drrtyrocstr

i just wondered how things are - your uncle? you?

i know the retail at christmas deal - and by christmas eve i was always so cheerful - oddly. there were days before that when i was simply and utterly a cranky ass bitch. but on christmas eve, when i wasn't accepting any engraving orders, but just rushing to get every last one done for the people waiting in line to pick them up... i was cheerful. the last christmas i worked like that was in 1996. i wore a kind of short red velvet dress to work with deep green tights and i even put red bows on my boots. since we sold santa hats and stockings i could have worn my hat, but doing the engraving... all the bending over and such it wasn't practical. but when i was rushing out to get us all snacks at the heavily pot scented pizza shop i was stopped by a family who thought i was one of Santa's Elves... and i didn't know where Santa was in the mall! eeps! hope they weren't too traumatized. ;o) we had specially seasoned pizza slices from that shop. it was a good christmas in the retail kind of thing. i thought the tale might amuse you. mind you, in tucson it was still hot so i rode my bike to work in cutoffs and a tank top and then changed to air-conditioning appropriate clothing in the stock room. i really enjoyed that job. if it paid more, and was still at all the same - i might give it another go. but i'll just settle for being lucky to have had a job that i always enjoyed with that company wherever i moved for about seven years. very lucky.

now, if the thought of me as an elf didn't cheer you up.... and the thought of our um.. sage pizza didn't cheer you.... oh! maybe knowing the name of the dog who lives with me will! for she is Maitreya! the buddha to be. we just call her Maity or Pooka or PoogieYamaMama and of course a slew of other un-typables... she is my answer to the koan - does a dog have buddha-nature? i know, they're meant for meditation and introspection - and living with the buddha really helps with that! ;o)