Happies to Cashmere, Matt, and megan walker!

I just had to spend over $300 on a new pair of glasses due to a Halloween maze incident last night. Dead body took out one of my lenses in a strobe light room--no way to find it without having them shut down the maze (which I just wasn't going to do to ND & Co.), and I figured it was probably stepped on about three second after it popped out anyway. Thought I could have Lenscrafters replace the lens, but turns out they can't do that for glasses without a bottom frame unless they have the lens to use as a model. Oops. Can you say, "Totally useless overpriced frames," class? I like my new glasses much better than my old ones, though, so I've got that going for me.

P.S. "A dead body broke my glasses" may be my favorite excuse ever.

Happy birthday to Cashmere, Matt, and megan!!

Happy Birthday Matt, Cashmere and Megan!

and though I never want to need it - I am defiantly going to use the "dead body broke my glasses " excuse if I need it.

Happy Birthday, Megan, Matt, and Cashmere!

I had a lovely lunch with a friend in White Marsh (MD) today, and as I was driving back up 95, I got my first ever speeding ticket. I'd bitch and moan, except I was, you know, speeding. Which, really, I don't usually do more than ten miles over the speed limit, and much of the time, I actually drive the speed limit, but I was trying to get past this guy who couldn't decided whether he was in a Nascar race or a gokart race, and I just... was impatient and non-law-abiding. To the tune of $160. Now I need to go figure out if this means I'll have points on my license. On the upside, no outstanding warrants.

I take it all of the L.A. people are okay, if likely to be wildly inconvenienced by the freeway accident/fire?

So my new CI recipe is hamburgers. It's EXACTLY THE SAME as the hamburger recipe in the cookbook. And, yes, I have said to myself, "self, I imagine that's probably a pretty good hamburger recipe, if I were inclined to make hamburgers from a reciple." But... it's already been tested. Why are they sending it to me for testing?

There is a recipe for hamburgers? Besides "pat meat flat"?

I suppose I've put in onion soup mix sometimes. That's just for kicks.

Happy Birthday Matt, Cashmere and Megan!!

amych, maybe you're the control group?

Also, I've sent a "sorry you're incarcerated" letter, and I don't think it would have felt right sending a pre-messaged card. I'm actually currently wondering what do to about a sympathy note -- I have a sympathy card here in my house, but I might just do a plain note anyway.

Can someone tell me what the hell everyone was doing at the bookstore today? We had the expected tons-o'-teachers ("Educators Appreciation Week" began today, which gives 25% discounts to teachers instead of just 20%), but there were lots of non-teachers buying in bulk as well, seeming to start their Xmas shopping, or maybe just stocking up. I had a lot of sales over $200, and one over $500 (after the 25% discount).

With the teachers using their discounts, I figured it might be harder to sell those membership cards, which my manager was pressuring me to do before we opened. But, with all the big sales, I ended up with ten card sales, which the manager thought might be a record for a non-holiday-season 8-hour shift! Even though I don't work too often there, I'm getting a nice rep for being a primo card seller, which is always good.

I also spent 40 minutes wrapping presents for one of those teachers spending $300 on kids books, all of which she wanted wrapped in multiple-item packages for her grandnieces and -nephews Xmas gifts, making the wrapping even more of a PITA. Her timing couldn't have been better--I was supposed to start my break five minutes after she showed up, so since I was pushing back my final break for her, I didn't feel guilty for pulling out the stool and wrapping while seated, which at least gave my feet and back a break.

One of the co-workers from today called me tonight, asking if I could take his on-call shift for tomorrow (meaning I'd have to be available, even if they didn't need me), but I told him I was too busy. I didn't say I'd be busy sleeping and watching NFL.

Happy Birthday Cashmere and Megan!

Thanks for all the birthday well-wishes, everyone.

I was mildly bummed at first about the Buffy singalong in St. Louis being cancelled right before my birthday, but still had a great day today. Some friends treated me to lunch, I saw The Jane Austen Book Club at the movies, then took my cousin out for Moroccan for dinner where I found out Amir put his seafood tagine (perhaps one of my two all-time favorite entrees) back on the menu after a 3-year absence.