(no subject)

[derien]

As you may have guessed from the fact that I posted Chapter Eight of "Swept Away" in the mid afternoon, I cut work yesterday. I went in, looked at how overstaffed we were for the day, and directly started filling out a request to use some annual leave time. Some fool okayed overtime for all this week, including the weekend just passed, and did NOT okay overtime for Friday - traditionally an ass-breakingly busy day as everyone goes home from Thanksgiving. They trickle in and out in an increasing flow all week, Thursday it's dead, and then on Friday everyone has had enough of family and they're all getting the hell out of Maine so they can spend their weekend in their own home. But I don't work on Fridays at the moment so I don't have to worry about that. ;)

The new shift bid schedule is out and they're actually offering a 9AM to 5:30PM shift for three men and one woman. (Yes, even though the work force is almost half and half m/f the women are rarely offered the odd shifts that the men get.) But the woman's shift has Sunday-Monday off so I guess I'll keep my working 'til 8pm schedule and see about getting a normal weekend, because getting a leave day when I needed it was nearly impossible last summer. But muuuu! Normal hours?! Waaant! Still I suppose what would I do with my evening? Just hang around with Eor and go to bed early.

camwyn mentions teasing the screeners at the airport and says they get an expression like Kermit, and that made me think of how Bertie sometimes describes Jeeves having a look 'like a stuffed frog.' I wonder if both Jeeves and Kermit are also holding in check a profound frustration bordering on murderous rage because he can't very well slap the person he's supposed to be taking care of? (Because I know that's why the screener looks like that.)

I think I'm engaging in avoidance behavior. If I keep writing I won't have to go to the gym. Oh yes, it is gym day, but Phoebe has volunteered for overtime this morning so I'd have to be there by myself. Last time I did some exercising here at home instead, but that's probably not as good for me as walking on the treadmill. Grrrr. Dammit. There's no reason I can't go tomorrow, really, if I'm going to be there alone anyway.

I need to get a good learn-to-bellydance DVD. Anyone have recommendations?

Comments

[derien.livejournal.com]

Ahh, okay. I never knew there was such a thing as solid shampoo. But then again I didn't know that lip gloss existed before the liquids ban.

Still, the thing is, when we ask a question we really, really hope for a quick answer so that we can keep moving, and anything else kind of is a tease for us. So often we ask "Do you have film in this bag?" (because the baggage scanning machines can fog it) and we get, "In that bag I have a set of shelves, and some maple syrup, and some clothes, and toys and..."

And I feel like saying, "I don't care about any of that! I asked you a really specific question. We don't even really care about the film, because it doesn't do anything to our machines, I'm just trying to be kind and let you know so your pictures don't get destroyed."

But what I say is, "That's fine. Do you have any camera film in this bag?"

"I have a camera in my carry on bag. But it's digital."

"Okay, great, thank you, have a nice trip."

You can see how this went - a full minute conversation that could have taken fifteen seconds and meanwhile five more people have piled into the line behind them and the x-ray operator is falling asleep. :)

Heh, yeah, this job has made me a much more type-a personality than I ever was before.

[camwyn]

I think basically what the conversation went like was:

"Do you have any liquids or gels in that bag?"

"Less than three ounces of toothpaste and a tin of solid shampoo." (I figured that it might look funny on the X-ray- it was being carried in a metal container.)

"... they make solid shampoo?" Kermitface.

"If you give me a second, I can show you." Here I'm thinking that if I don't make the offer, I'm gonna get specialsearched, and I really packed that bag tightly.

"No, just take it and go."

http://usa.lush.com/cgi-bin/lushdb/catzoom.html?mv_arg=Solid%20Shampoos&expand=Haircare will show you the shampoos of which I speak. Also the tin. http://usa.lush.com/cgi-bin/lushdb/catzoom.html?mv_arg=Conditioners&expand=Haircare has the solid conditioner I was carrying.

[derien.livejournal.com]

Yup. *nods* Makes sense. Kermitface means he thought you were teasing him. As I would have/did. :)

[derien.livejournal.com]

And we're not equiped to deal with your efficiency - most people don't get the rules at all, let alone even attempts to obey them, so you threw him in two different directions. ;)