Friday, April 25, 2014

It made me think of the episode about Skippy.


I had a customer who came in a few times this week.  On the first day, she purchased two pair of earrings.  She said that her ears "were pierced wrong" and that earrings hang funny sometimes.  I told her that I'd be happy to take them off the cards for her to allow her to try them on.  I assured her that I would clean them if she chose not to purchase them.  She had me uncard them, then held them up to her head and told me that she would purchase them.  "Did they work in your ears?"  "I held them up.  I'm sure that they'll be okay."  As she left she asked, "What is your return policy?"  

After the door closed, I told Toni that they would be coming back. 

Day two comes, the lady comes in, comes to the counter, announces that she needs to return the earrings from the day prior and apologizes.  She pulls out the bag, the receipt and tells me that she wants to return the earrings.  "Ma'am, there are no earrings in this bag."  "Well let me look in my purse."

Used tissues start pouring from her purse.  She has a pile on the counter next to her on one side, develops a pile on the other side, has a few "stationery" napkins that she needs to save with important numbers, she is tucking used tissues under her arm.  They are falling on the floor.  They are everywhere.  

And I may remind you that they are USED.  All. of. them.  

Honestly, it looked like a magician trying to perform a magic trick with all of those multi-colored scarves.  These were multi-colored from use.  :cringe:

I may also remind you that I'm a germophobe.  Knowing this, my coworker came to stand with me.  I reached down and touched her leg to have her know how incredibly grossed out I was.  She was there to support me in my time of grossed outness.  

"Ma'am, would you like a bag for all of your tissues?"  She accepted the bag, thankfully, and pressed on with looking.

"Perhaps if you open your purse and have me look in, maybe I'll see them."

"I'll just go outside and look in the car."

Part of me hoped that she and all of her used facial tissues wouldn't return.  When the door closed and we heard feet down the steps, Toni laughed.  (There was no one in the store at the time.)  

I pulled out the Lysol sanitizing wipes and went to town.  Just as I finished, she returned.

Drat.

She handed me the earrings, but not the bill.  

Oh crud.  She had to reach back into the nasty bag of tissues.  I swear that there was an entire box of used tissue in there.

Yuck.

She finally found the bill and when I went to return the earrings, the one pair looked as if the hooks had been stretched, pulled and bent in shapes by an unattended 3 year old.  I didn't want drama, so I returned them knowing that it would be easy enough to change the ear wires.  

"I just couldn't get them to work."

No kidding.

She was complaining about how far away she lived.  She gave me her address.  She lives in the same zip code that I live in.  I live 10 minutes away from work.

She was talking about being all nervous and upset about signing papers on the sale of her house.  She kept talking about it and I was trying to be positive with her.  "It's a good thing for you and now you have paperwork settled.  That's good!  You don't have to worry about that anymore."  

Like a light switch was flipped, she turned to me and said, "Well, it isn't like it is my ONLY house.  I do have 6 more." 

Okay then.  Have a nice day.  At least I know that she has enough space to store her used tissue collection.

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Rearviewmirror: A song for someone I love. Stop putting up with the abuse.

REARVIEWMIRROR
Released: December 31, 1994 COMPOSER: Vedder/McCready/Gossard/Ament/Abbruzzese
ARTIST: Pearl Jam

I took a drive today
Time to emancipate
I guess it was the beatings... made me wise
But I'm not about to give thanks, or apologize
I couldn't breathe, holdin' me down
Hand on my face, pushed to the ground
Enmity gauged, united by fear
Forced to endure what I could not forgive...

I seem to look away
Wounds in the mirror waved
It wasn't my surface... most defiled
Head at your feet, fool to your crown
Fist on my plate, swallowed it down
Enmity gauged, united by fear
Tried to endure what I could not forgive

Saw things
Saw things
Saw things
Saw things
Clearer
Clearer
Once you, were in my...
Rearviewmirror...

I gather speed from you f'--ing with me
Once and for all I'm far away
I hardly believe, finally the shades...are raised...

Saw things so much clearer
(Once you, once you)
Rearviewmirror...

Know that you are good enough.  Know that you don't deserve to be beaten.  Know that I love you.

She's going to kill you if you don't leave her.

* There are several different interpretations to this song.  For my purposes and knowing the situation that I know of, it makes me cry every time I hear it, thinking of the abuse that is endured and not left. 
** Lyrics from www.pearljam.com.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

I finally gave in.

I made an appointment.  I couldn't take it anymore.

The pollen.  Sweet love, the pollen.

I went to the doctor today because honestly, I have gone past the point of what Allegra itself can do.  He asked me what he could do for me.

"Please make it stop."

My voice is altered from all of the stuffiness.

I have a throat cough from drainage.

Easter Sunday, my instant runny nose left me blotting my nose into my sweater as I coughed into my elbow.

Yes.  Thank you for asking.  I am 40 and wiping my nose in my sleeve.  Later on that day, I used the hem of my shirt at home when nothing else was close by when the faucet attack came again.

High times of my life.

I told Dr. W that my husband bought for me the fluffiest Kleenex he could find and 2 bags of my favorite cough drops.  I told him that I found him sneaking back into bed and asked why he had gone to the couch.

:insert grin:

"I wasn't snoring, was I?"

:chuckle:

"Didn't you turn me over?"

"It didn't work."

He said he knew that my nose was so stuffed up and that the drainage was so bad that there was nothing that I could do.  My allergies sent my husband running for the hills, though I wasn't quite as bad as Bernadette when Howard got back from space.  It was close, though.

Dr. W gave me an allergy shot.  I've never had one, so I wasn't particularly prepared when he announced that I needed to turn around and get it in my backside.

"I haven't gotten a shot in my butt since I was a kid."

[An aside-  do you guys remember always getting a penicillin shot EVERY SINGLE TIME you went to the doctor?]

My backside hurts.  Oh, it is up high and to lay down kind of puts pressure on it, but if it makes me feel better, it is well worth it.

It rained today.  That alone helped so much.  I have K's soccer to sit through for the next few months. The next few weeks are supposed to be the worst.  I'm hoping that the shot is just what I needed.

In the meantime, Ultra Soft Kleenex, Cherry Honey Ricola and Allegra-- they comfort me.  (And my people!)

Be well and allergy free!