storyteller

Help I am drowning in Junk! GLUB GLUB! I am looking around my house and have come to the conclusion that I am in the wrong house.  I must have just wondered in off the street and someone hit me in the head and I have amnesia now.  I do not live in this sea of boxes, and garbage bags.  It is not possible that I would do this willingly.  That my Tub in the spare bathroom would be full of stuff that is unusable.  Lamps that do not work, not to mention have no lampshades……someone must have put this stuff here to confuse me.

That is all I can see, because why would anyone put an unused, broken Stereo receiver in there? Or Old coffeepots that have broken elements, or a box of old cell phones?  It is just a ruse to get me to clean them out of there…..yep that is it.  I have amnesia, so I am not sure I know what to do?  Clean it out and do what with it?  They are holding me hostage in a god forsaken place out in the wilderness on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere in a place called Arkansas.  They don’t even have regular trash trucks out here, it is not like the city…..Oh I remember what Trash Trucks look like they are usually big, and usually Green and they go “UMMMGGRRRRUGGGclank,PSH!” when they eat all the trash you put out.

Not in the place they are holding me, they have a guy who looks kind of like Barney Fife, and a 1/2 ton truck with a makeshift wooden box on the back…..And he jumps out with such vigor, and runs to the Trash Cans and tosses your bags in the back……and counts how many you have.  Yes he counts to make sure you have no more than 4 because out here you apparently can’t have more than 4 or they will charge you more.  Oh there is a list of things they won’t take too……that is why it is in the spare bathtub!!!

And to add to the matter cleaning out closets, cabinets, and even drawers has accumulated several more boxes and bags to put these things into a yard sale.  Oh do not worry friends it won’t be here at this place that is holding me hostage…..it will be a my friends house closer in town sometime in this month before it snows.  I could put out NEON signs about a yard-sale out here and no one would dare to wonder down that road…..I live 7 miles off the main drag back in the woods, off the asphalt road, 2 more on a dirt road. We should put up signs to watch out for the Lions, Bears and Deer…oh my. But in the meantime I am left with the sea of boxes and bags, and amnesia because I forgot which box the stuff I am keeping is in???does anyone know?  Please help me?

Have a good day

Storyteller

     Before I start today I must apologise for not writing sooner I have been so busy, trying to work more on my Kitchen……All the Cabinets cleaned out, and rearranged What a job that was.  Two Garbage bags of junk went out of here not to mention the two bags/boxes of stuff for a yard sale!  WOOHOO!  I am making progress.  Now for the better stuff….A lot to catch up on this past week.  I also got in 5 days at work instead of my usual 3 which is another subject all it’s own.  I haven’t been to the store because I am afraid of what I will see…….LOL. 

     I am sure that Chaos has ensued since Monday morning, remember the Lottery came to town.  I am sure it has been more than a three ring circus.  You see we had no training at all, the system wasn’t to go online until Sunday night/Monday morning at 12:01 AM.  They made a big deal out of this on the news too, which for a state that has so many that didn’t want the Lottery I guess it is a big deal.  I haven’t gone by to see what I am in for come Thursday when I go back to work.  We already had people paying for their Cigarettes, and Tobacco products with change…..loose change.  I can’t even imagine what the girls have been put through this past week.

     The last report I heard was that $1.4 Million in tickets had already been sold……and the payouts are around $740,000……so far.  I don’t really know if that is good or bad.  In just 2 whole days this is what has been sold so far.  My Hubby called me when he left for work on Monday morning and got to the store he usually stops at to get Ice, and a drink.  He said they were lined up all the way outside and their was nowhere to actually park. And this was at 5:30 AM  PEOPLE that is just too darn early to be gambling….LOL. He had to park in one of the fuel isles in order to go into the store.

     That is just plain CRAZY…..the tickets are not going to go away, not anytime soon.  They will keep selling them from now on, and this was just the Scratch off tickets here.  The other Power Ball won’t be put in place until October 31st………JUST CRAZY!! 

     I am proud of him, he waited until he came home and only bought 10, and split them with me…..AWWW.  He is good to me you know……we won $7.00 not bad, but I just don’t think I will be able to take that Alaskan Cruise I want to take on that amount.  I told him he needs to do better, and Dammit be picking winners with some good amounts!  More than a $1, at this rate we will be in the poor house by the time we get enough for the both of us to take that cruise.

     I will keep everyone up to date on this ongoing development, I wonder how many people have won anything from our store?  I guess I better go  by there when I go to the lumber store.  I am going to be busy building a table for my kitchen…..I sure could use some money….I might just have to buy some tickets while I am there.   Oh I just can’t wait till I have to go to work…….LOL

Have a good day

storyteller

     I worked today and it was a long 10.5 hr. shift, and I am tired but can’t sleep.  I think everyone is having the same problem.  Worry, worry,worry about the economic outlook, and how bleak it is.   Now  with the growing list of companies closing doors, laying off employees, and a rise not only in Unemployment but a rise in Social Services being used.  WE NEED TO TAKE CARE OF OUR OWN…….. And Now the  bailout  Money tied up with companies who get away with Exurbanite spending for bonuses and luxury purchasing, without any form of guilt or apology about it.  These are a few of the ones that are in the news and some that haven’t announced formally. 

Ann Taylor closing 117 stores nationwide, Eddie Bauer has already closed 27 shops & two more outlet stores by the end of the year.  Women’s retailer Cache closing 20 to 23 stores this year.   Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug, Catherine’s closing 150 stores nationwide   Talbot’s, J. Jill closing stores 78 of its kids and men’s stores.  Gap Inc. closing 85 stores Gap also owns Old Navy and Banana Republic, Foot Locker to close 140 stores.  Zales, Piercing Pagoda closing stores plans to close 82 stores by July 31.  Macy’s - 9 stores,  Pep Boys - 33 stores ,Pacific Sun-wear - 153 Demo stores.  Movie Gallery - 160 stores as part of reorganization plan to exit bankruptcy.  The video rental company plans to close 400 of 3,500 Movie Gallery and Hollywood Video stores in addition to the 520 locations the video rental chain closed last fall. 
 
J. C. Penney, Lowe’s and Office Depot are scaling back,  Wilson’s the Leather Experts - 158 stores
Sharper Image: The company recently filed for bankruptcy protection and announced that 90 of its 184 stores are closing. The retailer will still operate 94 stores to pay off debts, but 90 of these stores have performed poorly and also may close. Ethan Allen Interiors: The company announced plans to close
12 stores.  KB Toys posted a list of 356 stores that it is closing around the United States as part of its bankruptcy reorganization. To see the list of store closings, go to the KB Toys Information20web site, and click on Press Information  Sharper Image: The company recently filed for bankruptcy protection and announced that 90 of its 184 stores are closing. The retailer will still operate 94 stores to pay off debts, but 90 of these stores have performed poorly and also may close.   Bombay Company: (Freehold Mall store closed) The company unveiled plans to close all 384 U.S.-based Bombay Company stores. The company’s online storefront has discontinued operations.   Dillard’s to Close More Stores  another six under performing stores.   The Home Depot Inc. announced Thursday that it is shuttering 15 of them amid a slumping U.S. economy and housing market. The move will affect 1,300 employees. It is the first time the world’s largest home improvement store chain has ever closed a flagship store for performance reasons.

Goodbye Levitz / BOMBAY - closed already.  The furniture retailer, which is going out of business. Levitz first announced it was going out of business and closing all 76 of its stores in December. The retailer dates back to 1910 when Richard Levitz opened his first furniture store in Lebanon , PA. In the 1960’s, the warehouse/showroom concept brought Levitz to the forefront of the furniture industry. The local Levitz closures will follow the shutdown of Bombay .. Wickes is going out of business. Wickes Furniture is going out of business and closing all of its stores, Wickes, a 37-year-old retailer.

Comp-USA (CLOSED)   http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9834177-7html,  http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9834177-7html <http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9834177-7.html 

Sprint Nextel - 125 retail locations  4,000 employees, and last but not least …… Disney Store owner has the right to close 98 stores.  The Walt Disney Company announced it acquired about 220 Disney Stores from subsidiaries of The Children’s Place Retail Stores. The exact number of stores acquired will depend on negotiations with landlords. Those subsidiaries of Children’s Place filed for bankruptcy protection in late March. Walt Disney, in the news release, said it has also obtained the right to close about 98 Disney Stores in the U.S. The press release didn’t list those stores. 

Now with this being said I am going to say it, we need to take care of our own this time.  Take care of our neighbors, friends, relatives, even just someone you are acquainted with.  Share your Thanks Giving Meal with them, share what you have and be grateful for what you have.  This time of year they play all those commercials about sending your money to the needy in other countries, or sending your money to just one child in a village to help them and their family.   I say do not do it! What about our Villages, with lots of Needy people.??? That money will feed the hungry right here in our Country and there are a lot more of them now !     I am not bashing these agencies, and I do not want to appear heartless……..But our Children should come first, and Our Nation should come first, and Our Neighbors should come first.   This country has helped and helped and financed, and been there for all the world to use and abuse, and they talk bad to us, and down to us…….While they take our Food, our Wheat, Our Money, Our Loans, Our Soldiers, Our Military Machine to Protect them without even a THANK YOU!  Just even a kind word of Thank You…….

It is past time to help our brothers, sisters, and all who dwell here within our borders of this great United States of America and Damn those who forget what country they turn to for help. 

I was at work saturday at my Part-time job,  with my sniffles, cold medicine fog and big heavy sweater. I am sick……Hug Me…… People coming in were put back by my outrageous cough, and saying snide remarks!  Like  “smoke another one”….. OMG I work in a tobacco store.  What did not occur to any of these people who had something to say was that they have a worse cough than I do.  And some of these people buy Cartons every 2-3 days…….And they say this to me???   And yes I am a smoker.  I do not have a problem with smoking, I have a Cold or the Flu…the jury is out on this one. 

I was trying not to breath on any of these people because I really don’t want to spread the love around.  But as I am not getting any help from anywhere financially I had to be there.  Now the ones who came in the door saying things yes I made sure to breath or sneeze on their money that was given in change.  And if they were paying for their bad habit in the form of a Check I made sure to run the check through the machine stamp the back and then the front over where they initialed it, Sneeze on it and then lay it down in front of them so they had to initial it again on the line>>>>>ha-ha!

Now the ones paying in the form of a credit card or debit card had no choice but to hand it to me, and yes they cringed when I sneezed or reached for a tissue.  So they got the germs anyway for not having cash to pay for their bad habit. 

Then there were the people who had a different form of illness than I do.  Of which I have now been exposed to, Thank you very much!  This is just great, at this rate I will never be well again, and my doctor will now think I am a hypochondriac if she doesn’t already.  I am supposed to go this coming week to get blood work done, and I can not get out of it my blood pressure medicine is going to run out.  I would much rather have the NyQuil than the metoprol, but she won’t see it that way, so I guess I will just curl up on the couch with a bottle of Rock N’ Rye and sweat it out. 

But that may be the death of me since I am sweating at intermittent intervals with this sickness.  I am Sick….Hug Me,   I couldn’t even complain at work, no one felt sorry for me, they just went straight for the Lysol can I had sitting on the counter, so I  would not forget to disinfect the counter and register so the other girls won’t catch it.  They will kill me if they get sick.

All I really need is a HUG, and no one will accommodate me, not even any of my friends that come into the shop.  I think it is the big sweater that I am now wearing that is the turn off to hugging your fellow smoker who is sick.  It makes me look fat,  I would think I would be able to get someone to hug me, my old man won’t even hug me and he is the reason I am sick!  Boy I will tell you this really bites, No Hug, No sympathy, Not even Chicken Noodle Soup, I can’t get anything I need right now.  Oh I have to take that back I guess, one good thing did happen on Saturday.

I actually had a knight in a shiny new Audi come into the store and listened to me complain because I couldn’t get anyone to go and get me a cup of ice for my Pepsi.  See I was there on the 9 am - 7 pm shift by myself, all by my lonesome, no break, no lunch, no sit down and rest time. And he listened to me say “sure wish I had some ice”  and then he said “do you have a cup?”  I wasn’t sure where that would lead so I was hesitant and he asked me again.  “Yes I do, why?”  He then proceeded to tell me that he had a bag of ice in his trunk.  I started jumping up and down like a little kid that got a puppy!  Ice, cold ice for my Pepsi, AHHH! Yippee!  There was no one else around so I darted out to the guys car and he opened it and gave me some ice.  That was so nice of him to do that, and I thanked him with a Hug!   It was a win win situation.  I WIN  I got Ice and the Hug I so desperately needed, I sure hope he didn’t get sick. 

Hope I made you giggle!  Have a good day.

It is that time of year when all calls go out to the public for donations to the Food Bank, even the scouts get in on the amazing food drive.  I was one of the mothers who made sure my two troops and my daisy girl troop helped and did their part.  We gave at the School Drive, and all of them. It starts about mid-October through until just before Christmas.  Well here in AR they have shown that the Food Banks are Empty.  Yes on TV they went to the Food Banks and showed a shot of the Empty Food Banks all over the region. 

It is sad that they are Empty, as I said I used to help with the drive but that was in another state, and another time.  I still up until this year have always used it as an excuse to empty my cabinets of things I might not use, or got a good deal on.  Mostly canned meals such as stew, chili, cans of pasta, spam, treat, and hams, tuna and things like that.  Well not this year, I will have to say no to the drive until things get better for me.  The truth hurts when you have always tried to do what is right, to share what you have. 

I myself am in dire straits with the lack of unemployment benifits and just recently taking a part-time job.  I went from around  $1200 a month to $480 a month.  So needless to say my bills are getting behind, I am overdrawn, and the car is on the last tire.  Until things look up they need not look to me to help this year.  The man I live with and call my other half just got his hours cut also where he works.  So it is just not gonna happen, I have nothing to spare. 

It is no wonder that the Food Banks are empty, charity starts at home, and we just don’t have it.  It is a real sign of the times we are in, and a real sign of the recession we are not in.  Even when the tornado hit  we weren’t doing much better but at least I did volunteer for the whole week to help where I was needed.  And I did bake bread and hand out to the workers.  Just a small part, and the food banks were having trouble then.  Right now, it dawns on me that just a portion of the recent bailout money could have gone to the Food Banks all across the country, and done more to help real people.  I guess they don’t know that the poor people they ignore DO VOTE! 

If things get better before Christmas I will donate what I can spare, but I just don’t see it happening in the area that I live.  I encourage everyone to donate to the Food Bank where you live, they can use it in these times we are in.  The last thing I would say is that the recipients of the bail out who get big bonuses should give it back or donate it to the ones who can really use it.  If anything for their own souls sake, because what goes around comes around,  and eventually you will know that it is your turn.  Have a great day!

OK here is the scoop, I took a part-time job.  It has been a month since I have worked and now they are making me  appeal my unemployment, they are making me fight for the morsels that they will throw at me….  Yep so I outwitted them, I took a part-time position at the local tobacco store, which makes me eligible for my partial unemployment>>>HAHA  I outsmarted them! 

It would  be 2-4 more weeks worth of worry if I did not take the job.  I have bills to pay just like everyone else, and I like to eat.   The job is a great one since I am a smoker, and I get to smoke inside the store.  No more going outside to smoke in the  100 degree heat, wind, rain,and the future  hail, and muck….I like that aspect of it.  I will be alright now, because I will get to see all my old buds from the chicken plant.  I had applied for the job a long time ago, at least 3 different times I put in applications.  I did not realize how many of  the displaced workers  come into the store almost daily.    They actually say to me ”at least you got a job”, and then we chat about how the Chicken Plant  LIED to everyone in the town, and the lies told and printed in the  newspaper. 

They told the paper that all their workers would get a severance package if they worked there longer than a year to start with, and the ones who were there over 10 years or more were supposed to get a good severance  package for their longevity.   “LIAR, LIAR PANTS ON FIRE”  They told that LIE  so that everyone would stay until the last day, so that all their employees wouldn’t walk out.  NO ONE GOT A SEVERANCE PACKAGE with the exception of the Bosses!  The CEO  and Upper level Administration.  Other than that it was a free fall into the world of the unemployed, uninsured, and under-medicated.

So starting my new job last Thursday was good for me, I needed to get out of the house anyway.  It is one of the easiest jobs I think I have ever had, and probably will ever have.  It was really busy Friday which I expected, but it was busy Saturday also.  I have concluded that it might be a sign of the recession we are not in, people are smoking a lot, and it is because they can’t afford to go anywhere.  Or maybe they are really trying to commit suicide in a way that they can smoke themselves to death and won’t have to be here for the recession we are not in. 

I know I am bent and twisted, but it seems that we cannot escape the fact that times are hard, and they are hard all over.  That is unless you are a suit and tie, or a CEO, or a Part of the upper eschelon of society.  If being there means I would have to give up my cigs…..forget it,  I won’t do it.  If being there means I would have to lie to the workers who are just getting by, I can’t do it.  If being part of the party means I have to leave one of my comrades behind because they have no control, I can’t do it.  I for one would stick to my fine feathered friends like the dander that I am made of.   I would have to have a solid offer of at least 1 million to even consider the lie.  What can I say I have morals, and ethics. 

There are a number of people who come in and talk about the way things are all over, and they are like you and me just shaking their heads and wondering where it all will end up.    And they also wonder what will happen to our town without the Plant, and talk about the politics of the upcoming election. 

I wonder what does the average joe the plumber have to do to get the people who are running things to stop.  I would like to see Joe the Plumber go off his rocker, running in the street screaming and waving his wrench in the air.  Oh that won’t work they will just think he is practicing for Halloween.  You know what I think I just figured out why the elections are held so close to Halloween>>>>>>It is so we won’t know they are just kidding, with all the campaign promises, and wishes.

But I think that the American People are just a little smarter than that, how much  smarter seems to be debatable.  I have faced it that nothing will be done and nothing will change, no matter who gets into the White House.  You all know I am right, they make all the projections, promises, and still the poor are stuck and the rich don’t know how many houses they own, or even if they have ever lived in the houses.  I think that is just plain STUPID!  UGH!  How can you not know that you own 7  houses most of which are ESTATES……Give me a break. 

Oh I guess if your wife handles everything then you wouldn’t know, because you suffer from Alzheimer’s anyway.  Or is that just selective memory??   Does Ronald  Regan ring a bell with anyone???  It does with me. Does anyone remember Star Wars, and Sky Lab, and ET and the fear of being attacked from outer-space?   I am more worried with being attacked by the folks in the inner-space we all share.   I have listened to all that come in  to the store.  They are worried, but all say they will be Voting.    I KNOW I AM VOTING, I am writing in  a candidate.  I am going to vote for  Wylie Coyote, or TAZ  I am undecided but I have no doubt in my mind that I am voting for one of them……I am so confused.  I don’t feel alone, the customers at the store are feeling it too.  They talk about all of it.  I think I like my new part-time job afterall, for now I will have to.  Have a good day all!