faith in humanity is dropping below zero now.

--Weasel, "Fuck it. I want off this miserable forsaken rock. NOW."

I Work With Idiots

But then again, what else is new?

Nearly tore out my hair on Thursday: Someone brought up a shower head with a clearance sticker on it. The sticker said $9.00 but it was meant for toys (Dept 7) and the shower head in question came up $27.88. So I called Hardware and asked them about it. The guy working back there said that it was not a clearance item and the 27.88 price was correct. I tell the customer this. She demands a head cashier. I explain everything. He takes off. When he comes back he says that I have to override it, per Tom.

You remember Tom, right? The fucking idiot dickhead? Yeah, not only is he a lousy manager but he just cost our fucking store damn near twenty bucks. And there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it. It seems as long as the items is marked with a clearance tag I have to sell it at clearance price no matter what.

Fast forward to last night. Seems the person working in stationary was redoing an endcap and didn't change the sign. So I sold four (or was it six?) Crayola Light Writers for $1.88. They actually retail for $19.97. If management pisses about it, too fucking bad. I saw the sign myself and considering the night before, why fucking try to do the right thing?

I'd scream, but I can't do it loud enough and I'd just ruin my voice anyway. There's no damn point.

It Begins

Doing laundry right now. Prime's upstairs watching Stargate SG-1. Thankfully, I had a relatively short shift today; I don't think I could have been able to stand a full one.

Work's getting busier. A lot busier. I think our business has doubled this year as compared to last year. I'm already about to tear my hair out as it is; I dread to even think about Black Friday.

This is not going to be a pleasant Cashmas season. I just know it.

News Flash

I fucking hate people.
That is all.

--Weasel, trying to repress the urge to kill someone who really needs/deserves it.

Coping Mechanisms

Cashmas is now in full swing at my store; we lit up our trees a couple of days ago.

I'm not looking forward to this. At all. But I'm finding ways to cope.

I've been telling myself as of late that one day worked is one day closer to BotCon. And it's worked, to a degree. Work is a little less unbearable.

Now if only there was a way to shut one of my co-workers up permanently, I'd be in heaven. (He'll be bitching mightily because Obama won. According to him, I'll be in a burqa by next year. Whatthefuckever.)

--Weasel, "2009 can't come quick enough."

Doctor!

David Tennant is leaving Doctor Who.

The Tenth Doctor is the one who got me completely and utterly hooked on the series. Because of his somewhat smart-ass personality, I fell for him almost immediately. So it goes without saying that I am a bit upset hearing this.

I'll miss you, Mr. Tennant, and thank you. You will always be my Doctor.

Tarzan Boy

It was noon. I was standing at the grocery self-check podium, carefully watching "my guys". From out of nowhere came the rhythmic thumping of sneakers on concrete. Two boys, maybe high school juniors, were running straight toward me. Curious, I watched as they sped from the general merchandise side of the store towards the grocery side. Then I noticed two other boys, running in front of the registers. It was then that I couldn't help but do a double take.

Three of the boys were dressed normally. The fourth was only wearing his briefs and had what appeared to be an animal skin tied around his head like a cape. He looked as though he were trying to mimic Tarzan or George of the Jungle.

The entire front end fell silent and watched the spectacle, too stunned to turn away. I admit my mouth was hanging open in shock for a fair portion of the episode.

Without saying a word, the boys raced out the door. Once they had departed, everyone roared with laughter, myself included.

We're still not sure why Tarzan Boy decided to drop by our store. If he was planning a Halloween prank, he missed the mark by a day. The entire incident (almost) makes me miss the days when I was that young and stupid.

--Weasel, "Never a dull moment where I work."

Sending Out Best Wishes

Today, as most of you already know, is Dan Gilvezan's birthday. I wish him nothing but the best. (And I hope he wouldn't mind swinging by BotCon in the near future. His adoring fans would love to see him again.)

Just A Few More Random Thoughts

It's a rather lovely fall day and I have nothing better to do, so it's time once again for:

Weasel's Random Thoughts

* It's been said that a woman begins to enjoy her vacation from the moment she begins to pack while a man enjoys his when he arrives there. If this is true then it will be a very long 8 months because I've already begun my BotCon packing. Yes, it's true: I have no life. (Stop snickering, Prime.)

* I want to go to Universal Studios Hollywood in 2011. It will be awesome. Here is why. Guess we know the location of a future BotCon...I hope I hope I hope I hope I hope...

* No one is exactly sure where BotCon will be held, but I'm getting ready for it as if we're flying. Ever since 2005, it seems that odd-numbered years have meant a couple of plane tickets while the even-numbered years are within driving distance. With this sort of pattern established, I'm pretty much expecting a jaunt in the sky to next year's con which I really don't want. I'm kinda hoping to be proven wrong. You have no idea just how much I hate flying....

* No matter how much laundry you do, you are never done. Seriously, it never ends. (Apologies to Simon Furman. Or curses. Reader's Choice.)

* I have been training my cat to sit. It seems to actually be working. Teaching Sammy to speak or roll over probably won't happen...frankly, he doesn't need any prompting to do either. Hey, he already knows how to say "hello".

* We have 14 days until the election. This will all be over soon, thank Primus. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same thing about football season. (After the crap with Favre, I wish I would never hear the word "football" uttered by anyone ever again.)

* Prime and I have been on a "Masters of the Universe" tear. We've been watching the DVDs of the 2002 series for the past couple of nights. Been kinda nice to see them, really. And I learned something new while watching: I had no idea that they had done morals at the end of most of the eps.

* People are already beginning to do their Cashmas shopping. And stores have already started putting out their Xmas displays. Yet another holiday shopping season arrives. I can hardly wait. /sarcasm

And that about does it. Be sure to tune in next time when I type out another pointless message on various and inane topics simply known as... Random Thoughts.

For High Speed Internet Only

I want this like you wouldn't believe. When I get a laptop, I will beg for this thing.

--Weasel, "Fastest thing on the 'net, baby."