From The Stupid Files: Y8, W14

Day 67:  Memorial Day Sunny, warm, 80; 87 t/a

ASM:  Shannon

HC:  Madi

Loaders:  Jax, Dan

1) Mgmt cooked us hamburgers and hot dogs

2) Customer got snippy when his CC wanted a PIN.

3) Customer asked where the Raised Garden Beds were.....LG, duh....THEN returned and asked about patio pavers!  Same place!

Outfit:  Gray 250 tee, long capris, double heart danglies

Day 68: Cloudy, sprinkles, 70s; 91 t/a

ASM:  Shannon

HC:  Madi

Loaders:  DS Charles, Dan

1) Olivia left at 4:)

2) Customer asked for $6 in quarters

3) Customer gave $20 for $16.03. Rang up $20.03; register wanted to give back $4.03???

4) Cust told me they picked up their order, but needed one more dog-eared fence picket, then said no, he'd already paid. Turned out Riley had told him to go to the CANOPY.  He'd been waiting for 5 mins!

5) Got to interact with Tillie the skittish blue heeler and give her treats:)

6) Nan and Mel arrived at 9:55 for a 5 gal bucket of paint.  She'd texted me earlier about if I was working that day.  When I didn't see them, assumed they'd come in while on my hour lunch.

Outfit:  Blue USA tee, long capris, large zirconians

Am off the next two days!!!!

Day 69: Sunny, warm, 80s; 100 t/a

ASM:  Alex

HC:  Madi

Loaders:  DS Charles, Jax, Daniel

1) When asked, customer replied he'd spent a lot of $$ several years ago and missed the Rewards. I told him we just began the Rewards 3 years ago and sent the link to his phone. He left, still complaining about it!

2) Cheryl bought BA for $15!

3) Misunderstood my clock out time for lunch. Thought I'd clocked out at 7:15; nope, it was 7:12! Clocked back in at 8:14/

4) Apparently, Alex complained Lumber was messy. DS Charles replied, "Do you want us to clean Lumber or keep counting?"  Alex decided to let them keep counting!

5) Best news of the night:  Alex begins his vacation tomorrow!  9 days w/o him!!!!

6) Saw Dawson!!!

Day 70:  Rare Sat Sunny, low 80s; 73 t/a

ASM:  Shannon

HC:  Levi

Loader:  Jax

1) Was told Granddaughter A bullied Kait's sister Mallory at the pool today, AND is the reason M is doing online school.

2) Pro John thought I was 49-52!!!

3) More customers not understanding the difference between the MLR CREDIT Card and MLR LOYALTY program.

4) Received prickly email from Keri about the 19th; Skye agreed to take my shift that day.

Outfit:  Black blouse, long jeggings, black danglies

Day 71:  Rare Sun Sunny, low 80s; 86 t/a

ASM:  Keri

HC:  Levi

Loaders:  Jax, Daniel

1) Got to see Mr. Mize's 1959 hard top Ford Convertable, and he demonstrated how the top retracts and expands:)

2) 3 customers needed pallets of concrete, blocks, and sand all at the same time after Yancy left!

3) Took 3 tries to get someone to unlock the tools gate for customer

4) Needed a Code 50 while Daniel was at lunch and Jax was on the forklift assisting another customer.  Finally had another customer help unload the woman's flooring from her car.

5) I'd forgotten my phone, so called Kyle to call his dad and let him know I needed it.

Outfit:  Black lace tee, long capris, silver crosses

Survivor 50: In The Hands of the Fans Finale

 What will the final 4 challenge be?

Will there be a fire-making challenge?

Will they read the final votes at Tribal, or force everyone to wait until the live show?

Episode:

Tiffany is PISSED! Takes it out on Aubrey when she offers comfort.

Joe, Jon, and Rizzo are locked in

Back at Finale:  Jeff gives Cirie the 'fire in your soul' award for inspiring others:)

Immunity Challenge #1: Obstacle and Puzzle

Jon gets his machete, followed by Tiff, Joe, Rizzo, and Aubrey

Jon releases his ramp and off to the net

Jon through the net and gets his keys

Jon now on the ladder....

Aubrey finally through the net

Joe and Tiff on the ladder puzzle

Jon to the puzzle, followed by Joe and Tiff

Aubrey up the ladder; everyone on the puzzle

Jon wins at the same time Tiff trying to get her last piece in!  VERY tight finish!!

Back to Finale:  Jeff gives Devins the Mr. Beast coin he flipped:)  Also reminisces about the TC where Christian 'falls' and Devins plants the fake idol.  Calls them Laurel and Hardy:)

Back at camp, Tiff pitches the boys hard against Aubrey, and it seems to be working.  Jon and Joe are truly conflicted. Rizzo, however, is very clear he's voting for Tiff/

LMAO...Corona ad with Cirie and Savannah!

Tribal Council #1:  Tiff or Aubrey?

Rizzo plays his idol

Tiff voted out, 4-1 (Aubrey)

Immunity Challenge #2:  Mousetrap!!!

Back at Finale:  Jeff gives Ozzy a T-shirt that says, 'We love you Ozzy....PLAY YOUR IDOL!!'

Jon drops with 4 balls

Rizzo drops

Joe drops with 5 balls

Aubrey wins!!!!

Tribal Council: Aubrey chooses Joe to sit next to her; Jon and Rizzo to make fire.

Back At Finale:  Jeff jumped the gun and revealed Rizzo LOST!

Fire Making Challenge:  Jon vs Rizzo

Jon off to a quick start; Rizzo has a couple of tiny flames, but nothing lasts.

Jon's flame burns through the rope!  Jon wins!

Final 3:  Joe, Aubrey, Jon

Jon's brother, Joe's wife, and Aubrey's mom show up for the Survivor Breakfast:)

Jury grills them on everything!

Vote:  

Ozzy:  Aubrey

Steph:  Jon

Cirie:  Aubrey

Chrissy:  Jon

Vote is a live reveal at the Finale!

Winner:  Aubrey, 8-3 (Jon) AND she wins a Toyota Land Cruiser!

Cirie wins the SIA award, $100K!

I'm disappointed they didn't talk to everyone, esp Kyle about his injury.

51 looks AMAZING!  Open Era....where everything will happen at some point:)

From The Stupid Files: Y8, W13

Day 61: Rain, 70s; 61 t/a

ASM:  Alex

HC:  Riley

Loaders:  Jax, Levi

1) Olivia called in; Theresa with there until 4.

2) Rained until 6pm

3) Fairly steady until 7.

4) Sold Cheryl Forbidden Love:)

Outfit:  Gray Plank LU tee, cut off capris, large zirconians

Day 62: Cloudy, 70s; 84 t/a

ASM:  Alex

HC: Levi

Loaders:  Jax, Juan

1) Inhaled something, just as Olivia took her break.  Coughed for 5-10 mins until it settled down.  Joked I was trying NOT to have an asthma attack!

2) Observed a woman hitting her cart with another, then saying 'I'm sorry' to the cart! Later, she appeared in my line.

3) Had a rain shower around 6:30. Very  brief.

4) Saw Lee and Rochelle!  Rochelle wants to come back.

5) Brandon V returned two pallets of shingles 5 minutes until we closed.

Outfit:  Black Mom tee, cut off capris, tiny silver hoops

Day 63: Rain, 60s; 85 t/a

ASM:  Dan

HC:  Riley

Loaders:  Jax, Juan,Steve

1) Arrived at 4; called Madi 'Madison', lmao!

2) Forgot to empty coffee carafe on my lunch

3) Rain quit around 6!

Outfit:  LV Indian Motorcycle tee, black PU sweatshirt, cut off capris, gold 'tear drop' danglies

Off tomorrow for choir practice! Good news:  Dr says leg wound is now a 'dot'!

Day 64: Rain, mid-60s; 74 t/a

ASM:  Keri

HC:  Levi

Loaders:  DS Charles, Jax, Dan

1) Pro customer either had card stolen or unauthorized use; definitely had the points! Kept paying $800/month, and at least once, no record of it.

2) Forgot my fan.

3) Had to clean out the coffee carafe

4) Had to chase down my broom

5) Alex left at 3:30!!!

6) Got a credit app!

7) Woman came down asking about a trellis; told her it was LG aisle 2; she said the LG associate sent her to lumber!

8) Called three times for Code 50; no one came, even though I could SEE! DS Charles and Jax!  Josh paged from Tools; they came up to help.  Was I not speaking English over the PA???

Outfit:  Yellow Fla tee, faded jeggings, sea horses.

Day 65:  Rare Sat Rendezvous Cloudy, low 70s; 112 t/a

ASM:  Keri.

HC:  Madi

Loaders:  Sam, Daniel

1) Kept flipping my earring out of my ear!

2) Kyle brought me chicken and dumplings, but no fork, lol!  Ate it on my 1st break, then had an intestinal issue an hour later!

3) Was in such a hurry, due to needing to use the restroon, missed 4 boards b/c I didn't trust myself to bend over!

4) Went non-stop from 5-6:30, then again from 9:30-close

5) Tried to sign a customer up for a Pro Credit, but the system glitched and wouldn't let me past the 1st page.

Outfit:  Blue floral tee, faded jeggings, large copper hoops.

Day 66:  Rare Sun Indy 500 Day

ASM:  Alex

HC:  Madi

Loader:  Jax

1) Arrived; there were 3 of us (me, Bryan, and Yancy), so we tag-teamed during breaks and doing returns.

2) I didn't actually log in until 4:15.

3) Had 8 customers from 7:10-7:30!

4) Fan began dying around 7.  I was VERY hot all shift.

5) Had to tell a family of 3 we were closed at 8pm

Outfit:  Teal blue Rendezvous outfit, cut off capris, teal Indian danglies, white cap

Survivor 50: In The Hands of the Fans, Ep 11-12

 Ep 11:

Ozzy has a nightmare about being voted out again with his idol in his pocket.  Tells Cirie and Tiff he'll play it.

Immunity Challenge:  Floating Doghouse Balance Challenge! Winner earns an advantage for a twist coming at Tribal.

Cirie out 1st after move to 2nd rung

Aubrey out after getting to the top

Devins falls

When they go to one foot, everyone out except Tiff!  But wait, there's an issue.  On the review, Tiff did NOT have her foot raised, so she'd DQ'd.  Jon, the next to last one to fall, WINS!!!

TWIST:  The remaining 8 are divvied up into two groups, and will go to tribal to vote someone out.  Jon, being safe, will cast a vote at BOTH tribals!

Group 1:  Tiff, Emily, Cirie, Devins

Emily tells Jon, Cirie, and Tiff she can convince Rick to play the idol on her; they all vote Devins out.

Emily then turns around and tells DEVINS the plan, only for him to play the idol for himself. Em and Devins then vote CIRIE out.

Group 2:  Joe, Ozzy, Rizzo, and Aubrey

Ozzy tells Aubrey EVERYTHING, which she takes as 'you're going on the jury, so this is why I need to win'.  Aubrey turns around and tells Joe and Rizzo what he said, in hopes of getting them on her side to vote Oz out instead of her.  When Jon arrives, Aubrey tells Jon about Cirie's extra vote.  Joe tells Rizzo the plan to out Ozzy, but Rizzo wavers on whether or not to tell Oz the plan, so he'll play his idol.

Tribal Council #1:  Cirie, Emily, or Devins?

Devins plays his idol for himself.

Cirie casts her extra vote; she and Emily are tied at 2 each.

Revote:  Emily voted out, 4-2 (Cirie)

Tribal Council #2:  Ozzy or Aubrey?

Ozzy voted out 4-1 WITH THE IDOL IN HIS POCKET!!! He is absolutely crushed.

Ep 12:

Devins is feeling the pressure, since Emily was voted out, and he voted against Cirie.  Tries to find an idol, but no luck, esp with Jon on his tail.

Immunity Challenge:  Balancing and spelling Immunity blocks!  Reward:  BBQ rib meal

Aubrey and Tiff in the lead, drop. Rizzo drops. Joe's in the lead!

Joe wins as everyone else drops!  Chooses Cirie and Rizzo to join in the reward.

Back at camp, Tiff is annoyed with Rizzo still having his idol and wants to blindside him.  Aubrey may or may not be on board; Devins and Jon are definitely on board.  

Cirie joins Jon on the hammock and it BREAKS!  They're able to reattach it.

Cirie is NOT on board.  Did she tell Rizzo?

Tribal Council:  Devins or Rizzo?

Wait....is this a double episode?  We're only at the 32 min mark.....

Rick plays his Shot-in-the-Dark.  Verdict:  Not Safe.

Devins voted out, 6-0

2ND HALF:

Tiff wants Rizzo out; Aubrey and Jon pitch getting out Tiff.  Rizzo tells Cirie it's Tiff.  What will happen at the challenge?

Immunity Challenge: Obstacle Course with arch puzzle

Teeter Totter: Tiff, Joe, and Jon 1st

Disc puzzle:  Joe, Jon, Tiff

Transporting blocks while crossing a hinged balance beam:  Jon and Joe 1st

Solving Arch puzzle:  They think the word is 'inconceivable', but not sure how to spell it!

Everyone's on the puzzle....who knows how to spell it first?

Jon and Joe think they have it, but no....

Tiff wins!!!

Tribal Council:  Aubrey or Cirie?

Cirie voted out, 4-2 (Aubrey)

From The Stupid Files: Y8, W12

 Day 56: Sunny, 70's; 63 t/a

ASM:  Shannon

HC:  Riley

Loaders:  Isaiah, Steve (from LG), DS Ian

1) Was called in; arrived 5:10; Olivia was obviously pissed off.

2) Had zero energy.  Did manage to do AP4Me and LU.

Outfit:  Black CBS tee, cut off capris, small diamond hoops

Day 57: Sunny, 70s; 49 t/a

ASM:  Shannon

HC:  Madi

Loaders:  Jax, Isaiah

1) Drove my van to work!  Unfortunately, it was dead when I left, D gave me a jump.  Back to the drawing board.....

2) Olivia took her break and 2 bathroom breaks.

3) We were slow, and also discovered I was still on Madi's log-in. Oops!

Outfit:  Gray Purdue tee, cut off capris, small gold hoops

Day 58: Sunny, 70s; 82 t/a

ASM:  Dan

HC:  Madi

Loader:  Miguel

1) Olivia left at 4.

2) Isaiah called in

3) Woman said the sweatshirt was 25% off; after double-checking, it wasn't. Then she said she'd forgotten her card and was told all she needed was her ID. Scanned it, but she couldn't remember the phone # associated with it, and I couldn't locate it under her name. So had to send her up to CS. Also, she stated it was her daughter's 44th b-day; the daughter looked 70 y/o!

4) Got Justin to to return his own items to the shelves, lol....

5) Alex came back to help out, wearing 'civvies'.  He also caught me locking the door at 9:55. I argued the large door was open; he was having none of it. Ricky saw my point AND Alex's.  *eye roll*  Yes, it's policy, but the LARGE DOOR WAS OPEN AND WE HAD NO CARS IN THE PARKING LOT!!

Outfit:  Blue America tee, cut off capris, large gold hoops

Off tomorrow, for choir practice!

Day 59:  Rain in am; sunny and 70s in pm; 87 t/a

ASM:  Keri

HC:  Riley

Loaders:  Jax, Miguel

1) Was slow 1st 2 hours. Was sent to lunch @5.

2) Steady when I returned.

3) No shopping carts at 8:30 so I could pull trash, then was busy for an HOUR until a cart arrived!  Slowed down after 9:50, and got my closing duties finished.

4) Nice, Alex-free evening!

Outfit:  Blue Vancouver Aquarium, cut off capris, sea horses.

Day 60:  Rare Sat Rain, 70s; 57 t/a

ASM:  Alex, Raven

HC: Riley

Loaders:  Jax, Sam

1) Rained HARD off and on; saw a full rainbow!

2) Male customer tried to look up his LU card, but was unable to. Tried calling home to get the card # and it declined. Finally we tried his Pro card and the 'trusted customer' and it cleared.

3) Met another guy who was screwed over by Tom Lay

Outfit:  Gray USA Flower tee, cut off capris, thin gold hoops

Off tomorrow for Granddaughter B's birthday party!

Also, Alex's cat Aurora went into labor:)  No kitties yet at the time of this writing.

May Goals

I know, I know.....ten days in and I'm just now realizing I never posted my goals!  Heck, a few days ago I posted on Patreon, thinking the 8th was the 9th.  I'm slightly confused, lol.....

I was surprisingly productive last month!

-Lose 5 lbs (start 244) Lost 4!  Whoot!

-Send Aiden to editor Check!

-Contact Dawne' for cover art Check!

-Do well at Creative Market Ended up dropping out in order to drive to Lafayette a day early

-Do well at Author Fair Sold 2, swapped 2, donated 2. Probably would have done better had I read an excerpt or talked about my publishing journey.

-Do well at NHS Craft Fair Sold 3; the majority of readers wanted murder/mystery.  Did hand out a lot of cards for those who read on Kindle!

-Do well at Youth Leadership Craft Fair Sold one, but maybe sold 3 more on Kindle???  Plus met a woman writing her memoirs and a woman whose 13 y/o has begun writing stories.

-Find out about passport photo Staples???

-GET VAN FIXED!! 4/16:  Cleaned and replaced loose battery cables; ran for an hour then quit. Mom got $9K back from taxes; she's offered to help.

Health:  Leg wound is still being pesky.  Collagen pack didn't work, so am back on antibiotics (#5 for 2 weeks).  It IS shrinking, and this is the antibiotic I only take twice a day.

Had my teleconference with Dr. Steve on the 5th; my BP is still borderline high, so he wants me back on the BP meds when I'm off the antibiotics.  I've lost 4 pounds, so wondering what I did differently last month??  

Hours at work have been switched back, thankfully.  I'm working my a$$ off this month, to pay down my credit cards and get editor and cover art paid!

 Books Read:  8

            Print:  4

        E-book:  4

             DNF:  0

2026 Events:

June 5-7:  Indy Comic Con (Panelist)

June 13:  Pride, French Commons, Vincennes, In 5-9pm

June 26th:  Summer On Main, downtown Vincennes, 5-8pm

July 10-12:  InConJunction Convention, Wyndham West, Indpls

July 17-19:  Imaginarium, Louisville, KY 

Aug 8th:  Indy Author Event 

Aug 22nd:  Lafayette Comic Con, Tippecanoe Co Fairgrounds, Lafayette, IN ($40)

Sept 12th:  StompCon, Fowler, IN

Nov 11-15:  ICGAHS

Nov 28th:  Creative Holiday Market, 1972 KCARC

Dec 2-3rd:  GSH Christmas Vendor Event ($50)

May Goals:  

-Lose 5 pounds (start:  240)

-Pay Editor Check!

-Pay Cover Art 5/1:  $50; 5/15:  $200

-Enjoy anniversary Check!  Nice, quiet day, and dinner at Yamoto

-Pay for ICC parking (park whiz)

-Enjoy Mother's Day Check!  Received a wooden rose and candy from Mgmt

-Buy one more pkg Book Sleeves from Temu

-Buy one more pkg sarcasm notepads from Temu

-Buy 5 more pkgs whisk charms from Etsy 

-Buy 1 more pkg guitar charms from Etsy (June??)

-Publish Aiden Check! and buy copies 5/27 Check!

-Send Daughter's MS to editor

-Republish Rex Nancy working on it

-Fill out passport paperwork and turn it in

-Find out about passport photo Staples???

-Add words to Dragon story stalled and Hallmark-inspired story 

-Buy new soap dish for MBa 

-Finish trim, lights, medicine cabinet, and shower guard in MBa 

-Pay down CC and start pecking away at med bills

-Read 6 books

-Finish current e-book 

May Reading Schedule: 

Bride-Ali Hazelwood Wasn't sure I was going to like this, but it was very good!

The Good, The Bad, and the Aunties-Jesse Q Sutanto RR!  This was a fun read, and now I want to read the 1st book in this series, Dial A for Aunties

The Hating Game-Sally Thorne Interesting read. Didn't realize it was 1st PP, but still enjoyed it.

E-book:

A Poetry Affair-Sandra Sookoo Good story:)

From The Stupid Files: Y8, W11

Day 50: Rain, 60s; 95 t/a

ASM:  Shannon

HC:  Riley

Loaders:  Jax, Isaiah

1) Felt weird all shift.  Didn't know if I was tired or hungry, or if the mushroom-swiss burger I'd eaten made me feel sluggish.

2) Was HOT from 2-6pm!

3) Had LOTS of returns!  Several were taken back during my 15 min break, then more the first 15 mins of my lunch, and finally even more at close.

4) Felt like I had mild 'brain fog'.

5) Bought a 4th of July headband!

Outfit:  Blue hooded Cabela's sweatshirt, Hallmark Movie tee, dark jeggings, large hoops.

Day 51: Sunny, 60s; 77 t/a

ASM:  Dan

HC:  Levi

Loaders:  DS Charles, Darien

1) Felt a LOT better today!

2) Cust tried to 'help' me bag and put the caulk tubes in the bag wrong!

3) Didn't get my 1st 15 min break; Olivia left at 4.

Outfit:  B/W striped shirt, dark jeggings, black danglies

Day 52: Sunny, 60s; 82 t/a

ASM:  Alex

HC:  Riley

Loaders:  DS Charles, Isaiah

1) Olivia had a curious thing going on.  When I arrived, she was in the bathroom (2:50-ish).  At 3:05, she took her break in her car (smoke break???), arriving around 3:20. Then at 3:55, she had to use the bathroom again, and returned around 4:12!

2) Customer's card declined; maxxed out.  Wife got fraud alert; came in and wrote a check. Joked her hubby was in 'time out' while we waited for her arrival!

3) Everyone liked my hair cut! (4 inches off!)

4) Mr. Prov ran in at 9:53 and checked out with his PVC fittings at 10pm.

5) Isaiah informed me his last day is the 14th.  Booo......

Outfit:  Blue crew Cabela's sweatshirt, black dog tee, large gold hoops

Day 53: Rain, low 70s; 82 t/a

ASM:  Alex

HC:  Riley

Loaders:  Jax, Isaiah

1) 'Chatty Cathy' customer held up the line; it was backed up to Aisle 19. Someone called Alex and said it was 'freakishly long'. Madi came down to help, but by then, I was down to 2 customers in line!

2) Had to page 3 times for a Code 50 and for the saw. Jax blatently ignored me until I saw him, then pointed out the customer waiting by the saw. Madi unlocked the 100' drain pipe for me.

3) I'd forgotten my raincoat and had texted D about it, then CALLED him a few hours later.  He brought it.....at close.  Fortunately, it had stopped raining by then.

Outfit:  Brown gauzy shirt, dark jeggings, blue sappire hoops

Day 54:  Rare Sat Sunny, mid-70s; 122 t/a

ASM:  Alex

HC:  Levi

Loaders:  Jax, Kyran (import from LG)

1) As you can tell from the transactions, was BUSY!!  Non-stop for 3 hours; Trevor came to give me an o/r and stayed to help me out for several minutes!

2) Isaiah called in; hence Kyran's appearance

3) Finally calmed down around 8:30!

Outfit:  Gray leopard stripe l/s tee, dark jeggings, thin gold hoops

Day 55:  Rare Sun Mother's Day Sunny, 60's; 66 t/a

ASM:  Alex

HC:  Levi

Loaders:  Jax, Miguel (from LG)

1) Chaos around 3:45!  Yancy had gone to break (we were dead); Jax was at lunch; DS Charles had gone home for the day (I didn't know this). Suddenly, one customer needed shingles brought down; another wanted a pallet of concrete blocks; a woman needed help getting a board from the rack.  Multiple pages for Jax or Charles went unanswered. My Zebra malfunctioned; #2's phone didn't work. Finally, Alex appeared and filled me in the situation. He helped the woman and got down the shingles. Jax reappeared and was able to get the blocks. By the time Yancy got back, things were somewhat under control!  I took my break at 4:45 and gratefully sat down!

2) Saw Izzaboo!  (formerly of Millwork)

3) After Yancy left, at one point I needed an o/r, so moved to #2 again until Charlie arrived.

4) Learned someone shoved a pallet of garden pavers into the rack and bent it; it took two forklifts to get it down without it crashing down.

5) Friend Julie and her hubby Jorge were my final customers.

Outfit:  Blessed G'ma tee, #1 Mom pin, dark jeggings, large hoops.