Life In Lumber Y4, W36

 Day 153:  $8,664 (and 53 cents)

Arrived and bought two bags of suckers and two bags of candy, since the keys to my brown house are MIA, and I couldn't get to my smarties. Wore my 'Molly Pitcher' outfit, with the spider headband, ala 'Miss Muffet', and put the candy in the 1 qt pitcher I'd taken with me.  Everyone loved it!  Didn't have any issues all night; things went smoothly. Got the prelim duties finished, took my break at 8, and spot-swept.  Loader H took my trash; ASM Brandon brought in the concrete and set the safety pallets; HC J cleaned me out.  Put up my vest and clocked out at 10:25,

Outfit:  Black l/s tee, Rendezvous outfit, black jeggings, silver and pearl earrings, Spider headband

Day 154:  $6,234 (and 85 cents)

Arrived and did the prelim duties; loaded an LAR; needed an o/r on a mis-marked toilet. Fronted all soda, and spot-swept until Loader Kole found the dustmop. Swept the entire area, including the horseshoe. Did my LU and discovered I'd been given my 1st official evaluation:)  All good, and I sent her a PM, thanking her for her kind words. Went to lunch at 8:30, and did the closing duties, then watched the door while Loader K did his final duties.  Clocked out at 10:27.

Outfit:  Gray hooded sweatshirt, new dark jeggings, large zirconian studs.

Day 155:  $4,823 (and 77 cents)

Arrived and took over for B, then was tickled when I discovered SM S was closing!!  Fronted the soda and did the other prelim duties. Spot-swept, did my LU after 6:30, and went to break at 8. Came back; mucked out the mats and sanitized.  Fairly certain my final customer of the night stole two boards from outside.  HC J cleaned me out, then I closed the large door after giving Loader AM my trash, and walked J up to the front. Clocked out at 10:15.

S came down to give me an o/r on a discounted roll of carpet 10 mins after I arrived,

Outfit: Brown 3/4 sleeve blouse, new dark jeggings, sea horses.

Off tomorrow!

Dat 156:  $7,889 (and 58 cents)

Good shift tonight!  Had to switch to #2 after giving someone a roll of quarters due to being out of $10s. The crowd came in after I fronted the soda and did the prelim duties; customer brought down two tools and 2 starter kits (free), but the starter kits didn't drop off.  Fortunately, another associate was on hand to go check it, the ASM M walked by. They handled it while I hopped back on #1 to handle the line (ASM A had brought me $$, but I just didn't have time to hop over yet.  She also had to o/r a discounted tool.) Then things slowed down; got the place spot-swept and the mats mucked; changed all the trash can liners; did my LU. At 9:15, Jacob relieved me; I took a pit stop, then went to Receiving and collected new trash bags.  When I returned, Charlie had returned the items to Aisle 21, Paint, Tools, and Electrical.  Did the closing duties and reminded everyone after 9 that starting Mon, we were closing at 9pm again.  After HC K cleaned me out, we walked up front (Charlie had already brought in the concrete and taken the trash).  Put up my vest and clocked out at 10:15.

Outfit:  Black/white plaid shirt, blue tank, new dark jeggings, small diamond flowers.

Day 157:  Rare Sunday  $12,093 (and 58 cents)

Arrived and took over for Em, who went to get the soda, then LEFT it for me.  Had several 'rushes', but finally got all the soda put away, the trash gathered, and the paperwork put together. Spot-swept when I could. Took my break at 7:15, and when I returned, began the closing duties.  My final customer had 4 electrical devices in plastic containers, so had to call HC C to ask how to open them.  Finally figured it out, then shut the large door behind them and locked the other doors.  Took my trash to the hopper and returned items to Lighting and Hardware.

Outfit:  Blue sparkly shirt, faded  jeggings, small gold hoops.

Life in Lumber Y4, W35

 Day 148:  $8,638 (and 75 cents)

Discovered my new lunchbox will hold 12 lunchables! A Quiet Strength-Janette Okeut Arrived and took over for B and S, then fronted the soda and filled the gatorade section. Did the prelim duties, and started sweeping.  My dustmop showed up, which made it easier! Lex sent me to break at 7:30, and when I returned, began the closing duties. Nice, easy night. Even 'beat up' on Loader H....he helped me empty the outside trash, and I discovered someone had used the wrong liner.  As we tipped it over, H's finger got smashed....then I accidentally hit his head with a protruding board.  Thankfully, no blood, no serious damage! Also got my LU done.

At  10, Loader AM took the hopper; I brought in the lone cull cart and locked the doors. After HC C cleaned me out, ASM K stayed to watch the door while AM was bringing in the concrete and the safety pallets.  I put up my vest, then put six carts away.  Clocked out at 10:30.

Outfit:  Black Mom tee, new faded jeggings, small silver hoops.

Day 149:  $5,028 (and 46 cents)

It rained all day.  Arrived and took over for B, fronted soda, did prelim duties, then swept the place. ASM K left at 6:50, after being screamed at by an irate customer over the phone. Did my LU and AP4Me, and at 8:30 began the closing duties.  Went to break at 9, then sanitized the counters and registers.

Had to have 2 o/r:  One for discounted paint, the other for a discounted toilet.  Checked my stats:  I'm back at #1!!!  Last two weeks, I've been #12 and 14.  The weird thing is, I only scored 50% friendliness.  WTH???

After HC K arrived, I took the trash to the hopper, then she and I went up front.  Returned an item to Paint and to aisle 10, then put up my vest.  Clocked out at 10:20.

Outfit:  Bless This Mess sweatshirt, new faded jeggings, dangly hearts.

Day 150:  $/,391 (and 5 cents)

Arrived and saw only Sandy up front, so knew that's where they wanted me. Had a steady stream of customers, including one man who whined about the self-checkout not being open.  I smiled and told him he'd just have to talk to me:)  Went to Lumber at 5 and got to see BWG:)  Em arrived at  6:30 so she did the soda.  At 6:55, we swapped places and I took back the returns to Hardware, Lighting, Tools, and Plumbing. Did my LU, printed off my November schedule, and clocked out at 7:20.

Outfit:  Purple/white sweater-tunic, new faded jeggings, silver/blue/pink hoops.

Day 151:  $9,336 (and 15 cents)

ASM A texted me to see if I'd come in at 3; I said yes. Arrived and spent the 1st 2 hours up front, then went to Lumber to relieve B. Fronted soda and did prelim duties, and discovered both my mop and broom were MIA. George brought back my broom and Loader AM found my mop. Swept, and needed an o/r fir 3 plastic tubes. Got mildly ticked when HC K informed me I was only getting 30 mins, but hey....more $$ on my paycheck! 

Dogwood catered in lunch, and safety award swag was available.  Picked up a T-shirt and a pen.

After break, pulled trash and sanitized after finished mucking out the mats. After Loader E took the hopper and set the safety pallets, I returned items to Dywall, Plumbing, and Paint.  Clocked out at 10:20.  Got to pet Miss Cora, the Golden Doodle who was 'off duty':)  She followed me and K out to the parking lot, ignoring her owner Jax!

Outfit:  Maroon plaid, new faded jeggings.  No earrings; my right earlobe objected.

Day 152:  Rare Saturday  $5,331 (and 19 cents)

Arrived slightly late, and had to ask Em to give me 5 more mins so I could take a pit stop. Things were fairly steady for an hour, then fronted the soda, gathered the paperwork, and consolidated the trash. Spot-swept the floor; mucked out the mats; even cleaned off the top of the snack rack and the monster and Red Bull coolers.  HC Ju sent me to break at 8:15, and when I returned, think I only had maybe 6 customers. Sanitized the registers, gathered the trash, and watched the doors while Loader E took the hopper and set the safety pallets.  Returned items to Paint and Electrical, then put up my vest and took the loading tickets, which ASM K forgot when she cleaned me out, up front.  Clocked out at 10:20.

Outfit:  Orange pumpkin shirt, black l/s tee, black jeggings, straw hat headband, skeleton earrings.

Life In Lumber: Y4, W34

 Day 146:  $12,136 (and 88 cents)

Spent 2 hours with D before having to pick up the granddaughter at 1; then came home, ate lunch, and went to work.  Good shift; was busy between 3-5, then things slacked off.  Did prelim duties, had Pro S watch the register while I took a pit stop, and spot-swept. At 7, HC J asked me to do the soda count, so I did, and discovered I'd be going to lunch at 8. When Lexi relieved me, I clocked out, found a roll of outside trash bags at CS, then ate my lunch. Afterward, I got a little peeved at Kell, who was just standing behind the pro desk and not putting away any soda.  Lex had dome some of it; I finished it.  As a result, didn't have time to muck out the mats or sanitize the registers.  Pulled the trash, and after ASM K pulled my drawer, took the trash to the hopper and put up my vest.  Clocked out at 10:15.

Outfit:  Brown/white turtleneck sweater, dark jeggings, small thin gold hoops.  It was only 52 degrees today, and Champagne/Urbana, IL had snow flurries by 8:30!

Day 147:  $15,457 (and 2 cents)

Arrived and took over for Adriane. Fronted soda and did the prelim duties, rang up customers until 5, then started spot-sweeping and mucking out all the mats.  Went to lunch at 7, and when I returned, did the closing duties.  Discovered I CAN sell the cull packs, just not set them up.  Set up a delivery of drywall and lumber, pulled trash, sanitized the registers, and returned items to Hardware.  Clocked out at 10:30.

Outfit:  Hot cocoa tee, Mama Bear sweatshirt, dark jeggings, treble clef studs.

Got our front end appreciation gifts....a lunchbox and a water bottle, plus a card and LU stickers.

Off until Monday, unless called in over the weekend:)

Life In Lumber Y4, W33

Day 142:  $8,572 and 17 cents)

Arrived; fronted all the soda and gathered the paperwork.  Discovered my dustmop was missing, so only spot-swept. Things were fairly steady all night; pulled trash at 7:30, and mucked out all the mats.  Went to break at 9:15; returned an item to Lights, then went back to Receiving to find the large trash bags.  Found the ones for the mid-size can, and found a large bag in the janitor's closet.  Didn't take the whole roll; just the one for outside.  Loader AM announced he'd just dumped the hopper, and left. I bought a bag of Chex Mix and consumed it while I sanitized the registers and #1 counter.  Loader G brought in the cull carts, then pulled the outside trash for me (it was FULL!) Had one last minute customer, and after ASM K pulled my drawer, I returned items to Paint, Hardware, and ISLG, then took the trash to the hopper and put up my vest.  Clocked out at 10:20.

Outfit:  Home in IN tee, dark jeggings, diamond studs

Day 143:  $6,024 (and 67 cents)

Began my shift with Kylie asking me to do my LU; chatted briefly for a moment.  Took over for B, and my dustmop was still MIA. Fronted the soda, did the other prelim duties and spot-swept the problem areas. Was sent to break at 7:45; came back and rang up customers, then pulled the trash and began the closing duties, plus my LU and AP4Me. Basically had no customers after 9; mucked out the mats, sanitized the registers.  Loader E had to leave at 10, since he had to be back at 5:30 am, so he took the hopper at 9:15 and brought in the concrete.  I locked the doors at 9:55 and after ASM K cleaned me out, put up my vest.  

Had two slight kerfuffles:  1) I needed and o/r for a discounted saw, and hopped to #2 to handle a hispanic family.  The box on their air compressor was damaged; I forgot about the 90 day return policy and was dealing with a slight communication issue (daughter was translating). ASM K took over  and got them a discounted air compressor.  2) I accidentally locked ASM K out of the building.

Clocked out at 10:20.

Outfit:  Tribbles tee, Home Grown sweatshirt, dark jeggings, diamond studs

Day 144:  $2,858 (and 89 cents)

Worked half an hour, then received word my hubby fell BACKWARDS down our basement stairs.  Clocked out around 3:40 and went to the ER.  He's got a broken collarbone and broken tailbone.  Since he couldn't stand up and walk, they admitted him overnight for observation.  No word on if I'll have to call in tomorrow or not.

Outfit:  Yoda tee, dark jeggings, gray sweatshirt, dark jeggings, diamond studs.

Day 145:  Rare Saturday $8,952 (and 52 cents)

Arrived, and discovered I was 30 mins early, so swapped out my vest for a new one, did my LU, then went down. Took over from Em, who was more than happy to leave early, fronted the soda, and helped Pro S with ringing up an order.  Took my break at 8, then came back and did the closing duties.  Nice, easy, busy night.  Brandon W took my returns for me, and after Loader K brought in the concrete, we closed the door.  I pushed carts to the front, then put the trash in the hopper and put up my vest.  Clocked out at 10:30.

Outfit:  Indian Motorcycle tee, black v-neck, gray IN sweatshirt, dark jeggings, green Yoda sox, diamond studs.

October Goals

How well did I do in September?

-Lose 5 pounds (beginning:  220.  Mom's birthday put a pound on me.  Not too bad...)

-Do well at Cil-Con  Sold 4:)

-Order Rex (Check 9/8 and 9/26!) and other books for holiday season

-Work enough to pay for Lexington Had to pull out of Lexington, due to van not shifting gears and Toledo trips

-Add words to existing WIPS Check:)

-Build up savings account Check....thank you Indiana refund check!

Books Read:  3

          Print:  3

2022 Events:

-Lexington Legendary Book Signing (Oct 1st) $185 Pd $100 1/18/22 Had to pull out, due to transportation issues.

-Autumn On Main, Downtown Vincennes (Oct 7th) Only sold 1.  Think I would have done better if I'd paid the $25 to be in the Pantheon.

-"Fez Con" Fowler Library, (Oct 8th) Had to skip, due to transportation issues

-Writer's Block Author Fair Toledo, Oh Had to pull out, due to the spouse's fall down the basement stairs.

-Collector's Carnival and Crafts (Oct 29th) Princeton, In Skipping this year, due to reduced inventory

-Indpls Christmas Gift and Hobby Show (Nov) Indpls State Fairgrounds $100 Pd 11/26; $100 pd 8/31 (Bal:  $150); $100 pd 10/13 (Bal $50)

-Louisville Con, Dec 9-11???

October Goals:

-Lose 5 pounds (220 start)

-GET VAN REPAIRED!!!  New struts, check.  Now to get transmition checked out/repaired (won't shift past 3rd gear) UPDATE:  Wasn't the tranny; it was a wheel bearing!! 

-Do well at Lexington Legendary Book Bash Didn't go, due to transmition issues in van.

-Do well at Autumn on Main Sold 1...it was cold, and should have paid the $25 to be in the Creative Market at the Pantheon.

-Do well at Fez Con Didn't go; van issues

-Start clearing items from storage Brought home a lamp....

-Get a clean bill of health from Dr appt Had to cancel due to van issues

-Do well at Writer's Block in Toledo, Oh Had to pull out, due to spouse's fall down the basement stairs.

-Have an enjoyable Halloween Check!

-Buy copies of Rex, Hotel, Whispers, and Beach Nope...

October Reading Schedule:

 Sing You Home-Jodi Picoult Re-read, but still DRR!!!!  Loved this story!!

Mount Dragon-Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child Wonderful story!  Written in 1995, could pertain to today's pandemic issues.

A Literary Offense-Elizabeth Penney Good story, based on The Great Gatsby

My Love Story-Tina Turner DRR!!! Excellent bio, and learned things I didn't know....such as the Live Aid incident....it looked real!  And now her health issues....

Life In Lumber Y4, W32

 Day 139:  $7,777 (and 94 cents)

Shift began well.  Was up front for 30 mins, then down in LG until nearly 4. Got to see Jeanna and Baby O, then spent the rest of the evening in Lumber. Needed and o/r, and while waiting, hopped on #2.  ASM K arrived and took care of it, then did my LU on the sly. Went to lunch at McA's from 6:45-7:45, and discovered Kel was on #2...#1 was out of $$. Did my AP4Me and took care of customers, plus fronted the soda and pulled the trash.  At 9, did the sweeping, mucked out the mats, sanitized the registers and counters. Locked the doors at 9:55 and watched the big door while Loader AL set the safety pallets, brought in the concrete, and took the hopper.  Returned items to Millwork and took a pit stop before putting up my vest.  Clocked out at 10:35.

Outfit:  JHS tee, gray hooded sweatshirt, faded jeggings, diamond studs

Day 140:  $7,765 (and 58 cents)

Shift began with some fireworks.  CH told me he was 'never coming back' after ASM K refused to mark down his flooring more, and fired off some choice words her way.  Then had a customer begging to buy the unpriced cull cart.  I finally rang it all up and told him the cost before taxes; he said he still wanted it.  Called ASM K; she refused to sell it AND told me I was 'not authorized' to sell the cull carts.  SINCE WHEN???

Then later she came down and said, "Don't ever call me and ask to price something for that particular man. He's a wretched man."  I thought, "and you're a wretched bitch....what's the difference?"

Rest of shift went well.  Got the prelim duties done, the soda fronted, and trash pulled.  Took my break at 8:30, then swept and sanitized, then did my LU.  Had to take a bucked of sealant to RTM, so hauled the trash down to that hopper.  K pissed Loader AL off so bad, he was taking his anger out on the H carts.  Met new associate H.  Clocked out at 10:20.

Outfit:  Blue/white striped tee, gray sweatshirt, faded jeggings, diamond studs.

Day 141:  $9,223 (and 59 cents)

Shift began on a high note, then a customer tried to pay with two gift card (one partial and the other blank), so had to call IT for the 1st time.  Turnes out when HC Ju processed his return, he never received the gift card.  So we cashed it out and refunded it again.  Problem was, he got impartient and left, so now there's a merch card waiting for him at CS.  ASM J's attitude toward me and HC Ju's inability to understand drove me crazy, and was ready to just walk out. But texted CB who said he was fully staffed, and could only guarrantee me 10 hours per week.  I calmed down.

Rest of shift went well.  Did the prelim duties and put away the soda after Em brought it. Went to break at 7:30 and when I returned, started the closing duties.  Swept, pulled trash, sanitized, mucked mats. Clocked out at 10:35/

Also got a 19 cent raise.

Outfit:  Yellow Fla tee, gray sweatshirt, faded jeggings, diamond studs.

I'm off until next Tuesday, but my transmition in the van is bad, so unless a miracle happens, I'm staying in town.  Told ASM J I would be available if needed.