tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32102722848950943392024-03-13T10:16:44.296-07:00The Way Of The AccommoditeIn a world where it's so easy to put in so much time and energy into criticizing what others do in this world, Accommodites give primary focus to their own behavior and how to make sure it "accommodates" the well-being of their environment and the other people around them.Moderate Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14889172303312524950noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210272284895094339.post-82107468099365237092011-05-25T18:36:00.000-07:002011-05-25T18:36:55.285-07:00For A Person Threatening SuicideFirst off, sorry I haven't been in here for a while. I had stuff come up, let me put it that way. <br />
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Anyway, aside from some other drama that had been going on lately, someone in an online book club that I'm involved in has been going through a lot lately. This morning, it came to my attention that they want to commit suicide and have asked for painless ways to go about it. Those of us who answered her post on that have said get help, don't kill yourself, etc. I don't know this personally know her, but the thought of losing someone who is part of any of the things that I'm part of scares me. If she were someone I knew from church, I'd bring it to the pastor's attention PDQ. (I asked her if she was afilliated with a church or something and if so could she get ahold of the pastor or person of a comparable position.) But this person lives so far away, and it seems really silly for me to ask for her phone number in order to check up on her. I might ask if someone else in the club has her number and can check on her. <br />
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The thread on the aforementioned subject matter brought to my mind <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbbIoerIcj4&feature=related">a scene from the movie "Yes Man".</a> I haven't seen the movie per se, I've just heard of it and seen this clip. I think I can imagine myself, the suicidal person, and some other people in the club re-enacting the scene, except I don't play the guitar. (I did leave the link to the clip for that person the next time they were on the club site.) In that scene the guy with the guitar hadn't stepped in, the guy on the ledge probably wouldn't have made it. <br />
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If someone threatens to commit suicide, either help them out in whatever way you can or find someone who can. You might save a life.Moderate Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14889172303312524950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210272284895094339.post-27834378706142357932011-01-31T19:05:00.000-08:002011-01-31T19:05:42.541-08:00Bringing Something In To HelpAt the thrift store where I volunteer, we had been running low on tags, and ordering new ones hadn't been feasible. (Besides, there's also no promises as to when stuff like that will come in.) As the task of pricing clothes had been delegated to me over the last two weeks, someone else had been tagging the clothes instead of me. As we were low on tags, the other people tagging had no choice but to use tags that had been written on. They ended up having to scratch out whatever was writtien on said tags. Unfortunately, it didn't look very professional.<br />
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So, I came up with an idea. I brought some white-out at home and started using that on the tags that had been written on. That way, whatever price was orginally written on wouldn't look as obvious, and there wouldn't be the sloppiness of the scratch outs. Supposedly, I inspired a new policy, which is that we'd take the tags off of stuff after we sold it (if we remembered to take the tags off) and reuse that tags as much as possible, and it would save some money. <br />
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It sometimes helps those around you to be resourceful. It may inspire another idea.Moderate Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14889172303312524950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210272284895094339.post-71851679552214570502010-12-26T14:49:00.000-08:002010-12-26T14:49:13.761-08:00Their Convenience Before MineThere will generally be one day out of the week when I will do my laundry. Normally, that day would be Thursday. However, my stepdad has that day off, and there's no telling if he will want to do some then or not. He's also off on Tuesday (another day that I have off from my volunteer work), and that may be the day that he will want to do laundry. However, his schedule has him at work from 12 to 9. So, I'll just do my laundry tomorrow when I get home.<br />
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Out of principle, my laundry is one of those things I try to reserve for when I have the house to myself. For all I know, other people in the house may want to do laundry as well, may want a shower at some point, or may want to do something else with which my doing laundry might conflict. I've had that happen one time. It was on a Saturday. Because of the problems we were having with our washer at the time, I could only do the laundry in small loads. I rarely, if ever had the house to myself long enough to do laundry at the time. The Saturday that I had done it turned out to create an inconvenience to my mom. That night, I was told in no certain terms that I needed to check signals with her from then on out. There were times when I had to let my laundry pile up on account of no convenient time for me to do laundry without having to seek permission to do so.<br />
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I'm more or less the same way with showers. I restrict mine to a time that won't create conflict for anyone else. There were times when I would take my shower at a time that was later than was appropriate and had been reprimanded for that. These days, if it's after a certain time, and I haven't had a shower because of the dishwasher running, I have gotten distracted with something, or for some other reason, I simply take a pass on the shower. If I'm lucky, I might take one in the day, but for the most part, my showers are taken at night. (If I do a daytime shower, it would have to be when I have the day off and nobody else is home.) If it means going multiple days without a shower, so be it. I also remember one time when I was living with my dad when I was in the shower, but because it turned out that he needed to use the bathroom, I had to hurry up and even cut some corners with said shower. (And as I was often homebound due to a combination of needing to be more or less available to him and not to mention the "schedules" of busywork that he and I were both doing at the time, I was lucky if I showered more than once or twice a week.)<br />
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In closing, I feel that what's convenient for me conflicts with what's convenient for someone else, their convenience should take precedence.Moderate Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14889172303312524950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210272284895094339.post-53451421212572473442010-11-26T15:02:00.000-08:002010-11-26T15:02:31.311-08:00Keepin' It Quiet, Or Trying To AnywayToday was Black Friday, so my stepdad was at his job at Home Depot, and I had my volunteer work at a local thrift store. The latter opened two hours than it normally does. My mom, on the other hand, had the day off, so she had license to sleep in.<br />
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Given this, I tried to be as quiet as I could this morning. The dishwasher was waiting to be unloaded from last night, but I decided I'd wait until I got home if it wasn't already taken care of by then. (I still can't do it now because my stepdad's sleeping.) As of earlier this fall, I've taken to going about my morning business in slippers while otherwise dressed for the day and putting on my shoes when it was time to go and wearing them from my bedroom out. However, with my mom sleeping and our house having almost no carpeting to muffle the sound of my walking, I decided to carry my shoes to with me to the front door and put them on there. (And as we generally store footwear in the bedroom, I had to take my slippers off in my bedroom and walk to the door in my socks.) If there was a way to make my door quieter, I would. (The thing squeaked on me. Grrr!)<br />
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As long as someone is asleep or trying to sleep, the less noise that those awake make, the better.Moderate Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14889172303312524950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210272284895094339.post-45759107977892250842010-10-28T12:26:00.000-07:002010-10-28T12:26:06.133-07:00A Couple Of AnnouncementsIn the last week or so, my sister asked me if I would babysit her kid both tomorrow and Saturday night. As I had no known plans for that time, I accepted. Normally, I'd be doing volunteer work on Fridays. However, my sister plans on coming to get me late in the afternoon if not sooner. In order to ensure that I will be ready when she arrives, I am taking tomorrow off to pack as well as be present at home whenever she does arrive and is ready to go. (I've already cleared it with the manager to take tomorrow off.) The underlying principle here is to be prepared to work around another person's schedule whenever necessary.<br />
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On an unrelated note, as of tomorrow, I will be posting a series of posts called <em>Miss Scissors: Reading is the Key</em> on my reading blog, <a href="http://rabpia.blogspot.com/">RAB-PIA.</a> I will be sure to inform you as to when I have posted updates to said series. Hopefully after I finish said series, I will be in a better position to publish more posts pertaining more to the nature of this blog.Moderate Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14889172303312524950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210272284895094339.post-78055635665655033272010-10-15T06:57:00.000-07:002010-10-15T06:57:48.971-07:00Giving Up Something I Don't Need As Much As Someone ElseThe thrift store that I volunteer at has been running low on hangers for shirts, dresses, etc. The last day that I had worked there was Wednesday, and I ran out of available hangers off and on and therefore had things I couldn't hang up.<br />
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Today, I'm giving up some of my hangers that fit the kind that are normally used at said store. (They normally used colorful plastic hangers or the kind that turn at the head.) I have more hangers myself than I can fit in my closet, which is at least part of why sometimes a blouse will share a hanger with a skirt or pants. When/if more of my "closet clothes" wear out, and provided I don't have more coming into my wardrobe, I'll have more hangers freed up that I can donate. If it means most of my own clothing is put on wire hangers or another kind not used at that store, so be it. For my own personal purposes, a hanger is a hanger.<br />
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What about you? Do you possess something that you'd be willing to give up if there is someone who needs it more than you do? If so, can you, for your own purposes, substitute in something else for the item that you don't especially need but someone else does?Moderate Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14889172303312524950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210272284895094339.post-82183299669611636972010-10-07T14:35:00.000-07:002010-10-07T14:35:11.767-07:00Got My Stuff Done; I Wonder If I Could Help Someone ElseI play this game on Facebook called <em>Cafe World, </em>where one can run their own virtual cafe, cook and serve certain dishes, and visit the cafes of their "neighbors". The more "cafe points" you get, the more you can level up. When you level up, you have more dishes, another stove, and/or another counter available to you.<br />
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One of their latest features is catering, where you have a "catering" order where you serve certain dishes a certain number of times. If you have enough "cafe cash" though, you can get around some of this. Depending on how soon you get the order done, you can get a three-star rating (the best), a two-star, or a one star. The three-star and two-star ratings qualify you for the next order, but the one-star one does not. (That's okay because you can always try the order again.) You can also enlist the aid of your "neighbors" who can cook some of the dishes you need as well, and said dishes will count towards your order and theirs (if they have the same order). <br />
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One of the most recent orders I had was for the anniversary "party" for <em>Cafe World</em>. After I finished that, I re-activated an order for a certain number of serving plates, pots and pans, and steam trays. This one I either have to "buy" said items or ask my "neighbors" to send some. The last time I did it, I got a one-star rating. Unless I get at least a two-star one, I can't do any more orders. Since I don't have enough "cafe cash" and have to wait for people to send me the things that I need, I decided that in the mean time, I'd help some of my neighbors with their orders.<br />
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One of the catering orders was a dinner party order that someone was catering. When I was done catering the anniversary order, I "cooked" and "served" what was left of some of the angel fruit cake and jumbo shrimp cocktail that the person had left to get done. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to help them in time for them to get a high enough rating for them to qualify for the next order.<br />
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Another catering order was that of my sister's, which was for a birthday party. The dishes that had to be cooked and served were bacon cheeseburgers, triple berry cheesecake, and clubhouse sandwiches, I was able to help with the cheesecake, the sandwiches, and most of the cheeseburgers. The assistance I was able to give was enough to get the order done this afternoon, give her a two-star rating and thus qualify her for the next order (if she chooses to accept it). I don't know if the order would've gotten done if I hadn't stepped in.<br />
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Finally, an order that I'm helping with now is that of someone catering a BBQ for which some BBQ chicken, chocolate cream pie, and voodoo chicken salad served a certain number of times. I have some BBQ chicken cooking that should be ready by tonight after which I'll cook either the chicken salad or the pie. (There are three rounds of it to go on the latter.) Hopefully, I will be able to help the person in time for them to move on to the next order.<br />
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Here's my point with all of this: if you've finished a project of yours (in a game or in real life) or you've come as far as you could with your own project, see if you can help someone else with theirs. After all, it could be <em>your</em> assistance that helps the person get done what needs to get done.Moderate Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14889172303312524950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210272284895094339.post-48720909175215115872010-09-28T14:13:00.000-07:002010-09-28T14:13:39.592-07:00Be Polite With Your EyesThis morning, I was on my way somewhere and happened to pass a group of people. I glanced in their direction for no particular reason. I don't know if I looked too long or what, but one of the people asked "Do you need something or are you looking for something?" I said no, and she said, "Keep walking, b*tch. [editing mine]" I did and apologized. <br />
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This is not the only time that my eyes have "misbehaved" so to speak. There were times when I looked in the general direction of others without cause and their tone of voice and/or the face they'd give me would indicate that they were bothered by this. (I've done that a couple of times to my sister, and she is one of the people in my life to whom I have a moral responsibility to never displease.) When I realized that the person was bothered by this, I'd look away and feel guilty. I've also stared at a dog once and was reprimanded for it. (Staring is a no-no by both dog standards AND human standards.) <br />
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For the Accommodite, looking in the direction of others without cause, especially if it offends the other party is bad behavior and should be avoided. Rather, unless one is in a conversation with another or is trying to get/stay out of another person's way, one should avert their eyes as to make it clear that one hasn't a question or anything else calling one's eyes in the direction of another.<br />
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Learn from my mistake, and be polite with your eyes.Moderate Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14889172303312524950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210272284895094339.post-69733676452324424132010-09-18T18:48:00.000-07:002010-09-18T18:48:47.495-07:00I've Been A Naughty Daughther To My Mom By Not Being Accessible When She CalledMy mom and stepdad are currently out of town on a road trip. They left Thursday evening, and they plan on returning home on Tuesday night. <br />
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My mom has tried to call me twice since she left: once on Thursday night and another time today. The former I can justify by saying that I was out somewhere and needed to have my phone off. Concerning the latter, however, I had my phone in my purse rather than my pocket and must not have heard it. She has left a voicemail both times. She managed to catch me on Facebook (via the chat feature). I told her I was okay and that I was sorry for missing her call. <br />
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Sometime after that, I checked my phone. It turns out I had a "missed call" from my sister. It turns out that my mom had called her to get her to call me. <br />
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I should've had my phone in my pocket when Mom called. Then, I could've answered to assure her that I was okay and then she wouldn't have had to have my sister involved. I have failed her in this and in this way have been a naughty daughter to her. (BAD Moderate Mouse.) You'd think being 25 year-old professing to Christian standards that I'd have my act together as a daughter. Sadly, I don't. <br />
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I feel terrible for failing my mother. Last time I checked, she and my stepdad were going out to dinner. I don't know if I'd catch her at a good time now. However, tomorrow afternoon, I'm going to call her and apologize for missing her calls and putting her in the position to have my sister involved. <br />
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The behavior I engaged in is not proper for the Accommodite. If a cell phone is in the equation, the proper thing to do is to have it close to oneself, and barring situations where having it on is out of the question (such as church or seeing a show), it should be on and answered just as soon as possible and all calls returned as soon as possible, and NEVER should a third party have to intervene. The Accommodite who fails in this area should apologize to the person trying to contact him/her for the disservice that had been done. After all, our actions affect others, and negative effects are to be avoided by the Accommodite.Moderate Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14889172303312524950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210272284895094339.post-49112388428453165922010-08-24T18:45:00.000-07:002010-08-24T18:45:06.433-07:00I'm So Sorry I Haven't Been Updating LatelyI don't know why I've been slacking on this...again. I realized that the last post on this blog was in July. Not that I know who, if anyone, has been reading this lately. If anyone is, I can assure you that I haven't quit this blog. I've just had my mind somewhere else (I think). I'll try to be more careful about getting stuff posted here.Moderate Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14889172303312524950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210272284895094339.post-49685215561540407132010-07-31T20:26:00.000-07:002010-07-31T20:26:26.316-07:00Of Course I Have TimeAs I may have mentioned, I've been at my sister's house since about mid-May. (I'm due to go back to my own home in a couple of weeks or so.) In addition to looking after her 8-year-old, I'd also help out with some of the housework, such as the dishes, whether I've been requested to do so or not. Occasionally, she'll ask me to clean out the rabbit/guinea pig cage or vacuum or something else, the phrase, "If you have time..." will somehow be involved, like it was tonight.<br />
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I'm willing to do what it is she asked me to do, but I wonder what would give her the impression that I didn't have time? I'm in the house more often than not. Whatever time isn't spent with my nephew or playing fetch is likely to be spent watching TV or surfing the net. Just as one who has time to lean has time to clean as the saying goes in some jobs (and I've had jobs with that rule, figuratively speakin), if I have time to be sitting around watching TV or surfing the net or some other nonessential activity, surely I have time to clean that cage, vacuum (provided nobody is trying to sleep at the time), or whatever else needs to be done. I have nothing but time. I might as well use it to help fulfill a need that someone else has.Moderate Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14889172303312524950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210272284895094339.post-32569702144654273162010-07-13T11:03:00.000-07:002010-07-13T11:03:45.186-07:00Have You Ever Had To Write "I Will/Will Not [Fill In The Blank Here]" When You Were In School?One punishment that you may be familiar with in a school setting is writing x number of sentences saying that you will not talk in class, chew gum, or whatever you did wrong.<br />
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I think I've had that punishment once. At one point, I had said the word "shut up" (which was considered a "bad word") and had to write it down 200 times. (That's just the number for the first offense.)<br />
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I'm considering having myself doing that whenever I make a mistake I could've easily prevented at the time, <strong>especially</strong> if it's one that by any means affects someone else in a negative way. (After all, part of what this blog is intended to emphasize is that one's actions do affect others, and that said actions need to have a positve effect.) I'm very prone to forget the simple things, I'm hoping that this penalty for myself will reinforce in me that doing the wrong thing or failing to do the right thing <strong>is not is not IS NOT acceptable, especially if it means, hurting, offending, and/or letting down someone else.</strong><br />
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There were simple mistakes in the past that I've made more than once (such as leaving the phone off the hook or not turning off the light when I leave the room) and have gotten in trouble for. Other times, I made a mistake on something that I had been informed of in the past. (For instance, the rule on putting away groceries was that frozen stuff went in first. Once, I handed my dad the wrong thing, and he got P.O.'d about it, and it turned into a little discussion of my tendency to not have my brain on at certain times.) <br />
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Once I do make a mistake on something I didn't know about, and I am told what IS supposed to happen (for instance, I put the sponge on the back of the sink, and I was told later that it's supposed to go in the drainer), I'm worried that I will forget and repeat the mistake, and that the you-know-what will hit the fan. I think in a case like that, I'll write it down 25 times if it's a first offense. Second time, it'll be 50 times (75 if I failed to catch the mistake before someone else did). Third time and beyond, it'll be 100 times. For mistakes on things that I have been informed of before the mistake happend and/or ones in which I should've used my common sense, it'll be a hundred sentences of what I will/will not do every time I mess up.<br />
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This may sound like I'm being too hard on myself, but if others will not tolerate my mistakes, why should I tolerate the mistakes myself, especially if they effect someone else? I may not have control on other peoples' behavior, but surely I can control my own.Moderate Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14889172303312524950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210272284895094339.post-23250632793942889382010-07-06T17:15:00.000-07:002010-07-06T17:15:22.025-07:00I Should've Had A Plan TodayMy nephew played a video game off and on pretty much all day (which I joined a small portion of per his request). When he wasn't doing that, he was watching TV. When my sister came home, she had him stop and go do something else.<br />
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I feel bad for letting this happen. Being the sitter, I should've come up with other things for us to do in order to decrease the temptation to spend so much time on the video game. But I was rather lazy about that. I had no idea what to do.<br />
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Maybe tomorrow, I could suggest an occasional game of chess or something. After all, I have been told that part of babysitting is to be a guide rather than a mere beacon, and I've been too much a beacon lately, I'm afraid. I could never get away with this kind of passivity in any kind of professional job. I'd be expected to use my initiavtive at all times. There were also times around my parents when I was expected to use my initiative on a task. I really need to do that with my nephew. (Besides, there's this guy I'm interested in who looks after his sister's kids in the day, not to mention has a son of his own from a previous relationship whom he only sees so often. I'm worried that lack of proper child care skills on my end might turn him off.)<br />
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Tomorrow, I'm going to suggest some non-electronic stuff to do either before or after limited time with the video game.Moderate Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14889172303312524950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210272284895094339.post-87795240740830682352010-06-30T11:51:00.000-07:002010-06-30T11:51:28.617-07:00Been MIA Here Lately; SorryI feel bad that I haven't posted here in a while. Even though there were various times this past week when I saw or thought of something I could've put here, my attention has been elsewhere. <br />
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Lately, I've been trying to edit a novel that I did for Nano Wrimo (National Novel Writing Month) back in November. Because I met the 50,000 word goal for that, I was one of the participants who was offered a chance to get a free manuscript copy of the novel via Createscript. Some of the people elected not to bother with editing before getting the copy. I had tried to make mine ready for formal publication. However, between various distractions and the slew of ideas in connection to the novel that came to me at close to the last minute, while I still plan to take advantage of the Createscript offer, I'm ready to show my work to anyone yet. <br />
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As it stands right now, my dad expects me to account to him for the progress made on any writing projects that I do. He'll probably be disappointed that my novel has yet to be edited enough for me to show him or anyone else. I'm hoping there won't be a lot of questions and/or lecturing involved on his end after I've explained the situation. However, my new goal is to make it presentable in time for his birthday, which is in October. The particular version will be an "uncensored" version, which will likely involve some swearing, alcohol use, etc.<br />
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However, I think after that, I will do another version of it, a "clean" one if you will, editing out swearing or anything else that would likely offend relatives and/or people I know from church. I'm hoping to have that version ready in time for Christmas. <br />
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I apologize for any disappointment I may have caused anybody who has dropped by at any time by not keeping up with the posting as much. I will try to get more in soon.Moderate Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14889172303312524950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210272284895094339.post-57675938012968447132010-06-18T11:35:00.000-07:002010-06-19T13:08:06.833-07:00Plenty Of Things To Do Unto Others While My Sister's Away Both House-related And OtherwiseAs of tomorrow, my sister and her household will be out of town for a week. During that time, I will be looking after the pets and the house (something I wouldn't be able to do if I had a job keeping me in my hometown and/or if I was still in St. Louis with my dad). I'll be doing things like vacuuming the floors, watering the plants, feeding the animals, and walking the dogs.<br />
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Then there are non-household things I need to do. One is write to Dad and/or find a Father's Day card for him tomorrow. On Sunday, I'll need to at least attempt to call him. I will also need to work on rewrites for a novel I did a draft of in November so that I can truthfully give him positive answers regarding how I'm doing on that should it come up. The last thing I need on Father's Day is to warrant any lecturing and/or questions like "Why haven't you done xyz?" (I just hope he doesn't ask about whether or not I've been doing "backups" on my work.) I also can't help but wonder if I need to be extra-sensitive about what he expects out of me since he took a severe beating from his diabetes in October. I'd rather not stress him out with let downs of any kind if I can help it. <br />
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I would like to tell you that I was a total angel who never did anything to upset or disappoint him during the nine-and-a-half months I lived with him, but sadly, I did mess up at times. I don't know for sure if I will return to him when/if he's able to find something that'll accommodate both of us, but if I do, let's just say I will have to make even more of in effort not to say or do anything that will warrant any tension between us. (I have a feeling that I will end up turning down the offer to return when/if it comes up unless there's some pressing reason to return and/or my mom and stepdad are especially anxious to get rid of me for good before I'm ready to live on my own.)<br />
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Yep, a lot to do unto others in the next week. Maybe having this all in mind will help me make more of an effort not to sleep in.Moderate Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14889172303312524950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210272284895094339.post-72514664013558636072010-06-11T18:51:00.000-07:002010-06-16T09:26:23.339-07:00My Style Right Now Is What Those Who Contribute To My Wardrobe Want It To BeEver since I was a teenager I have become more and more reluctant to wear shorts and opting instead for jeans or capris whenever I could get away with it. Reasons for not wanting to wear shorts had included not liking to show my thighs (though I'll put up with it when swimming), not having a recent enough chance to shave my legs (which I normally do in the shower if I have time and am not too lazy to take one; however, if I'm baring my legs on short notice and they're not shaved, I'll do an emergency shave) Reactions from family on my non participation in the practice of baring one's legs via shorts have ranged from saying nothing at all to expressing concern to suggestion, if not downright insistance that I wear shorts.<br />
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I've worn shorts once or twice this summer. However, I own four pairs of shorts (at least three of which I brought with me): a second hand khaki pair from my sister, a black cutoff pair that were originally long stretchy pants that my mom had gotten me but that I eventually wore a hole through one of the knees, and two pairs that my dad had taken upon himself to get for me. So I can't help feeling that I should be wearing shorts on a daily or at least near-daily basis to justify owning as many as I do, especially if other people have gone out of their way to contribute them to my wardrobe.<br />
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Or maybe I should be more diligent about incorporating them into my weekly ensembles. After all, I also have two pairs of capris that I don't want to neglect either. (I think those are secondhand too.) I also have tons of t-shirts to wear this summer as well, especially ones with very short sleeves, which someone else has contributed to my wardrobe. I'm not much into cap sleeves either, but if someone (usually my mom) goes out of their way to get it for me, I always accept in order to avoid hurt feelings and then try to find time to wear it until holes or other signs of time to be disposed of appear.Moderate Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14889172303312524950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210272284895094339.post-91159853615142090922010-06-10T18:36:00.000-07:002010-06-10T18:36:39.835-07:00Be Early To Rise Every Day, Even On The Weekends And/Or Stay-At-Home DaysWhen I was younger, I was happy to sleep in on the weekends and in the summer, especially if, as far as I knew, I was going to be home all day. Lately, though, I've been questioning whether or not I have any business doing so, especially if I'm going to make it a priority in my life to accommodite the needs of others.<br />
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Take for instance when I lived with my mom first time around. One Sunday morning (at a time when I wasn't going to church very often if at all), my mom was out doing yard work. At one point she had cut her finger. I had to get out of bed to help her wrap a tourniquet around her finger. I was trying to get dressed (since I'm reluctant to perform tasks in my pajamas; don't ask me why), but she made it sound like it was a huge emergency and my help was needed NOW. I had to settle for helping in khakis and sandals combined with my pajama top. We got done what needed done right then and there, but yeah, I was not prepared for that. I could go into more examples, but you'd be looking at a novel.<br />
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Currently, I'm at my sister's house where I will likely spend most of my time. Monday through Thursday, my nephew's involved in a day camp, and it's my responsiblility to take him to catch the bus for it and pick him up in the afternoon. However, he's home all day on Friday. Even on Friday, I definitely need to be up by the time he's up. The same holds true for weekends. After all, here's no telling what my nephew may need when he's awake and my sister and her boyfriend are either still asleep or not home. Besides, somebody needs to let the dogs outside to use the yard (especially the younger one of the two). If I'm up and dressed fairly early in the morning (six Monday through Friday; seven on the weekends), I'll be ready for anything, literally.<br />
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Besides, even if I'm not needed for anything within my immediate surroundings, there are other things I could be doing in the morning. For instance, I have been making a point of writing to my dad every Saturday. After all, if I'm not willing to take time out of my schedule to keep him up to date on what's going on with me, where's my loyalty to him? The sooner I do that, the sooner it'll be out of the way, and it'll be one less thing to think about. And surely there are household tasks that can be performed that, if I'm careful enough, won't make too much noise such as loading/unloading the dishwasher as needed. But something like vaccuuming is best left alone until everyone is up. <br />
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Even if you have nowhere to go to the best of your knowledge, the sooner you are up and dressed, the sooner you can be of use of those who may need you. If you are able to, you may try setting your alarm to six on weekdays or seven on weekends. Once it goes off, turn off the alarm, get up, take your shower (if applicable; and remember, the shorter you can keep the shower, the better), get dressed, and start your day. If no one needs you at the moment, go ahead and take care of the things that pertain only to you but that you may not be able to do later (such as email) and/or any task that could be performed in the home with little or no noise (if it's one that you're authorized to do of course). If you are the first or at least not the last person to be up, go about your business as quietly as possible out of respect for anyone who might still be sleeping so that you don't get yelled at. If for some reason you are told in no uncertain terms not to set you alarm at all (like I have been in the past), or if you have no access to one whatsoever (not even one built into a phone), and you do end up sleeping late as a result, that's okay. Just make an effort to get up the minute you wake up (something I still struggle with), get a shower (if applicable), get dressed, and do what you need to do.<br />
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You may have heard the saying "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." I don't know if that's all true, but I do believe that, for the Accommodite, being early to rise every day possible is wiser than say, sleeping until noon (except under pressing circumstances, such as illness). After all, how will you be able to attend to the needs of others when you are asleep?Moderate Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14889172303312524950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210272284895094339.post-3719949047598164222010-05-28T13:22:00.000-07:002010-05-28T13:22:37.114-07:00Helping Out In Someone Else's HomeThis summer, I'm at my sister's house babysittng her 7-year-old. The things I do there include making him a snack, playing a game with him, or even simply keeping him company.<br />
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When I'm not busy with him or he's not around (such as a couple of hours during the past three afternoons when he was attending a cooking class), I'll try to help out in other ways such as loading/unloading the dishwasher, folding the blankets in the living room, freshening up the pets' water bowls, and walking the dogs.<br />
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Something that my dad believed in and expected out of me and my sister was to be as helpful as possible when over at a family member's house, especially if it was overnight. I remember one time when he found out that I did not help out my grandma (which he found out from asking me, not from anything my grandma said), he asked me why not, as well as lecturing me and saying that, "We're not guests. We're family, and family helps each other out." Did I have an excuse for not helping out? Of course not. Did I feel bad? Yes. <br />
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I think I've been better about helping out ever since, although there may have been times when I've slipped up. I'm not entirely sure though, but over the years, helping out in family member's homes (if not non-family members' homes) as much as possible has become a necessary courtesy in my book as well as in my dad's. I regret that I did not uphold this value prior to my high school years. In fact, there are a lot of things I did in the past that I wish I hadn't, and if I could change that, I would. <br />
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Have you ever heard the saying, "If you have time to lean, you have time to clean?" I've had jobs where that idea has been applicable. I believe such an idea can be applied to homes as well (whether your own or someone else's). After all, if you take part in the care and keeping of your own home (which you do, right?), and you're going to be in someone else's home for multiple days, wouldn't it make sense to, barring illness or anything happening outside the home that somehow involves you, help with some of the cleaning or anything else that goes on in said home?<br />
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Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to see if there's some stuff I can straighten up.Moderate Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14889172303312524950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210272284895094339.post-52505262769052435272010-05-27T14:51:00.000-07:002010-05-27T14:51:39.222-07:00I'm Able To Do People Favors Even When I'm DrunkLast night, I went to a birthday party in my sister's neighborhood. I got drunk on two beers and a rum/club soda cocktail. I didn't do anything stupid that I know of, but I was wobbly and numb.<br />
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My nephew and I went home before my sister and her boyfriend. Someone who hadn't been drinking had taken me and my nephew home. Even in my drunken state, I managed to let the dogs out and back in per my sister's request and make my nephew a snack and tuck him in per his request. <br />
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Maybe that whole thing with accommodating for others' needs is so ingrained in my nature or such a reflex for me that it stays whether I'm drunk or sober, as is say, remembering to buckle my seatbelt when I get into a car. <br />
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It could very well be that if a person constantly accommodates for the needs of others while sober, it may be so second nature to them that they could do so even when drunk. (If you do anyone any favors when you're drunk, one of said favors must not include driving as it's both illegal and dangerous.) At least, that might be the case with me anyway.Moderate Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14889172303312524950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210272284895094339.post-86108816800231174252010-05-22T14:26:00.000-07:002010-05-22T14:26:48.677-07:00When I Shower, I'm Slow, And That's A No-NoMany environmentalists say that for the sake of water conservation, showers should be short, like maybe five minutes or less. (I feel awkward going into details about all the um, steps.)<br />
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My average showering time is about 20 minutes. This morning, (and by the way I'm staying at my sister's for the summer; I've been there as of last night) I supposedly took 45 minutes. I feel bad about that. <br />
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Aside from not being eco-friendly, being slow in the shower is probably not even good etiquette when the household consists of multiple people. One, it can be expensive for whoever has to pay the water bill. Two, someone else may need in the bathroom and/or to do something that requires running water (such as dishes or laundry). Three, surely there are other things I could be doing in some of that time.<br />
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Some of the factors involved in my showering time can't be helped, but some can. I can only cut my showering time so much if washing my hair is involved as it is thick enough not to get wet easily. It's likely to take longer if conditioner is involved. (Certain people in my family, who shall remain nameless, have taken it upon themselves to get me conditioner, and I feel obligated to use it.) However, I have a bad habit of having my mind somewhere else when I shower, not to mention I'm not super quick in all of my movements.<br />
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Maybe I need to make absolutely sure my mind is strictly on the task of showering with the quickest moves possible and in the shortest time possible as though I'm in a huge hurry to get somewhere. Not only will it save water, but the sooner I'm done, the sooner the bathroom can be freed up for someone else, and I can tend to tasks and/or be available to those around me.<br />
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Another thing could be to try a trick that I've heard awhile back which is to turn on the water just long enough to get wet, turn it off, soap up, and then turn the water back on just long enough to rinse off. I don't know if the latter will save on time, but surely it'll save on water, especially hot water, which will make it easier on the person who has to take the water bill. If I truly am in a hurry for whatever reason, I can always skip less important steps such as the use of conditioner. <br />
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As the Accommodite seeks to accommodate the needs of others, surely it'd be a noble act to control the time spent on one's bathing/showering and other personal stuff, especially when it affects others by some means.Moderate Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14889172303312524950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210272284895094339.post-72626657566657265222010-05-19T17:37:00.000-07:002010-05-19T17:37:46.896-07:00I'm A Staff Member; I Should Know BetterI've worked my last day at the thrift store before I'm scheduled to go out of town this summer. I'm hoping to reclaim my spot in August, but I don't know if I will be able to or not. Part of it is because I made some mistakes in the last two days and am worried that I've messed up to the point where the manager may not want me back.<br />
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Mistake number one was made yesterday. Someone had come in with a bunch of donations. I was supposed to be one of the people helping get it in, but I had misunderstood the message that was originally relayed to me. By the time I did get to the back room, it had already been taken care of. Still, I should have been fully aware of what was going on. <br />
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Mistake number two was made today. Someone came in to say that they had come to do community service, something I hadn't been trained to handle but apparently should've known the drill on. I called the manager to inform him, and his response was. "And?" (That's not the only time in my life when I've gotten such a response or something similar like, "What about it?" Those sorts of responses mean something like that what I had brought up was unimportant or stupid or it's something I should be able to deal with on my own or I had BETTER have a good reason for bringing up a single word of it.) I asked what it was I needed to have the person do, and he told me. But it sounded to me like he was rather P.O.'d at me for bothering him over it in the first place. I feel so bad when I bother, upset, offend, or (fill in the blank here) someone who ranks above me in any capacity. When I go in to turn in my key (as I will be out of town until August, and something may happen that I will not be able to reclaim my spot), I may leave a note apologizing to the manager for bothering him over something that I should've known/fully figured out on my own. Such an action could work against my reclaiming my spot. <br />
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It's bad enough when I make mistakes as a daughter, sister, etc. (If you knew of half the mistakes I have made against my parents and/or sister, I'm afraid you wouldn't like me at all.) But making mistakes in a professional setting? That is just horrible. Four years ago, I worked at Burger King, and I lasted three weeks. Why? Because I wasn't fast enough to meet their standards. If only I had figured out how to get fast; then I wouldn't worry about the scarlet "F" on my work history, which could potentially work against my ever getting a full-time paid job anywhere. (After all, if I've let one previous employer down, what's to stop me from letting the next one down?) The thrift store position I have now is an unpaid one, but I still worry about messing up to the point where my being on the staff does more harm than good. <br />
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I hope I'll be allowed to reclaim my spot in August. If I am, then I will have to try extra hard to be the perfect employee who never makes mistakes. If not, and it's on account of mistakes I've made, then I'll be lucky if I don't end up shunned by the entire job market, something that could make me a disgrace to my family and possibly all of humanity, and I don't want that. But short of asking God almighty to help me stop making mistakes, I don't know what else to do.Moderate Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14889172303312524950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210272284895094339.post-33640017387906300072010-05-10T20:05:00.000-07:002010-05-10T20:08:40.061-07:00Maybe It Was A Good Thing I Planned On Working All WeekToday, I was the only cashier on duty at the thrift store that I volunteer at. There'd normally be another cashier on duty on Mondays (whom I usually cover for when she's on her lunch break or needs a smoke break), but she was out sick. So, I was on the register almost all day. <br />
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Now it turns out that said cashier has something she has to do tomorrow afternoon and might not be able to make it in. The manager asked if I might be able to cover for that person. I said I would. In fact, I was planning on being in on all week simply because of so much that there is to be done. (It's garage sale season, which means lots of items that don't get sold being donated.)<br />
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Besides all of the items that will need to be put out on display, there are also boxes that need to be broken down. I may be doing the latter tomorrow depending on whatever else I'm up to so that the person that ranks above the manager won't be so upset about all of the empty boxes. (The manager said that there were some other people he had told to do it, but they never did. While I'll see to it that said people who are supposed to do it get the memo if they show up, but if they don't, and I end up being the one taking care of it, so be it.)Moderate Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14889172303312524950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210272284895094339.post-148921516387430322010-05-07T16:13:00.000-07:002010-05-07T16:13:02.365-07:00Sadly, Even The Accommodite Can't Always Please EverybodyToday, on the way to the thrift store that I work at, I turned in four job applications. I have decided this would be the last batch of them that I would turn in before I go out of town later this month to babysit my nephew. This will probably be the last thing either of my parents will want to hear, but this morning, I decided that as of today, I would put my job search aside until I return home in August or until I get called in for an interview, whichever comes first. Part of this is because of my pending engagement to go babysit my nephew (which would have to be cancelled if I do land a paid job in my hometown), and part of it is because of all the stuff there is to be done at the thrift store that I volunteer at, and the more of my time that I can give them, the better.<br />
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I hope my parents don't think I'm blowing off the job search or anything like that. That is not necessarily the case. I'm simply focusing my attention elsewhere for the time being. On the one hand, as a live-at-home daughter, I have to keep my parents' expectations of me in mind in whatever I do. (They're divorced, but I'm currently subject to being chastised, lectured, etc. by either one of them, especially my dad, if I do something wrong. This may change when I'm out on my own altogether.) On the other hand, I feel that I'm at an age where I need to make the judgement calls on my own life, however unacceptable. For me, sometimes it's hard to figure out when to be the independent-thinking adult and when to be the dutiful daughter whose highest priorities include full-on obedience to parental authority. <br />
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It'd be great if everyone's needs and standards could be accommodated at once. However, whether the Accommodite likes it or not, sometimes there's a conflict, and decisions have to be made about which set of needs/standards are most important at the time, even at the risk of someone getting offended or shortchanged. <br />
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I may be stepping away from the job search for now, but after I return in August, I'll pick it back up and give even more effort to it..Moderate Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14889172303312524950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210272284895094339.post-71786994261658954022010-05-06T16:07:00.000-07:002010-05-06T16:07:47.456-07:00Got In To Work Early Today But There's Still More To Be DoneI got in before 9 again and got everything that was ready for the sales floor out on display. I was going to work on getting some bedding towels, etc. for sale, but the space that I normally do it on was taken, so I worked on sorting out some stuff in the donations pile, hanging what I could, discarding what needed to be discarded, getting what was ready for the sales floor out on the sales floor, etc. At least we have more space in front of the counters.<br />
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I'd do another "early day" tomorrow, but I have applications that I need to drop off, and one of them is to a place that doesn't open until nine. So, I'll just have to make sure I drop off the applications and then go in and do what I need to do for the store just as soon as possible.<br />
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I think the batch of applications I will need to drop off tomorrow will be the last of them before I go out of town later this month. I'm planning on another full week next week in order to help with things at the thrift store. I regret I won't be able to help out in the summer, but I have a nephew who is young enough to require a sitter in the summer, and it's easier for me to accept that spot than for my sister to have to worry about anyone else being available.Moderate Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14889172303312524950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210272284895094339.post-81951635683866854772010-05-05T16:39:00.000-07:002010-05-05T16:47:42.426-07:00At The Risk Of Going Over The Line...I made an early appearance at the thrift store I work at. I'm normally there between 9:15 and 10:00, if I'm scheduled to be there around opening time. However, I went in at 8:50 since I knew that there was so much to get done. There were priced items to put out, fabric to prepare for pricing, boxes to break down, etc. Did I get all of that done today? I wish. We keep getting so much stuff this time of year that we're lucky if we are able to find places for it all. <br />
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I'll probably make yet another early appearance tomorrow. I don't know if I'll get in trouble for it, but if I do, I'm prepared to explain that there is so much to be done, and to come in after 9 isn't cutting it. (The store opens at ten and closes at four.) Besides, the manager lives out of town and can only show up so often whereas I live 20 minutes away (walking distance) from the store and don't have much going on with my life that can't be moved around. If I need to go in a little beyond an hour before opening time every single business day, so be it. The more I can get done will be all the less that the manager or anyone else has to worry about.Moderate Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14889172303312524950noreply@blogger.com0