It only took them nearly two years to do it…
< 1 minute read
January 14, 2005, 7:21 PM
Finally the US has called off its search for weapons of mass destruction (hereafter WMDs) in Iraq, realizing that there are no weapons. And what amazes me is that George W. Bush has no regrets about it, despite that his primary reason for invading Iraq in the first place – the WMDs – turned out to be from inaccurate information.
I find it worthwhile to show you something that was shown at Metro Center station in April 2004:
Continue reading…Categories: National politics
It’s nice to just kind of go out on the town for a bit… the local town, that is.
2 minute read
January 14, 2005, 5:25 PM
It’s nice to go out on the town a bit. That’s what I did today. I had some errands to run, and went to both Staunton and Waynesboro in the process.
Note I say “local town”. You may recall that I go to Washington DC a lot, and spend a lot of time in that town, which hopefully will be my local town before too long. So I draw that distinction.
But anyway, I went out and about, which was fun. Went to Staunton Mall. I had lunch at “Hot Wok”, a Chinese restaurant in the mall. I’d never eaten a meal at Hot Wok before. It was good.
Categories: Personal health, Staunton, Staunton Mall
I am an artificial morning person
< 1 minute read
January 13, 2005, 10:05 PM
I was thinking about it… I am so not a morning person. Yet when I have to come into work in the early morning, I’m perhaps one of the perkiest people in there. Yet I’m not a morning person. I recently realized how I manage to do it.
One word: CAFFEINE.
It’s a wonderful thing. Have a big soda right before work, and voila! Perky. After this realization, someone asked me how I managed to be so perky in the morning, and I answered quite honestly. Caffeine. Wonderful thing. Without caffeine, I don’t know what I’d do to get moving in the morning.
Categories: Food and drink
I don’t know what it is about this time of year that makes me want to start a project at home
2 minute read
January 13, 2005, 7:44 PM
Yeah, Sis is going back to school on Sunday, and I’m again going to use her room as swing space. This time, I’m attacking the problem spots in my room. Mainly those spots where junk accumulates.
Let me put it to you this way: I still have the tubs of junk from my Potomac Hall room in the middle of my floor, nearly two years later. I moved them out when I redecorated last year, and then moved them back in afterwards. This time, I’m officially attacking those tubs. And the closet. And whatever other corners and spots have become junk repositories.
Here’s the battle plan. Sis’s floor will be divided up into four sections. One area will be “keep”. One will be “sell”, which I intend to list on eBay. A third will be “trash”. And a fourth will be “Goodwill”. Now that we have a new Goodwill store in Waynesboro right next to Wal-Mart, I’m most likely going to donate a boatload of stuff from this adventure to Goodwill. Still, I intend to make this room more livable than it is right now. Besides, I’d have to do this anyway after I find a job in Washington and move out. So I might as well just do it now.
Categories: House, Today's Special
“…he was from New Jersey! I went to my senior prom with a YANKEE!”
2 minute read
January 13, 2005, 7:22 PM
That line of Blanche’s from The Golden Girls just cracks me up. Since, you see, I am originally from New Jersey, and still consider myself northern, even though I’ve lived in Virginia for more than half my life.
This is why I love it when people say that I sound northern, like one person told me today. Shows I haven’t lost it. And let me tell you – the word “y’all” is not in my vocabulary. And if ever you hear me say “y’all”, slap me.
Meanwhile, I’m going to the doctor’s office tomorrow for pain. Where? Wrists! Over Christmas, I managed to get a repetitive stress injury in both wrists from scanning items for customers. Now it’s painful to scan stuff. I had this happen in 2003 in my right wrist only, and then it went away after a while on the Service Desk. This time it’s both wrists, and I am so done with the Service Desk, so that’s not an escape again. I’m hoping to get some “feel-good medicine” to make me feel good (thus “feel-good medicine”) and make the pain go away. Usually I do so well, and nothing ever ails me. Then within the last month or so, I got two colds in a row in December, and then this. Yuck.
Categories: Activism, Fire drills, Personal health, Television
Let there be snow – please!
< 1 minute read
January 13, 2005, 12:11 AM
For the last two weeks, we’ve had spring-like temperatures! And I’m sick of it! The winter coat is back on the back burner as I grudgingly grab my light jacket again. If it’s winter, I want cold temperatures, and I want snow. This warm weather is driving me up the wall. I am having a craving for snow.
For those of you not familiar with Virginia weather, by mid-January, we’ve usually had at least one good snow – usually the first in December some time. I think most we had in December were some very light flurries. This past December was that lovely month where I was sick for most of the month. Seriously, I got two colds back to back in December 2004. Yuck. So I got sick, but remained snowless. Drat.
Supposedly, it’s going to get cold again this weekend, and winter shall return. No snow, though. Maybe I’ll get my snow later on. Who knows.
Categories: Weather
Today was a busy Saturday…
3 minute read
January 8, 2005, 7:28 PM
Yes, this was a busy day today. Though not nearly as bad as pre-Christmas, mind you. Still, this reinforces the point that I cannot stand the express lanes – the “20 items or less” lanes where every other customer comments about that “rule”, getting on my nerves in the process, and the fact that the customers put their items on the edge of the counter without fail. And the more delicate and breakable they are, the closer they put it to the edge. Then there are the debit reader machines. If you’ve ever paid with a card at Wal-Mart, you’ll know that when you’re finished, the machine displays “ask cashier to press debit key” or “ask cashier to press credit key”. And so I hear a hundred times a day from customers, “Press the credit key” or “You need to press the credit key”. I don’t think that they realize that I can see what method they’ve used without their interaction. I so wish Wal-Mart would change that message to something else, like “Thank you” so that I don’t have to be told by umpteen customers how to do my job like I’m an idiot.
Anyway, end of rant.
Meanwhile, I need to make an appointment with the doctor for a repetitive-stress injury that I got around Christmas that I had hoped would go away on its own. So it hurts in both wrists to scan some items. And unlike some people, I’m not out for blood. I’m just concerned about getting better. That’s all.
Feet?
2 minute read
January 5, 2005, 11:37 PM
A coworker at Wal-Mart, in looking at my Web site, noticed that I have a lot of pictures of my own feet on there. Specifically, she noticed this one on the way home from my 2000 beach trip, this one from where I was waiting for a bus at JMU, this one at Rosslyn while I was waiting for the train in 2001, and this one at my 2004 beach trip.
Now I will be the first to tell you – the first three feet shots, all of my own feet, were “bored” shots. They’re shots I ended up with because I had nothing better to do while waiting for something – in the car, at the bus shelter, and in the train station. The last one, of my sandy feet, was intended to show just how much sand I’d collected while out on the beach.
My coworker came to a different conclusion. She thought that I had a thing for feet, and thus why I have these four photos of my feet on my site. Not quite, I said. My feet, as I said, just happen to be something I always know the whereabouts of, and are also convenient to photograph when there’s nothing else to do.
Still, I ought to see if I can do something artistic with my feet. Or not. Who knows.
Categories: Myself
Pentagon City… explored!
5 minute read
January 5, 2005, 4:13 PM
Well, I went to Washington as planned on Tuesday. And I had fun! First of all, I accomplished my official goals for the trip. Those were to pay a visit to the Infoshop at 9th and P Streets NW, and explore Pentagon City. And those went well.
Now for the story.
I overslept this time! I’m just like, aw, crap! when I looked at the clock. True, I had no definite schedule, but still, parking can be tricky. But I still managed to snag a parking space in the North Garage at Vienna, on the top level like I like it. And I was somehow able to turn 90 minutes late into 60 minutes late. That takes talent.
Once I got onto the Metro, I rode in to Rosslyn, and caught my read of the Express. And then I caught Breda 4058 at Rosslyn, to head into Washington.
Darkness envelops the Wal-Mart Supercenter…
2 minute read
January 2, 2005, 12:29 AM
Well, today was interesting! Six months to the day of the “microburst” (really powerful thunderstorm that came out of nowhere) last July 1 that knocked out power to our store, we had a power outage at Wal-Mart today. And unlike with the microburst, where at least it was bad weather that knocked down power lines all over Waynesboro, this time it was a beautiful, unseasonably warm day. And at 4:30 PM, as I’m checking out a long line of customers, all of a sudden the store goes dark.
It’s weird. Everything’s going along just fine. The register is going “boop, boop, boop” as I’m scanning stuff. Then all of a sudden the lights all go out. The air handling units also stopped running, which made for an eerie, unfamiliar quiet. The lights going out also silenced the crowd for a moment. Everyone’s just like, “Eh?” Especially since it was a gorgeous day. Just gorgeous outside. No apparent reason for the power outage. Just one moment, light, and then the next, dark.
So we had to get everyone checked out before the registers died, which we did. And then after the customers, we had to make hay while the sun was shining in getting things together before we could reopen. Everyone also realized that it was starting to get dark, and that soon it would be pitch black inside, save for the emergency lighting. That was a weird feeling. But it was almost a party atmosphere in the store. It was weird. We were productive, but still, it was a certain party atmosphere. In asking where this Disney Princess dress-up dress went, I held it up to my leg and said, “Do you think this dress goes with these shoes?” When all the front-end associates gathered up front later, it was still very party-like.
Categories: Walmart
Happy New Year!
3 minute read
January 1, 2005, 1:24 AM
And so now let’s all sing a round of Auld Lang Syne.
And this is the first entry of 2005, after I rolled the Journal into the next database. If this posts when I submit my form, then I was successful.
I have to say, I noticed a few things about the new year’s arrival. On the TV, we again noticed the glasses with the year on it. I just wonder if they’ll continue it come 2010. Then, you see, there will be no number with a big open middle on one eye for at least ten years (you could pull it off in 2020, since the “2” is sufficiently open). But a “1” is kind of poor for that kind of thing. I wonder.
Otherwise, I’m still up, which is amazing in itself. I fully expected to be fast asleep before midnight, considering how long I was slightly droopy at Wal-Mart at the beginning of my shift. But I ended up hitting a second wind or something, I guess.
Categories: DC trips, New Year's
New Year’s Eve…
2 minute read
December 31, 2004, 9:56 PM
As I write this, it’s less than 30 minutes until 2005 arrives. And people were ready at Wal-Mart. Practically every customer the entire bloody day bought all sorts of alcohol, usually multiple items. Beer, wine, you name it. Virginia has state-operated liquor stores, so we don’t sell liquor at Wal-Mart – just beer and wine, and other stuff that falls into those two categories, like that malt liquor stuff.
And it was hopping at Wally World. Lines all day. People want to get loaded full of food and alcohol, and they bought it in large quantities. Whee!
Meanwhile, the Deli got some new mashed potatoes and gravy. I think that’s going to be a hit, particularly with the associates. I had some of it with my lunch. Good stuff indeed.
Categories: New Year's, Schumin Web meta, Walmart
All in all, we had fun on our not-a-date.
5 minute read
December 31, 2004, 2:08 AM
After work today, my friend Katie and I went up to Harrisonburg to go to Buffalo Wild Wings. I’d been there lots of times before with other people, but this was Katie’s first time at “BW-3’s” or “B-Dubs”, as it’s been called at times.
This whole outing was what we called our not-a-date, after a number of coworkers, three in particular (and you know who you are), kept commenting about how cute a couple we were and how it was so cute we were going on a “date”. For the record, Katie and I are not dating, nor do we ever intend to “date”. We are just friends. Strictly platonic. But that of course doesn’t mean we don’t have fun.
And to back up the fact that this wasn’t a date, we had also originally intended to have some others come with us. We were to have my sister come along, and also Teri from candy. Teri ended up having to cancel, and then Sis got sick and ended up having to leave work early.
At Buffalo Wild Wings, we ordered the boneless wings, and an order of mozzarella sticks. Why boneless? Bones are a bother to eat around, and make it quite messy. We had four of the twelve signature sauces on our wings. We had “Sweet BBQ”, “Mild”, “Spicy Garlic”, and “Caribbean Jerk”. So we had a third of the flavors. Still mighty good, though. Caribbean Jerk is about the upper limit of my tolerance of spicy sauces. That stuff is spicy. I’ve had the top of the scale, “Blazin”, before, and that’s just… whoo boy. I dipped a few wings in that when I went there on New Year’s Day 2002 with friends from Telegate. That sauce is potent, let me tell you. At first, it was like, this isn’t too bad, but then all of a sudden it hits you. Flames were shooting out of my mouth on that one, let me tell you.
Christmas Eve, Christmas, and the day after
4 minute read
December 26, 2004, 9:45 PM
My, what an interesting three days.
First there’s Christmas Eve. The crowds at Wally World were just amazing. Practically all of Waynesboro crammed into our store and cleaned it out. And then at 6:00, just like last year in the Staunton Wal-Mart, all became quiet, as the store closed, and the customers went home. All of us as associates finally wished each other a Merry Christmas, and went on home. Hey, the store was closed, and we were going to enjoy every minute of it. Though I think I caught Evelyn off guard with a Christmas hug.
Speaking of Christmas Eve, I’m still sore from that day. For one, my arms are sore from all the scanning I did. Let me tell you something. I was scanning far more items than a regular day, and was scanning at warp speed. So I’m still sore from that. We’ll recover. I also got a bruise on my front. I noticed it this morning while I was getting dressed. Then at work today, remembering where the bruise was, I realized how I got it. I must have accidentally jabbed myself with the arms on the bag spinner at some point, since it was at the right height to be the spinner.
Then there’s Christmas itself. Mom was the star of the show in the morning, overacting for everything. Sure, it was a bit bad acting, but it was cute. Meanwhile, you know you’re getting mature when you realize that the Christmas presents will still be there in the afternoon, and you don’t have to open them at the crack of dawn. I had no problem sleeping until noon or later. But the family woke me up at 9:00, and so I kind of lumbered down the stairs to open presents.
Categories: Christmas, Clothing, Food and drink, Schumin Web meta, Shoes, Walmart
Sarah Lanthier: You will not be forgotten
2 minute read
December 23, 2004, 9:17 PM
These last few days have left me in a bit of a funk. This stems from the fact that one of my best friends, Sarah Lanthier, recently passed away, on Friday, December 17.
Sarah and I had a wonderful relationship. We first met through my Today’s Special Web site back in 1997. She found it, liked what she saw, and contacted me. I replied, and we ended up talking extensively about Today’s Special through Email correspondence. Then our conversations branched off into other things. Then we had a phone conversation, where we got to talk with each other in “real time” for the first time. We did that and Email for the longest time, and also later adding ICQ for real-time conversations online. And all the time, we became so much closer, and even discussed meeting up one day.
And then in August 1999, we did! We arranged to meet in Toronto, where we stayed in the same hotel (the Delta Chelsea), and visited “The Store” from Today’s Special together. We had a lot of fun. Here’s a picture of us from that trip:
Categories: Friends