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Tom Thomson turns up at garage sale
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Found
- Hits: 1529
The headline describes it all.
Link to Herald Article: http://www.calgaryherald.com/entertainment/Thomson+have+sold+yard+sale/6459387/story.html
Link - Wiki on Tom Thomson: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Thomson
A craving for chocolate
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Dreams
- Hits: 1385
(dream had a few days ago, odd, disturbing after it's fashion, still recall the details days later so writing it down...)
I've a craving for chocolate. A 3/4 eaten bearspaw on a plate, Carmel leaking from it's undevoured quarter, I'm heading out looking for some fudge...
There's a mall with a chocolate shop in it down the street, I walk towards it (in the dream this is somewhere west of 17th Avenue/14 St in Calgary....), I find the mall, find the chocolate...
A diner. 50's, large, inside, looking for someone I know, a waitress recognizes me, says hi, some small favour I've done for her, trinket or some such, she's friendly, I can't remember her, she remembers me. At the bar, a big rocket, 50's all round, vintage period junk upon the walls, I don't know who I'm waiting for, why precisely I'm here, only I've been here before, waiting...
...
IN a minivan with my father, he's driving, backing out of a parking lot. I'm in the second row of seats, perhaps 7 seats across, a jumbo-jet of minivans of sorts, the van is full, we're leaving the diner, beside me is an East Indian man, covered with open sores (leprosy?), he's seated upon a towel, upon the seat in front, anything he touches or breathes upon is covered in these green-red mucous balls, they're from his sores....
...beside us in the parking lot someone has cut us off, minor bump, their fault, my father ignores it, we've someplace to go, but a pugilist - shaven head, crooked nose guy is cycling after us, telling us he'll sue, other people are getting out of their cars and telling him he's crazy, it wasn't our fault, they knock him from his bike....
I get out and go up to him, he's seated where he was knocked from his bike, I'm pissed off. I kick him with my boots (soft rubber toe) - right in his crooked nose, he doesn't fall back or pass out or bleed, just looks confused...I am as well, I expected more than this...
...back into the van, beside the East Indian with the mucous balls all over the seat in front of him, his bleeding open sores, the seat he's seated upon, green and red, and we're off...
A, Gossip, Busy
- Details
- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Miscellany
- Hits: 1753
The weekend, surprisingly busy.
And late.
The owner, pissed off at A for not returning his call, (Having called her about something so trivial he's already forgotten) has ignored her the past 4, 5 weekends she's worked. They're both pissed off at each other. Last night (Friday) he insisted she be called and told not to work, it wasn't so busy...
It wasn't, but later on, as the day progressed, after the call was made, it was.
She was surprised. For someone who lamented every second being there - understandably, now she's surprised at this unexpected day off. She's suspicious. Far slower nights we've had her in to pacify the owner, now a night off, she's suspicious of the Axe.
The night, busy, the nephew a poor substitute as Expeditor, requiring, insisting upon no assistance, but the food is carried poorly, single plates at a time, cutlery, pepper & other essentials forgotten.
She's sorely missed. A small contribution, true, but noticeable, the nephew's not an adequate replacement.
***
A table - older people, one of whom, I notice, sports a monocle. I profess my admiration, it's an interesting thing, a cool thing, he wears it well. I want one.
He offers it to me, will take my details, leave it to me in his will. I'm not that patient.
We jest, he's 78, it turns out, a bit of a wag, a sport, sense of humor. It's nice.
***
Saturday, A is in. Not called & told otherwise she's just shown up. Queried about her day off - unexpected - she's bitter. She doesn't see it as the day off she's long pined for, requested, wanted, rather as an outright declaration of war between her and the owner. Which it is, but it's the other things as well.
She's not seeing it that way.
She won't expedite the food, the Nephew can, she'll help out in the dining room.
It's ridiculously busy, late, the evening runs late, by the end we've gone our separate ways, by the end I'm on my own at the local to give best wishes to the manager, Pete, who's leaving, "Good Luck" I invite him to come along as my donkey to Alaska, the other staff - the staff at the restaurant I work in, couldn't be bothered, off to strip clubs and gay bars, they don't particularly care.
***
Now for Sunday, the day off, the week-end. I've not yet told the owner of my departure, don't know quite how to break it, don't think he'll take it well. And I'm uncertain, too, so much to be done, tools to be organized, other projects completed. 2 Weeks of work, 4 weeks until departure. I'll tell him Monday.
Crazy
- Details
- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Miscellany
- Hits: 1735
Payday, and as the Nephew has astutely observed the owner's always off on Payday. He doesn't like paying the staff. There's always something that he rages about, a fury that shouts and swears at all of the staff, it's predictable.
Tonight the excuse is the cheques seem too large.
There's a reason, our pay period, there's 3 extra days, and the tip cheques have always been a few days behind, the past few weeks have been busy (the weeks before have been quite slow), they've caught up, they seem high...
The owner has me check the math. He's suspicious.
The math adds up.
He has me call his wife to solicit an explanation, she's not answering, she's had to deal with him a couple of times already, she calls back when she receives my message. The cheques are correct.
He rails at the kitchen, the overtime is unacceptable, they should work only the allotted hours, their cheques are too large...
She sends him an email and explains that there's a Stat Holiday, they have to be paid overtime, and there's 3 extra pay days this period, hence the cheques seem large.
He's not yelling at me, railing instead at the others, the kitchen, the other staff, he knows what the issue is, he knows why and the solution, he just loathes payday.
He's Crazy. It's like this every paycheque.
The staff, ridiculously, try to understand, they get onto his page, think there must be something wrong with the paycheque, ask me if everything's all right, they are somehow sharing his point of view.
This is unbelievable...
"It's not about that", I explain, he's crazy. he knows we're due the money, he's just venting his pain upon paying us.
Everyone has a suggestion, "He should take an anger management course", or "He should take medication...".
They suggest it as if he knows. He knows, somewhat, but it doesn't make it any easier. We should deal with it.
Crazy doesn't know it's crazy...It's the rule. If he knew he was crazy he would be a long ways towards being sane...
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