Hurricane Plus No Help Equals Panic!

It didn't start out that way this morning. It was sunny, hot, and humid, but not cloudy or unusually windy. I vacuumed the apartment and dubbed more James Bond. Thunderball and You Only Live Twice are very typical mid-60s Sean Connery Bond. Both are set in exotic locations (Nassau; Japan). Both have James involved with SPECTRE world domination plots. Both are filled with everything that people expect of this series - gadgets, girls, lots of explosions. Maybe too much. Thunderball in particular drags like crazy, and its underwater photography is a lot less exciting today than it was when it was new in 1965. Live Twice is mostly notable for introducing the first villain hideout (a volcano).

I had no idea the Acme tried to call me in until right before I left. By the time I got the message, it was right before I left. I shrugged, packed my lunch, changed into my work shirt, and left. How bad could it be?

It was AWFUL. The Acme was a total zoo all day long, with lines down the aisles until right before I was done. There's just too much going on. First of all, anyone who lives on the east coast probably knows that Hurricane Irene is coming our way. I doubt we'll get much more in this area than rain, wind, and minor tidal flooding, but everyone around here loooovvvvesss to panic! Second, it's almost the beginning of the month, and the weather may have prompted early deposits of many checks. Third, it's Friday, and a lot of people get paid and do their shopping anyway, no matter what the weather.

Sigh. And fourth, there were at least three or four people who called out because they wanted to get ready for the storm. That's ridiculous. Do that sort of thing AFTER work, not during it. We had absolutely no help all night.

Thank goodness things had begun to slow down a little by the time I got to my own shopping. I'm also glad I own a large Britta pitcher I filled with water, lots of D batteries, bought my milk yesterday, and only eat whole-wheat, rye, and multi-grain bread from the bakery in the summer. We were low on milk and bread, and almost every bit of water and every D battery had been cleared off the shelf. I bought whole wheat bakery bread, brown eggs, oatmeal, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter sticks, two single fish packs, organic chicken thighs that were on sale, flour, and peanut butter.

My schedule next week is much better. Sunday and Tuesday off, only one late day (Wednesday) and one long day (Saturday).