Day of the ListMaker

Certain things bother me.  Things that most people either enjoy or just don't think too much about.  But I can't help it - I have a long list of quirks that, aside from making me who I am, segment me from most people.

I have a problem with nice retail people.  When I go buy something - food, clothes, KY, etc - I like to get lost in my mind.  Walking around looking at stuff and thinking about my day is something I enjoy when I shop.  And since I am a rabid consumer, this happens often to me.

In my mind there are several levels of what I call "Retail Kindness".  At the bottom you have the Starfish, those people that are just rude assholes.  Nobody likes them.  Next is the Sub-human, who can barley figure out how to tear off your reciept and hand it to you.  Most of us can deal with this person, though we mock them in the car.  One level up is the John Q type, fairly normal and nothing fancy.  These people will just say "hi", "thank you", and "have a good day".  My favorite person to hand my cash to.  Then you get to the Medicated ... those folks that are just way too happy to be asking you if you want black or pinto beans like it is the best part of their day.  Awful, but tolerable.  The top on my list here is the ListMaker, who wants to hear about every aspect of your day.  Dude, don't ask me if I am off today or if I work locally.  Just put my chips in the bag there and leave me alone.

Why can't more retail folks be the John Q type and just limit conversation to the task at hand - serving me?  Not that I need to be praised and celebrated as a great person, but I just want to fulfill my role as a consumer and make a purchase, not give you a rundown of my day and my intentions with the product I am buying.

I dunno, maybe I'm alone in this, but overly nice people creep me the hell out.

Awkwardness in Modern Times

So I'm at my local BJ's restaurant waiting for my friends to arrive. Of course I'm at the bar waiting for a table to open up because I never thought that the new place in town would be busy three days before Christmas, especially not if it's attached to the mall .... I'm a thinker.

Anyway, I'm scanning the bar tables, hoping one opens up, and I see one that looks promising - a family polishing off their drinks. The problem is that in my field of vision there is some lady in a mustard shirt, who is facing me, so that every time I look at the table in hopes that new family is getting up, I end up starring her right in the mustard. And she looks at me. Each time. It's a very awkward thing.





- Posted from an undisclosed location, not far from a beer.

I Love Blizzard

Or more to the point, I love World of Warcraft. Not in the supreme, live-and-die, LOL way that many people think of when they hear World of Warcraft, but I do love it. Recenly I tried to get press passes to BlizzCon, but I was rejected. However I guess I seemed legit enough to be put on their PR mailing list, because I got a sweet picture of an ogre Santa riding some rad space ship, spitting fire everywhere. It was too cool not to share it.

Can I get a heal?







- Posted from an undisclosed location, not far from a beer.

Another Problem With Cold

Being in the SF Bay Area during a huge cold front has it's ups and downs. The Ups being snow in the foothills. That's about it. The Downs - more to the point, the unseen Downs - are the every day items that seem to attack you when they are cold. Case in point - I had to use the bathroom today at work, not a place that is heated at all. Dropped the seat, dropped my drawers, and sat down. I almost caused a vacuum, I puckered so fast! That seat was real fucking cold.

Anyway, that's the best story I have today.



- Posted from an undisclosed location, not far from a beer.