Nightmare Work and Sweet Irish Music

This is a nightmare. When I wake up, it won't be happening. The Acme's union just okayed a possible strike. They're supposed to try to renegotiate on the 19th.

I am NOT going to go on strike. No way. No how. Uh-huh. Forget it. You can keep your stupid contract and stuff it where the sun doesn't shine. I don't even WANT to work at this darn store or with this company. I'm only still here because I haven't been successful finding something else with comparable hours and wages.


Look at all the replies on this article in the Philadelphia Inquirer! They all blame the union workers, every last one of them, just like stupid SEPTA and their dumb strike. Do they think I WANT to go on strike? Do they think I WANT to not work? If one of them can suggest a nice little office that needs full-time help, preferably one with creative connections like an art school or a library or an archive, I'm all ears!

Especially after today. Work was pure hell. It was busy all day, thanks to today being Veteran's Day and many people having today off. But people were rude and obnoxious again. One of my very first customers was another one of those darn chop shop people trying to clear out our sales so he can illegally sell cereal.

I was stressed and going crazy all day and in tears by the time I rode home. Mother Nature was no help. It sprinkled lightly on my way to work and lightly showered going home. It never rained heavily, but it was still gloomy. I did manage to pick up the 35 dollars Miss Ellie owed me for raking after I got home. Apparently, the dental office where she works was open and busy, too. I guess a lot of people who had today off decided to use today for their check-up.

Spent the rest of the evening indoors. I experimented with a recipe for Tea Cookies in one of my British baking books. I love Red Velvet Cake, but I wanted to refill my cookie jar and have something a bit less rich. I cut the butter down to 1/2 stick, added applesauce to make up for the lost moisture, and threw in 1/2 cup cocoa, 1 tsp red food coloring, and 3 tablespoons buttermilk to make Red Velvet Cookies. They came out pretty well, soft and chocolate-y.

Cheered myself up with the sweet Irish musical Once while I baked and ate a simple dinner of seared beef chuck steak, fresh escarole, and applesauce. A young Irish street performer and a Russian house cleaner enter a tentative romance when they spend a week making a CD of his songs with some friends. That's all there is to it, but it's charming and fun to watch. (Even though I couldn't understand all the dialogue - and I had a harder time with his thick Gallic brogue than her soft Eastern European tones.) One of the sweetest movies I've ever seen, and worth digging around for if you're looking for a quiet, unusual musical or for a different kind of romance.