Haines His Way

And the word of the day is: LENITY!

I gotta tell you.

A well-deserved rest!!!

For anyone who saw it last night, what was the specific title of the PBS program on Agatha Christie?  Can't seem to find in the the television listings.

Good morning, all! I have to do a load of laundry today and I have some work at Toyland. I'll be outa here in just a bit.

I haven't worked as a cashier since 1984, but I would swear that at the most I've seen in my entire life maybe  ten or less $2 bills. I haven't seen one in several years now. I'm aware of the plethora of silver dollars at the moment since I get them every time I use one of the US Post Office's postage machines and receive change of more than a dollar.  

Neither of the two items, or traveler's checks, gave me much concern as a cashier at Classic Books, and I had to deal with a lot of currency at 48th Street and Sixth Avenue. For me, the biggest problems were the insane store manager who was dismissed for theft (she was literally crazy and responsible for several cashiers being sacked because she continually took money from the till), daily book thieves and the continuous stream of Hasidic Jews from the diamond district who came in to buy pornography.

So, all this tsuris over money for the past two days seems quite alien to me.

My wonderful sister-in-law Jo called me this morning to tell me that my dad's house has been broken into and a squatter has been sleeping there, another reason to get this albatross off our necks. Randy was out yesterday to check on the property and saw signs of a break in so he called the police: someone's been sleeping in the living room so today he has to secure the place and, hopefully, this will push him and the Macbeths to sell the property.

Tweedle-Dumb?

Ding Ding Ding!  We have a winner!  

But I still covet Alice's gingham dress.

That gets me thinking about the insane store manager of Classic Books who hired me in 1984. She always claimed her illegitimate daughter (who we all suspected was imaginary since there were never photos or phone calls from her) was sired by a famous classical pianist. During my year there, several cashiers were dismissed because of continual shortages in their cash drawers.

About six months after I was there, it was discovered that the manager was involved in illegal activities involving the newly stocked videos. She had been stealing them and wrting up fake invoices, as I recall. It also turned out that she was dipping into cash drawers during the day and replacing the money on payday: the assistant manager was convinced she was having drug problems, which would account for her general demented behavior. I suspect several of the dismissed cashiers had balancing problems because of the manager's borrowing practices; it also wouldn't surprise me if she deliberately set several up for dismissal.

In early 1985, the Drama Book Shop asked me to come back and I left Classic Books. I liked the chain, the managers - even the crazy one who was always friendly and supportive of me - and I liked the job and most of my co-workers. Two of my favorite managers are now with the publisher Norton and with the MTA, both xcellent gentlemen. More for the memoirs.

He apparently didn't get the memo that the new gathering place is Ginny's library.

 

On the car ride in, I talked my brother about Sugar.  He's totally aware of what's going on, and he's already consulted the breeder for some help and advice.  Since this is Sugar's third home in five(!) months, they're just going to wait a couple more weeks to let her get a bit more settled in her new digs.  Hopefully, she'll be a bit more "mannered" in a month or two.

Poor Sugar!  I hope she settles down.  Sounds like she's been through a lot.  

Honing your foot tapping skills?

I only work on that in airports.

I had a friend that used to order "packs" of $2 bills from his bank.  I think you have to get 100 at a time.  He used to tip at restaurants only in $2 bills.

The waiters and waitresses sure remembered him!

That reminds me of a little joke.

**DR VIXTER, PLEASE AVERT YOUR EYES!!!**[/color]


So a woman went in to see her doctor.  "Doctor," she said, "my husband just is never in the mood any more!"

The doctor said, "I know just the thing.  Slip one of these little pills into his coffee when he isn't looking, and see if that helps."

So that night at dinner, she tried it.

And darned if it didn't work!  Her husband took a sip of coffee, and suddenly, right there at the table, his eyes popped open and he started to make mad, passionate love to his wife.  Glassware, plates, everything went flying and crashing to the floor.

The next day in the doctor's office, the woman was relating her success to the doctor.  The doctor said, "That's great, but I do feel somewhat responsible...can I at least reimburse you for the broken tableware?"

To which she replied, "Oh, it's OK.  We're not going back to that restaurant, anyway."