Talking Points

OK, so here are a few thoughts on some totally unconnected topics, but things that I wish to comment on.
1) I have lost almost 25 lbs. total (not done yet, though). One perk to this that I am really excited about...my thighs no longer rub together when I walk.

2) I just watched the movie Transformers the other night, and it is one bad ass movie. Anyone who grew up in the '80's should appreciate it. And if you didn't grow up then, you should appreciate it for the effects. They look seamless. It rocks.

3) I really like my job, and recognize that I am fortunate for having a job about which I can say that.

4) Christmas is only 66 days away.

5) I can't believe how warm it is for the middle of October.

6) I don't know how much longer I can stand the wait for Season 4 of Lost.

Goodbye Judy

She was one of the kindest people I've ever known. She had a laugh that really filled up a room. She smiled with her eyes as well as with her mouth. Talented seamstress, and dedicated teacher. When I approached her hospital bed I was so glad that I had come because I knew just from my intuition that it was going to be a goodbye. As she lay there, her own body betraying her more and more each day, she had the grace to declare that I "looked healthy as a horse". She was funny right up until the end, and though her body was failing her, her spirit never did. She was herself. That is what is so hard-reconciling the loss of someone who was always so full of life. Judy said farewell to the three of us, and she cried, and the three of us cried because we all knew the score. I watched her girls hold onto one another in their grief and in their sadness, and I cried all the more because I realized they were losing their mom. She was too young to go; she lost her battle to that hideous disease for which a cure still eludes us. I am saving those pink yogurt lids now, and I will send them in to try to make some kind of difference in the battle on cancer. Wife, mother, grandmother, friend, teacher. She said she wasn't able to draw enough breath or push it out with enough force to do something she loved so much-sing. She is singing now for sure. Judy, you will be missed by so many.

New Job

It has been a while since my last post, but since I believe I am the only person to look at my blog, then it is no big deal. I have been hired within the last week to a newly arrived (to this area) store. It is a popular domestics retailer, and I won't name them, but their initials are Bed Bath & Beyond. The first time I walked into the store two Saturdays ago was the first time I ever set foot in a BB&B. Suffice it to say that it is a freakin' awesome store. I have spent my days in there stocking shelves and helping to get the store ready. It has been very hard work, but I have enjoyed it immensely. All of the managers that were brought in from other places to help set us up are all great people, and I enjoyed meeting and working with them all. And the two women who are staying here permanently to run the store are very nice, too. So far it has been a good experience. The store actually opens tomorrow (Oct. 2), but I don't have my first shift until Thursday evening. I have only had a little bit of register training, and so I am a bit nervous. Hopefully, things will go smoothly.
The interesting thing about my experience is the fact that I spent so much time at the top of a very tall ladder. I have always been afraid of heights (I get vertigo on a 4 foot step ladder), but there were many times within the past week that I was required to ascend to the top of a double sided 10 foot ladder, straddle the top of it, and stock merchandise on the top-most shelf. I just told myself that if I wanted to work at this store I needed to get a grip and adapt. So I did. It was scary at first, but after so many times it wasn't so bad. I am not entirely comfortable, but I can do it without getting dizzy or really afraid. I guess the best word to describe what I feel when I am up there is "cautious". Perhaps a little more than some, and I am OK with that. The first time I did it I almost cried when I got back down-partly with relief for being back on the ground and still alive, but partly because I felt a real sense of overcoming something that has always been difficult for me. To someone not afraid of heights this will all sound so silly, but to anyone who has a fear of heights, it will make sense.
The merchandise is so nice. I think people in this area are going to go nuts over the place. We are growing up, this area, and it is about time. BB&B has a lot of things, and I am already getting ideas for Christmas gifts to give to friends and family. Not to mention there are so many things that I will be purchasing for myself. 800 thread count sheets...employee discount--a match made in Heaven!