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Grocery Culture and Cody Comes Home
I really should make this two posts because what does grocery culture have to do with Cody but if I took the time to write two posts I probably wouldn’t finish the second one. So I’m going to jam it all together and hopefully, you feel like you’re getting a deal. Two posts for the price of one! I know. Whatever Brenda. Just get to it already.
Every hour on the hour when I’m working as a courtesy clerk at Ralphs I push a broom around the floor, up and down every aisle. It takes me about sixteen minutes to sweep the entire store. I’m pretty much just pushing dirt around the store with a big wide broom that takes turns surprisingly well. It’s kind of fun actually and I pride myself on my efficiency in keeping the small pile of debris relatively under control. Sometimes I lose a bit in the turns but I know I’ll be back the next hour like a cuckoo clock to catch it again.
I compose blog posts in my mind as I go. I think maybe I’ll blog about that dinosaur sticker that is stuck to the floor in the deli section that has been stuck there for two weeks. Or maybe I’ll blog about the morning stocking crew and their lively choices of music. I love it. It’s a party in the early morning hours at the grocery store. One aisle is rocking 80’s power ballads while the next is jamming to R&B. Everyone says good morning and hello as I pass by them in the aisles, dodging towering piles of toilet paper or teetering boxes of cans that are stacked up to be unloaded. It’s just a lively bunch.
I also think about blogging about the state of the linoleum floor that is breaking into bits. Every day I sweep another inch away into the trash can. The floors are a mess. Does anyone notice? What’s the state of the grocery store’s budget for repairing these things? The store seems to be run pretty lean and there are a ton of improvements needed but nobody ever says anything about them. But I never ask either because we are all overworked and no one has time for such questions. It’s always a state of either being slammed or “if you have time to lean you better clean.” Everything needs cleaning all the time.
I love the grocery store. One of the rules of being employed there is that you have to smile and say hello to everyone. At first, I hated it because I’m naturally shy and I never want to be that overly chipper person annoying people. But then I learned about the secret shopper system and if you don’t say hi to the person who is the secret shopper you can get docked and the whole team loses their rights to a pizza party or something. It’s a big deal. So we all say hi all the time. We say hello, good morning, how are you… We’re just a chatty bunch. And you know what happens? It rubs off on you. You can go to the store in a bad mood but after an hour of saying hello over and over with a smile, you start feeling genuinely cheerful. By the time I leave my shift I’m the chattiest person there. And I kind of love it because all the conversations are short and funny. There’s no prying into deeper personal matters. No gossip. Just friendly hellos and funny quips all day long. The grocery business is onto something.
I don’t know who the secret shopper is but I’m dying to find out if I’ve ever said hello to them. I’m pretty sure I’m not the one who gets the pizza party privilege taken away.
In other news: Cody came to live with me! Payam was getting a little overwhelmed with having two dogs. Cody can eat a lot AND he has so much fur. He’s a lot of work. I’ve missed my dogs terribly and I know they miss me too so when Payam asked me to take Cody I was super happy to oblige. I was a little worried my apartment complex wouldn’t allow a big dog like Cody but after some investigation, we were approved! Don’t ask me about the pet deposit though. It’s robbery. I guess they know a big dog can do some big damage to a small apartment.
So far the hair is manageable. I bought a new special pet-approved vacuum and we’re doing our best to keep his paws clean when he comes in from a walk. I don’t think I’ll keep my white carpets white but on the upside, it is awfully cheery to have a big fluffy white dog to keep you company all day long. I might as well buy stock in a lint roller company and call it a win.
We love having him and I think he loves being here. He really is a good only dog and I hear Whiskey is living it up being an only dog too.
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Got my mojo back, maybe.
I actually woke up excited to blog today. That is huge! It’s been probably fifteen years since I looked forward to blogging. It was such a job there for a while, you know? It was fun when I was famous but then blogs fell out of fashion and mommy blogging was so overdone…I was kinda ashamed to be part of all that but I think in spite of myself and all the flubs I’ve committed over the years, I finally have a great corner of the internet all to myself. I really look forward to the comments here and I feel like you are my real friends. I love updating you. I love the inside jokes we have. So here I am, back!
I’ve felt slightly better over the last few days. Payam and I are friends and today I walked the dogs which was a HUGE serotonin hit. I follow a bunch of golden retriever accounts on Instagram (to combat depression obviously) and they make me miss Cody so much! Of course, I miss Whiskey too but there aren’t as many cute wheatens on the internet as there are golden retrievers. I’m a sucker for a good puppy video. They get me every time. It was really fun to walk them. I walked them all the way to Starbucks and got them big glasses of water and puppuccinos. They were so happy. I might make it a regular thing.
Yesterday I got a bee up my butt and I rearranged the living room furniture. That’s definitely a sign that I’m feeling better. I also re-covered that chair you see on the left. I bought it at an estate sale for ten bucks. It was soooooo dusty. I think the original owner must have been in dead or in a home for years before they opened up the house and decided to sell all the stuff. There were so many amazing antiques. I bought a pot and a can opener and a chair! I love a good estate sale. It’s been nice to have a new place to furnish. I wish I was a professional estate sale shopper. If anyone needs unique furnishings, email me. I’m great at finding unique things!
Oh yes, remember this goober? She still steals my phone and takes hundreds of silly selfies. I love it.
In other news: Bug’s bike got stolen right out of our carport. It was locked to the trellis wall with my bike (Suzette the bicyclette) and the thieves just cut the lock and took it. We are so bummed. They didn’t take Suzette though so I whipped her upstairs and have her stashed half in my closet and the other half sticking out. It’s not the most aesthetically pleasing arrangement but nobody’s going to steal my bike if I can help it. We filed a police report and an officer actually came out to talk with us. He said there isn’t much we can do but they took all of our information and they were really nice about it. I’m so glad Toby still had the serial number so if they do find it they can return it to us. Sigh… thems the breaks of apartment living.
Last night Bug and I crept onto the golf course to take a photo of the super moon. It was so fun to sneak around in the dark where we normally are not allowed. I didn’t even care that I was wearing my pajamas.
This is definitely proof that I’m getting my mojo back. I think I want to throw a “fabulous fifty” birthday party and ask all my friends to dress up for a pool party at the clubhouse in our complex. I’m planning the ultimate photoshoot and everybody must dress up. The more fabulous the better. I was thinking crazy flowered pants and Elton John style glasses but when I went to a thrift store to find some “70’s glam costumery” all I found was this amazing peacock green gown instead. It is truly AMAZING. There is so much fabric and it’s super heavy and stretchy like a swimsuit. You can tie it a million different ways and every way is flattering. I’m also working on a Brendarita invitation with real margarita powder and freeze-dried strawberries (just add tequila)! If you want to be on my exclusive mailing list email me. Because if you are still reading here on this corner of the internet you deserve to be at this party!