runlikejoy

Displaced Stay At Home Californian in rural N. Carolina

The Many Faces of Joy

The Many Faces of Joy

Friday, September 19, 2008

Bed

There are days when I can hardly wake up and ask my man for an extra five minutes. I never sleep these last 5 minutes but I ask for them anyway. Sometimes I feel like I've only just lay down when it is time to wake up. There are days when spicy food for breakfast and 3 cups of coffee won't wake me up. There are days when I wish I could stay in bed forever.

We just moved our smallest child into a big bed. While I understand her desire to check out her surroundings and squirm and wiggle out of bed just to see if she can really do it, I can't figure out why she doesn't just fall asleep out of exhaustion. She has pushed back her bedtime by 2 hours just to check things out and see if playing with toys in the dark is just as much fun as playing with them in the light.

And even with the later than usual sleeptime, she is still up at the crack of dawn. Ahhh youth. As I watch mine ebb, I watch hers flow and it makes me giggle inside.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Grocery Shopping

I shop at a grocery store in San Jose that will remain nameless. I always shop on Saturday morning between 8:30 and 9:00am so that 1) I don't have to take my kids, they can stay at home with their Dad and 2) I can get in and out of the store with little to no hassle (NO one likes shopping at 8:30am on Saturday) and 3) so the salespeople at this particular chain are less likely to annoy me and make me wonder why I spend my money at such a place.



I mainly shop at this store because the food is cheap and we can't even afford cheap right now. It has been rumored that the sales people at this grocery chain are fresh out of jail or prison and learning a job skill. In the last two plus years I've grown more familiar with the jail and prison system than I ever thought I would and agree wholeheartedly that there needs to be rehabilitation, job training and jobs available for those who are leaving our prison system and joining the workforce.

However:

I hate that I am never greeted at this grocery store. It drives me nuts that no one asks me if I need help finding something. I cringe everytime a sales person rings up my groceries and doesn't ask me a single thing like "how are you today" "did you find everything ok" or "paper or plastic"? This morning, as I waited to pay for my groceries the 3 cashiers working were all having a conversation about the manager coming in to work late and not noting it on her timesheet. Last week when I went there I had to listen to the manager couseling a stocker on his relationship with his ex-girlfriend and the mother of his two kids. Apparently she is dating someone new and he doesn't approve of his kids being around this guy. A couple of weeks ago I was trying to find the bathroom and what seemed like the entire staff of the store was outside smoking.

I might not have a lot of money but I throw down at least $250 dollars a month at this joint. You'd think they would pick up on the fact that I'm a regular and treat me nice or at least smile and say something besides, "We have TOFU?!?".

I guess I'm going to have to actually admit it, but you do get what you pay for.