I have rediscovered my talent at work for being the No person. Twice this afternoon me and new boss got drawn into conversations about bright new ideas to bring in money. The first one my rebuttal was basically "so fire the hort department and hire contractors who want to get the arb's endorsement on their biz and you'll save tons of money! Please, insult me and new boss lady some more. It's cost-efficient". The second one was grant chasing, and I had to quote the mission statement at the DD, and then the edict of the board that "no increased programming unless there is increased staff to implement said programming".

I freaking hate grant chasing. I loathe it. Yes, you just got us money to do this new amazing thing. What about the money to do what we actually need done?

I also told DD unequivocably No and then asked that we table this discussion, especially since new boss lady has been here for TWO DAYS, and maybe we'd be able to talk about fall adult programming if you weren't trying to save your hide finding grants for shit we don't need and bothering us about it.

ION, an adult son and his elderly mum had a spat, he ditched her, she got upset, three staff went looking for him. After he was found, he pretended that there had been no fight, that she'd told him to go for a walk. We told him she was worried, and he decided to tour the greenhouse instead of heading straight back to her. When we got to the house where she was and informed the other staff member who'd been saddled with her and the story of her fight, said staff member stormed out to grab his ass, while me and another colleague were left awkward in the house with the mother, who was asking "did he seem angry?". Um...

Until I talk to the pissed off coworker, my assessment of him (the son) is "what a d-bag".

Holy shit, Cash. That's scary. I wonder how he knew her name.

I'm sure he sat and watched them playing--he could easily have heard her friend call her by name. It makes my skin crawl just thinking about it.

Oh, true. Ugh. It gives me chills.

Oh god, Cash.

That exact tactic worked on me when I was 5 or 6 and walking home from school in Hilo, Hawaii. Someone called my name from his car, and said that he was supposed to pick me up and take me to a party. He name dropped a few of my friends who would be at the party too. I actually opened the door and started to get in, but something just felt really off and I scrambled out as he was pulling away from the curb.

Yikes!

We had so many shirts with our names on...until that was verboten. scary.

Spell check is good enough to tell me that I should have had shirts in that sentence, not shifts, but I have to do my own capitalisation. Not right, Swype, not right!

sitting, sorry, Sitting on the floor at Weaknees. They are serious about no storefront. I am serious about having driven here without a brace.

Oh yeah, I think some creeper in a store called me by name one time when I had a shirt with my name on it.

ION, I cut hot peppers, and my fingers are BURNING. Have tried alcohol, a little milk, Sea Breeze, dish soap many times. I think it's all helping some.

When I ate hot food that was too much for me, a friend of a friend told me to eat lettuce with salt on it. It worked. So either it was the salt or the lettuce. Except now in my head is the phrase "rubbing salt on the wound" so I don't think that's helpful.