Dusting and Disappointments

While the rest of the country was chasing after big deals, I was taking down my Thanksgiving and fall decorations. I wanted to finish the cleaning and get started with the Christmas decorations before I returned to work. The windows needed to be done badly. I hadn't washed them since at least August due to the cardboard leaves I taped on them. I also finally figured out how to work the attachments on the vacuum cleaner I bought in the spring and ran it around corners and under appliances. Boy, does it work well! The canister was almost full when I finally finished.

I had a quick lunch of Thanksgiving leftovers while watching the animated How the Grinch Stole Christmas. It's pretty simple. The title character, a grouchy green creature, is annoyed by the Whos' noisy holiday celebrations. He thinks he can "stop Christmas from coming" by stealing all their goodies. Christmas Day brings a surprise that teaches the Grinch the true meaning of the season.

I haven't seen the live-action Jim Carrey version from a few years ago. I may rent it eventually just to see it (and because I heard Carrey was well-cast as the Grinch), but really, this is the only one you need. The Grinch and Max the Dog's facial expressions alone are worth seeing.

Spent the rest of the afternoon dusting the apartment. Boy, did it need it! I haven't done a good, thorough dusting in months, since well before I hurt my ankle. I moved books, dolls, and the Star Wars action figures. I dusted under items. I dusted dolls and stuffed animals, books and DVDs.

It was 4:30 before I finally finished. Since I needed to get my schedule anyway, I decided to test my ankle and see how it did on the bike. There was a beautiful sunset over the river as I rode across the ramp and over to the Acme. It was sunny, windy, and chilly but not freezing.

My shopping went well. I just needed to restock apples, oranges, flour, romaine lettuce, and whole wheat wraps. I was delighted to see that the Jell-O Pumpkin Spice pudding, which disappeared for a few years, returned last year and seems to be in a wider distribution this year. There still wasn't any good chicken on sale, so I bought canned chicken, which was cheaper.

I shouldn't have bought anything. I'm only working Sunday, Monday, and next Saturday. Fifteen hours! I was shocked. I was working 20 to 25 hours in September! One of the front end managers said the head manager took over the schedules when the front end managers weren't doing them to his satisfaction...and now, no one is getting hours. Plus, they ended up cutting the bakery job instead of giving them more help. Apparently, I'm "restricted," because I can only work until about 10 at night. Excuse me, but shouldn't they be giving the late hours to the college students and older women who want them anyway?

Now I think I should have stuck to Disability. This is why I hate this job. I need to figure out something, find some extra writing job online that pays a heck of a lot more than Helium...and fast.