Mon 10-19

Monday 10-19 6.30 am

Well, it's beginning to feel like Kansas (Toto). By which I mean, I'm feeling the same way I did at Amazon -- hurt. By the end of yesterday, I was not only limping but placing my feet carefully so they wouldn't buckle under me. Had a respectable day in sales, except for one fireworks sale of over $600, which took the day into the "really good" category.

Fortunately, today is OFF. I don't really feel like going to town but I want to go to the Apache Cafe and see whether I can get online and I'd like to treat myself to some ice cream and I need coffee soon, so I guess I'm going. I'll try to keep the shopping part (that is, the walking around in Walmart) really short to keep the stress down.

Shane said as soon as Leeann gets back this Friday, my hours will plummet down to five a day. Hooray, hooray, cartwheels in the grass (metaphorically speaking, of course). And it should be no more than two weeks here before going to Alamogordo.

Have dragged out my DVDs. Watched "Hair" the other day, and I think I mentioned "The Gospel at Colonus." I only have about 20 movies, and they break down into just two categories: dance and martial arts, or maybe we should just call it one category "body movement." I'd forgotten I had "The 36th Chamber of Shaolin," a classic of the Hong Kong style of the 1960s (from the Shaw Bros. studios).

The only exception is "My Name is Modesty," based on the Peter O'Donnell character that I have an extensive collection of; I suppose you could call it an action adventure movie. It's a "Quentin Tarantino Presents" movie, filmed in Romania. There are two main problems with it -- the woman playing Modesty Blaise (Alexandra Staden) had never done any action movies before, and it shows (she has sticklike arms and moves badly); and the guy playing the villain is very good but he's perfect for Willie Garvin, Modesty's partner all through the books. What a waste.

Pound pound pound on the door (7am). It's Shane. His wife just had a car accident and is being taken to the hospital (not life-threatening injuries) and can I come in and work 2pm to 7.30 today. Of course, I said yes. So much for going to town. A guy is coming from Butterfield Station to do the books this morning, and MaryLou and Diane can handle all else. I don't know who'll be closing with me, maybe Shane himself, as there isn't anybody else. At least, it's only 5.5 hours. He's working really long hours with Leeann gone.

All is well (9am). Shane's wife totaled the truck but she came out of it with just a few scratches. So he's back to work and so I can be OFF!!

Have gone to town and am now at the Apache Cafe, eating pumpkin pie and drinking iced tea. Soon I'll go back and get hooked up and collapse for the rest of the day and rest up.