lectures
Last night I had an encounter with a new type of workplace wonder: the psychotic Jesus freak. Perhaps I should have seen it coming. My postal experience thus far has been blissfully devoid of DDR/Jesus fanatics. It was only a matter of time before one came out of the woodwork.
I had met this woman before, but was never stuck in a corner with her for hours on end, as I was last night. It was a dead, dead night. No work whatsoever, even for the regulars, but we had to stay on principle as it was a holiday and we were being forced in. Dumb. We were all sent to hand casing, which normally I like, but was nearly falling off my stoop in boredom. So when the supervisor came around to collect us again for new tasks, I jumped at the opportunity. Little did I know I would be sent to the dreaded LMLM machine with the Laotian.
I had heard the machine was awful, that being sent there was some sort of punishment, but I never grasped why. Is it because it constantly breaks down? Is old and antiquated, its role underappreciated? Misunderstood? Or is it just the freak woman who is its master?
She spent nearly two hours - HOURS - lecturing us about the machine and the proper way to handle the mail that goes into it before even turning it on. And as she lectured, in the worst beady-eyed shouty manner, she complained bitterly about the job and everything and everyone involved. Now, I like to complain as much as the next person, as you well know, but there was something unsettling about the venom with which she spitted out her vitriolic attack. Ack! Plus, her personalty just rubbed me the wrong way. It's hard to explain, really. She just had the weird manner I detest, usually found in those with a penchant for role playing games.
When she finally paused long enough to grill me about my personal life, she launched almost immediately into conversion mode.
"You speak a lot of miracles. Does that mean you believe in God?"
"Er. No."
"No!" shocked pause. "Interesting. Yet you speak of miracles."
"Do I?"
"Yes. 'It's a miracle I got a job. It's a miracle I got my license'..."
"Hmmm. Figure of speech I guess."
"Figure of speech!" Silence, and I can tell she's struggling to keep it all back. Luckily, it's my lunch break and I run away.
Later, she asks how my parents feel about me moving away. I tell her they're not happy, nor is my sister, who thinks I'm abandoning the family.
She totally sided with my sister and went on to insinuate that I am a spoiled brat and that my parents deserve better than abandonment after having paid for my college education.
Yeah, so it was fun. Fun fun fun. I was clenching my jaw and glaring and she just would not get the hint and leave me alone. Even my otherwise clueless Laotian friend got the hint and was giggling as we walked away at the end of the shift.
"You no like her, no?"
ARGH.
Anyway, it's my day off, and I started it by shopping. Woo hoo! Retail therapy! I keep outdoing myself in the area of bargain shopper of the century. I nabbed a gorgeous slick black medium weight three-quarter length coat originally sold at $160 for $23. Yeah. Insane! I also got two sets of earrings - fake diamond and fake pearl - in a bid to appear more grown up or something. Hmmm. It will probably fail miserably, since I refuse to take off the homemade tackle bracelet I've been wearing since the 8th grade.
Took a nap. Just got a lecture from Richard about mentioning some top secret news in yesterday's entry. And now I'm waiting for my lovely sister to come over and hang out while she takes advantage of my parent's washer and dryer. Joy!
Tomorrow I plan to spend a leisurely few hours perusing the stacks at a local thrift shop. Do I know how to have a good time or what?
Ok I'm annoyed now. Time to go calm down somehow. Maybe I'll make a CD for Iris or something.
