Dealing With Riff Raff…

I locked my front door and was about to start my walk for the day. Down my front steps I went. This black fellow was walking by my house just at that moment.

“Hey, Man!” he said brashly. “Give me a ride over to the housing projects.”

“Can’t,” I replied. “I am going for my daily walk and don’t have my car keys on me.”

He was giving me bad vibes anyway and I wouldn’t have given him a ride even if I was fixing to drive somewhere.

“It is cause I be black!” he callously retorted reeking of racism. “I see how you is going to be.”

“I wouldn’t give you a ride if you were a pretty Caucasian woman!” I replied with a harrumph.

I zipped up my jacket this chilly evening, tucked my hands in my pockets, and headed out for my walk. I hope he freezes his ass off on that long walk from my neighborhood. He was rude and uncouth.

On Loneliness…

I read the “The Homeless Guy” blog for a good many years. I don’t think I’ve read about a more lonely man than he and he was surrounded by people being homeless. He was always at odds with himself and the people around him. Millions read his blog and I don’t think he garnered not one lasting friendship out of the endeavor. People would try to befriend him, but he would eventually push them away. He was always so paranoid and suspicious of others.

When I was drinking, I never got lonely. John Barleycorn was my best friend and he kept me company. John Barleycorn was also the jealous type and I ended up not having one soul in my life who cared about me there at the end of my homeless career. I could understand what loneliness Kevin Barbieux felt. I later found George and the gang and they embraced me drunkenness and all. I had finally found some friends who were like me.

When I sobered up, I could no longer hang out with my drinking friends. We all went our separate ways. That’s when loneliness really hit me. When I sobered up.

I called my father tonight and asked him when we were taking his car to the shop to get a headlight fixed. I easily get lonely these days now that I do not drink. I was trying to get up something constructive to do this afternoon that would involve fellowship and comradery.

“I got it fixed earlier in the week,” he told me. “You must be lonely.”

“Yeah, a little bit,” I replied. “Tracy has class tonight after work.”

“I’ve got to go out to eat with a friend, Dave, and I will call you when we get back,” dad told me. “You can come and hang out with me and Samantha and drink you a Coke.”

I told him that sounded like a great deal! That sounded wonderful!

George and the Gang Update…

Some of you may remember a character I wrote about called Dumpster Diving Dan. He supported himself by diving all the dumpsters around town. He was also a Vietnam War veteran. He was one of those lost souls that never quite recovered from the war. He lives in a home for veterans now I learned recently. Well, the city condemned his dilapidated old house and demolished it yesterday. It literally was falling in upon itself and I used to worry Daniel would freeze his ass off in the winter living in that house and the roof leaked like a sieve.

Waiting for the Sun to Shine in...

Gosh, it gets so dark so very early that it can be depressing. As a child, I suffered terribly and severely from SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder. It still gets to me as a grown man sometimes. I want summer, warmth, and lightning bugs back from their hiatus.

I spent two hours this afternoon hoping to see some trains and didn't see not one freight come roaring through town. I sat on the same bench my homeless friend, Ferret, slept on years ago.

"If you ever get homeless and have to sleep on that bench," he would tell me. "Get some cardboard out of the Pig's dumpster to insulate you. That cold concrete will sap the heat and life right out of your ass."

He would also complain about all the trains that would wake him up at night. I wonder sometimes what happened to all of them -- the gang that George and I hung-out with in Cherry Valley Shopping Center.

Where is George Now?

I can remember George of George and the gang notoriety vividly in my mind. I miss him in a lot of ways, but the drinking part is what keeps me away from him these past few years.

"How's your wife doing?" George asked me as I was walking up the incline to the  Piggly Wiggly. "Tell her to give me a call sometimes."

"Who are you?" I asked.

I didn't know George from a hill of beans. If you knew my haughty taughty ex-wife, Rachel, then you knew this was so very laughable -- her knowing and mingling with George that is.

The Legend Grows...

Every morning I would walk up to the Piggly Wiggly and buy the cheapest beer I could find which usually entailed a 12 pack of Schlitz malt liquor. I can still taste that malt liquor as I sit here and write this. Malt liquor is sweeter than beer, but a definite acquired taste.

The next morning George was pulled up to the curb as he stood next to his car. Big D and Ferret were sitting on the bench in front of the Pig.

"Andrew, tell these motherfuckers how many sand niggas you killed in Iraq, Andrew here was a navy seal during the war."

I started to laugh at this preposterous notion. I told Ferret and Big D that me being a navy seal was a crock of shit.

"George, you've got me mixed up with someone else," I kept telling him.

George, Casseroles, and Shortcake...

Janice cooked a beef and macaroni casserole last night. It was really cheesy on top. You know me and casseroles, right? I was in absolute heaven. It was accompanied by a big cast iron pan of Janice's pork cracklin' cornbread.

Finally, we could savor my father's fruits of his labor. He worked all afternoon slicing strawberries. The strawberry shortcakes were delicious. I went back for an extra helping of casserole and dessert and felt overly stuffed -- that kind of uncomfortable fullness.

"You sprinkled sugar all over these strawberries like you mother would do," I told my father who was smiling.

Late Calls Before Bedtime...

"Dad? Do you ever get lonely?" I asked my father last night late on the phone feeling maudlin.

"It is quiet now that your mother is gone, but I don't ever get lonely," he told me. "This phone rings constantly."

I was missing my old friend George last night. I could call him and he would be right over in his Dodge Diplomat with a case of beer, pizza, and lots of debauchery.

"Are you okay?" my father asked me sincerely. "I will come over and sit for awhile if you want me to."

"I'm fine," I told my gracious father in reply. "You go to bed and I am headed that way myself."

When Does Christmas Truly Come Twice?

https://www.amazon.com

I do believe your dog has unearthed a Brontosaurus bone...

For the Magster, it certainly does come twice. When Maggie buries her Christmas beef bone last year and digs it up about a year later.

She is laying on the floor crunching on that bone as I write this. She's kind of making me cringe at the cracking noises. I guess it is good for her teeth and gums.

"Are you hungry?" I asked the Maggins noticing her food bowl in the computer room was bare. She just looked at me and if she were human she would say like George J, "We be cool! We be cool like dat!"

I wonder what George J. is doing these days? I always hoped George J. would get ASE certified and become a car mechanic. He had a certain aptitude for it. He kept his 1981 Dodge Diplomat running for many years after it should've died.

They Really Want to Tighten the Noose Tighter...

http://sixsigmadsi.com/

Because my father is going to kill me if I debit any more money out of my debit account for a few days. lol

I was sitting in my lazy boy in my dark den enjoying the solace and silence. The clock reached 5:30 am as my neighbor, who is also named George, got in his car and headed for the nearest Waffle House.

That seemed so very good to me! A ham and cheese omelet with some buttery grits and buttery toast. I am certainly very hungry this morning. It is lean pickings over here at Andrew's abode. I am glad tonight is grocery night. I have already started a list. I have also started a load of laundry so I will have something clean, fresh smelling, and that appeals to my father for when we go shopping tonight. What exactly is the homeless look anyways? That old saying if you can't beat them then join them applies to this predicament.

I Like Shopping...

Your Walking On Thin Ice Pops...

Mom and I just came to the consensus that my father's wine imbibing is causing the forgetfulness.

"He's had a lot of wine since last week," mom told me over the phone.

Drinking the wine doesn't make me feel better, but not getting Alzheimer's does.

My Trip to The Pig and Fred's...

I've just had a little shopping foray and it was fun.  The Piggly Wiggly sure was busy, though. I wanted some Penrose pickled sausages and some mixed nuts at Fred's. I kept thinking The Pig was out of sausages, but they just moved them. A cheery clerk helped me with that.

"Your daddy's going to get on to you for these shopping trips," my mother told me on the phone later.

"Oh hell, let him be mad," I said to my mother with a laugh. "He ought to be glad that's all I am getting and it was under ten dollars."

Dad thinks the worst -- that I am getting Benadryl at Fred's. The 100ct. bottle of Benadryl is only a little over $4 dollars there.

"You would see it in my behavior!" I told him. "I would be drunk all the time!"

Next, I walked down to Fred's past the place that Big S always sat and panhandled. I greeted a new clerk, a frumpy looking black lady, as I walked by. The turn around on clerks at this store is just dizzying.

It is hard not to impulse buy in Fred's. They had 2 liters of grape soda on sale for .99 cents.

An Old Memory of George...

George and I were sitting in his dilapidated old Dodge Diplomat smoking cigarillos and drinking beer.  Ferret and Big S were sitting on the bench in front of the Piggly Wiggly. They were hitting people up for money. The Manager came outside and told Ferret and Big S they were going to have to move -- that customers were complaining.

George stood up out of his car and said to the manager, "You gotcha an infestation of niggas! Better call the exterminator."

George is African American so he could get away with saying the N word.

Much hilarity was had. I just died and busted out laughing. George's antics could always make me smile.

Cycles…

Mom stayed over at my house all day Saturday. Dad went to the Auburn ballgame after watching football all morning. Mom cycles. She is on one of her low ebbs at the moment and is sleeping a lot. How she can just lie in the bed for hours all day after sleeping all night is beyond me. I kind of cycled myself and slept a lot as well – not leaving me with much to write about. It was the sleep of ages for me – having got caught up on some much needed and missed sleep after a few weeks of getting adjusted to working nights.

Work is very slow tonight. I’ve had one customer in hours and he was just a gawker, gawking at all our television display models. I hate to answer a hundred questions and not make a sale. It seems like such a waste of time, but maybe he will be back to buy a TV tomorrow sometime.  

The store is dead from midnight to about 6am. We close off the sundry side doors leaving only the grocery side doors open and I think this confuses people with them thinking we are closed. We only have one point of sale open tonight and it is a very big Wal-Mart so that shows you how slow we are tonight.

George told me yesterday that his job was the most boring, monotonous job he had ever had.

“Would you rather be sitting in jail?” I asked him, miffed.

“No,” George replied. “That puts things into perspective.” 

The Gossip Line…

“George is having sex with that Pookie again,” Mrs. Florene told me last night before work.

The way she said it made me choke back a laugh. She sounded as if George was cavorting with Satan and it is not far from the truth.

“She picked him up yesterday and they were gone for hours.”

I sighed and told Mrs. Florene that George was a grown man and must make these kinds of choices for himself. 

Mrs. Florene was also really upset that George chose to go to his usual Saturday night poker game where there would lots of drinking going on. George is playing with fire, but I can’t say much as I have often done so in my life as well. You live and you learn as they say.

Arise From the Dead and Go Forth My Minions…

“I am craving a hotdog and some tots,” I told mom late Saturday night, rousing her from the bed in my computer room. “Let’s go to Sonic.”

Mom immediately perked up at the prospect. Mom wanted a chocolate shake really badly foregoing her diet this weekend night.

“I would eat like this all the time,” mom told me as we sat in her car and ate. “I’d weigh 500 pounds, though.”

I smiled. Our meal was delicious and mom enjoyed getting out after being inside all day with me sleeping. She said she didn’t sleep, but just lay there all day. I have my suspicions we might have got a few naps in. :-)

Neither a Borrower Nor Lender Be They Say…

“Can I borrow $20 bucks?” George asked me as he arrived at work this morning.

“What for?” I asked warily, sounding like my father.

“It’s for sodas and lunch,” George replied. “Momma is being chitzy with her money fearing I will drink on it. I can’t wait for payday.”

I pulled out my wallet and gave George $20 bucks. He thanked me profusely and headed back out to get busy bringing in the carts.

I think Mrs. Florene and I are both warily anticipating payday – fearing George will go back to his old ways. A pretty new liquor store opened up just a mile from Mrs. Florene’s house and it both worries us. George could easily walk down and get a drink. It would be a matter of days before his parole officer downloaded the data off his monitoring device and it would be a go back to jail free card for him – violating parole.

Video Game Mania…

I had a man walk in my department around midnight. He spent a long time surveying the video game cabinet.

“I hear the Wii is for kids,” he told me passingly.

I disagreed, telling him all about the Wii fit and other “party” games that were popular for adults.

“I like the Zelda games personally,” I told him. “And I am 38 years old.”

Halo Reach has been our biggest seller this week – causing a frenzy among Xbox 360 gamers. Just another first person shooter in a video game market glutted with them is my thoughts on the matter. What happened to flight simulators and strategy games? Games that made you think and learn? Not just “twitch” games as I call them.

The man purchased a Playstation 3 and about four games. I told him that soon Sony would be rolling out controllers and capabilities similar to Nintendo’s Wii. He was excited to get home to play. He must have been in his forties which surprised me. I am finding myself having to put in a concerted effort to keep up with video game technology and happenings with me not playing regularly, and they are a big part of our department. 

Sleep, Beautiful Sleep…

I unplugged my landline, turned off my cellphone and I curled up in the bed with Maggie and Caramel after lunch yesterday. It had been about an hour since I had taken the Percogesic dad gave me yesterday morning. I was soundly asleep for hours. I woke up only once when Maggie decided that the room had grown cold and she wanted up under the covers and against my warm back.  I smiled and told her, “Good girl!” and was soon back asleep. The Percogesic made me feel groggy for the rest of the day, though. I could have slept much longer if I wasn’t for my bladder and stomach protesting around 8pm.

I turned back on my cellphone and immediately within moments had a call. I am glad I had turned it off. It was mom.

“Did you get some sleep?” mom asked anxiously. “Helen told me not to bring your plate and it worried me.”

“I finally got a good seven hours of sleep,” I told her.

“I am going to drive over now and bring your supper and your cokes,” mom told me getting off the phone.

Helen’s Friday meal was delicious as I sat in the kitchen and ate as mom watched on and talked.   The meatloaf was especially flavorful – Helen having cooked it to perfection. It was a very nice treat after such a good day of rest. I was starving when I awoke.

“I dread tomorrow so much,” mom said with a very audible sigh.

“Why?” I asked, always amused at my mother’s antics and whims.

“Your father is off of work and will watch football ALL day!”

I laughed deeply, understanding how mom felt.

“It’s not funny!” mom exclaimed. “He will just obsess over it and the TV will be so loud it will drive me crazy. I am probably coming over here with you and the dogs to sleep.”

I smiled and told her we would be glad to have her. It would thrill Maggie’s little soul to lie in the bed all day with mom. Maggie loves mom’s visits more than any other person that visits the house.  Caramel is much more aloof about such matters.

I Guess It’s Over…

Stacey came storming into the house last night saying we needed to talk. I knew exactly what that meant when a woman says that.

“This is just not going to work,” she told me with a furious look on her face. “I never get to see you and when I do, you are sleepy and tired.”

“What can I do about it?” I asked, flummoxed. “I have to go to work! I have to support myself!”

“I think we need some time to just think about where YOU want to take things!”

“Fine,” I said complacently and she left after staying only a few moments.

I had already cooked supper and set the table. I sat and ate alone last night. I guess it’s over. I haven’t heard from her since. I am thinking I jumped into a relationship too soon into my recovery anyway. I felt an odd sense of relief last night at the possibility of no longer being badgered about our relationship for a change. I am just going to lie low and put the ball in Stacey’s court. Let her do what she will. Mentally and anxiety-wise, I can’t take any fights or arguments. I have enough on my plate at the moment for the time being with work.

Cellphones Galore…

I have to work again tonight and the overtime will be nice. I didn’t complain or balk when my supervisor asked me to work six days in a row once again. Nights are boring without work – with me just sitting at home alone all night with nothing to do, but use the Internet and watch TV.  Most of my Twitter friends are asleep and Facebook is a wasteland after midnight.

Cellphones kept me busy last night. Everyone was wanting our new low cost plans and phones. I am urged to sell the most cellphone for the most money, but I am like these people and realize I spent too much money on my Crackberry and an expensive data plan. I should’ve bought something more simple and economical. These new Wal-Mart branded phones we are selling have few bells and whistles, though, so are not for the tech savvy consumer. They are just for people who only casually and intermittently use their phones – not for the power user.  They are mainly for very frugal people and low income families. I think it is a good thing our company is doing and so good for competition in a cellphone market glutted with expensive phones and outrageous service plans.

A Political Animal…

“I am hoping we can get another tax cut,” Jim told me last night eating his turkey and Swiss on rye. “Be sure to vote coming up!”

“Oh, I am the kind of person you don’t want to vote,” I replied with a warm smile and laugh. “I believe in taxes and think we must pay our part to help the common good. I just wish the money was spent wisely and not on the military and wars. I think the tax system needs to be reformed, though. Our tax code is over 70,000 pages long! I would like to see a flat tax or a national sales tax.”

“What would you spend the money on if you were President?” Jim asked.

“Education and economic stimulus for family owned businesses,” I replied. “I would bolster the middle class and do away with welfare for corporations.”

“But you work for one of the biggest, most profitable corporations in our country,” Jim said contrarily.

“I know,” I replied. “It is a bit of irony with my unorthodox political and socioeconomically interesting leanings, but it was an economic necessary evil for me.”

Update on George…

George’s keen sense of humor has seemed to have returned after his long tenure in prison. This morning he was talking about all the women he was going to bed in the upcoming months before Christmas. I laughed as I walked alongside of him as he pushed in a long string of carts. I realize my best friend can be kind of simple minded at times – the most basic human needs and aspirations motivating him. 

“You need to experience a black woman at least once in your life,” George told me.

I smiled as I told him I think I was with a black woman once sexually, but was too drunk to remember it.

“That doesn’t count,” George said with a serious look on his face. “You would have remembered it as a good black woman would knock your socks off!”

I burst out laughing and told George I was always open to possibilities.

A Taste of Fall…

“It’s cold as a witches’ tit outside!” George was saying this morning as he walked into electronics.

I was busy putting away boxes of new DVDs and Blu-Rays that just had arrived. I pulled out my Crackberry and browsed to my favorite weather source and the temperature said 58 degrees.

“Ah fall,” I mused mainly to myself.

George was entirely not dressed for this weather – having on a t-shirt under his smock and some light pants. I gave him the keys to my car and told him to go get the pullover I had put in the trunk the previous evening just for such occasions. He thanked me and left.

It was slow night at work. I only had a handful of customers all night. I spent most of yesterday sleeping after working on the template for my blog for a few hours. I keep trying new templates hoping I will find one i will like – never being content with the status quo. 

Yesterday morning, mom and I went for another ride. She had yet another doctor’s appointment – one of the countless many she has every month. This got her out of the house early. We stopped by Fat Albert’s to get drinks and snacks – her having already been by my father’s pharmacy for certain items and she was afraid to make another visit for more drinks fearing it would upset my father.

“I know my driving scares you,” mom told me as we toodled down busy highway 29 at 25mph – cars whizzing past us at a furious pace.

I smiled, but didn’t share my most obvious thoughts that mom drives like she is eighty years old. I was just content to sit in the passenger’s seat as I drank my diet Mountain Dew and ate a mini pecan pie.

“Your therapy session is tomorrow,” mom then told me having checked my healthcare calendar before she left to pick me up.

I wonder what I will talk about at therapy today. I have been studiously keeping my anxiety workbook updated – my anxiety levels being almost nonexistent these days. I fear we won’t have much to talk about with things being very quiet lately mentally and both with my family. 

Dixsby…

I found an awesome new program yesterday that helps organize all your social media outlets, IMs, and email. It is called Dixsby and so far it is working perfectly both on my laptop and my main computer. You can check it out here. I am connected to so much social media these days and Dixsby makes it easy to organize it all with a single program.

As far as social media goes, I still have misgivings about Facebook. It is just frankly boring. It seems out of the many friends I have most are gawking and not writing content. People spend more time changing their profile pictures than actually writing about their lives. My brother said when he was in town a few weeks ago the he was too shy to post to Facebook. Maybe this is how many feel. I am finding I had to change the way I used and viewed Facebook to make it a viable social media outlet for me. I have followed a lot of sites like Mashable and am mainly using it as a news aggregator and a way to let my friends know I have updated my two blogs. 

A Man of My Own Heart…

“Can I help you?” I asked enthusiastically as a young man walked into my department around midnight.

“I need help!” the young man said with a warm smile. “I want a small LCD television and want to hook up all my televisions and cable Internet in one room using the single cable line coming in from the floor.”

“I can help you with that!” I replied, getting to work.

We walked over to the aisle with all the cables. I got him a five way 2400 MHz cable splitter and plenty of RG-6 shielded cable line – perfect for keeping the integrity of his cable Internet signal.

“What kind of TV are you looking for?” I then asked as we walked over to all the display models.

“Something around 27 inches to 32 inches,” he said. “I don’t mind spending money. I want something nice with high definition capability.”

I explained to him the pros and cons of some of our models and we finally decided on a Sharp 32” model. He was pleased and so was I to be able to help. It is customers like this that make my job a joy – sharing my enthusiasm for all things electronic.

“Can I hook up my iPod to my home theater?” he then asked.

“That is easy!” I replied as we walked back over to the cable aisle and I showed him the cable he needed.

“I can’t wait to get home and get this all hooked up!” he replied with an enthusiasm that warmed my heart.

The sale was over $600 dollars and he put it on his Visa card.

A Moderate Am I…

“What are your political leanings?” Jim asked me tonight as he ate his sandwich at my counter.

I’ve been very obtuse about my politics with regards to Jim – choosing just to stay incognito.

“I am a moderate,” I finally replied.

“Is there even a moderate party?” Jim asked.

“If there are Libertarians, then I am sure there is a moderate party,” I replied.

“Why choose a party that will never get in office?” he asked. “It is a wasted vote.”

“No vote is ever wasted,” was my reply. “I believe in meeting in the middle in compromise. The extremes of our two party system are what is wrong with modern politics in America. We can never come to a consensus.”

I gave Jim much food for thought. He didn’t deride me very much as I was expecting. He is very outspoken and a staunch Republican with extremist leanings so I expected to get an ear full.

“Who did you vote for in the last election?” Jim then asked.

“I voted Democrat. Obama,” I replied. “I had great hopes for Obama changing the country for the better, but so far he has disappointed me. It is politics as usual on Capitol Hill.”

“That’s what you get for voting for a democrat,” Jim blurted with a smirk.

I just sighed and wished we could talk about the weather or work. Anything, but politics.

5am and Another Day of Gathering Carts has Started…

I just walked out to check on George. Mrs. Florene had just dropped him off and he clocked in. He was on his own today – left to his own devices.  He already had a long string of carts at the ready to bring in.

“Is this all there is to this job?” George asked me kind of miffed at the simplicity of the position.

“You aren’t tired of the job already, are you?” I asked warily.

“No,” George replied. “It is just kind of monotonous.”

I laughed. I reveled in the monotony of that job when I had it. I liked that fact that I had the same thing to do everyday with little deviation. It was very ritualistic and I revel in rituals which grok my obsessive compulsive tendencies.

“At least my boss is hot!” George exclaimed with a laugh. “She sure is a looker!”

She is a very pretty woman. I have no doubts that George would have her in bed at a moment’s notice – George having no qualms about such things. I took some solace in that my old supervisor is entirely not interested in George in a sexual manner.  She reserves that for me – with the advances still coming fast and furious. It drives Stacey crazy!

Surprise Visit…

Luckily, a moment ago I was standing in the aisle with the printers straightening all the expensive printer ink – gloating over the prices we charge.

“How are things going?” I heard a voice over my shoulder.

I turned to look and it was my new supervisor. A few minutes ago, he would have caught me on my iPad browsing comments on Fark.com. I will have to be more careful as the shift ends from now on.

“Your doing a good job,” he told me patronizingly. “The department always looks good every morning when I come in.”

He left to do what supervisors do on early morning arrivals – no doubt to go cohort with the other supervisors in the store – drinking coffee and reveling in their employee’s antics.

I was anxiously awaiting 5am to arrive this morning. George was set to show along with my old supervisor. The part-time guy was going to train him today. 5am rolled around and I walked outside to look and George was already busy bringing in carts with the part-time guy directing him.

“Hey sweetheart!” my old supervisor said as I was walking in the store and caught her near customer service.

I smiled vigorously – so glad to see her and so pleased with how things were going this morning.  We talked for a few moments until I had to get back to my department – me being the only person on duty this early in the morning.

Jim stopped by earlier in the night with his usual purchase. Jim and I are creatures of habit – having the same nightly routines. Jim is very mainstream, conservative and religious as far as a black man in the South goes. We would never be friends if it were not for our common cause of work. We talked this morning of him being born again in Christianity. I feigned interest as I am not a very religious man, although I am well versed in religious matters. The discussion turned to Easter and how Jesus died on the cross for our sins. I had to resist my inclination to be cynical and say it was holiday rooted in pagan origins – originating with spring and the renewal of the Earth after a winter bereft of growth. There are a lot of pagan correlations with Christianity and many of our holidays. Most of our conversations revolved around me listening and Jim preaching to his one man choir. I have learned with people like Jim that it is best not to blurt out my unorthodox beliefs on matters religious and political.  

Well, it is 6am. I have an hour to go and then I am going to check on George and head home. Today is grocery day and mom will be by around lunch before her hair appointment for us to go. I hope to get in a few hours of sleep before then.  I am already very sleepy this morning. Those warm covers are going to feel so good on this cool morning.  It was another good night of work. I am pleased.

Obsessive Auburn Fans…

“Your father has watched the Auburn game three times today over and over,” mom said as she walked in my house. “He is just obsessed!”

“What are you doing?” I asked, smiling at mom’s exasperation and also surprised at mom’s unannounced visit.

“I just couldn’t take it any more and came over here to be with you where it is quiet. Your father is going deaf and turns the TV up so loud it is maddening.”

I went back to toodling with my computers as mom lay on the bed in the computer room talking about all her problems which she seemingly has many.  Caramel was sleeping on the couch and Maggie jumped up on the bed to be with mom.

“I finally got my pain pills,” mom told me as she lay there on her side. “I was determined not to hurt anymore.”

“Have they helped?” I asked, intrigued.

“Immensely!” mom exclaimed. “I just took two before coming over here. I am waiting for them to take effect. My back and leg is killing me. I have found I have to take two pills to get the best effect.”

Things got quiet after awhile as I looked over at the bed and mom had fallen asleep. I turned down the Bjork CD I was listening to and settled in for a quiet and pleasant afternoon of browsing the web and blog writing.

George’s First Day of Work…

Tomorrow is the big day – a day of reckoning for me. Will George show up for work? Will he work hard and please my old supervisor? I have a friendship in my old supervisor riding on this. I am pretty content that George will do his best. He has always been a hard worker. 

I talked to George briefly on the phone this afternoon.

“Run me by the shot house,” he asked pleadingly.

“No way!” I said. “That is just too much temptation and you don’t need to be spending your mother’s Social Security money on prostitutes!”

George laughed goodheartedly acquiescing and agreed it would be a lot of temptation for just his second day home. I was relieved when he dropped the subject and we started to talk about work.

“What is my boss like?” George asked.

I thought for a long moment about how best to describe her.

“Sexual,” I finally said bluntly.

“Hot damn!!!” George said laughing. “I like a sexy boss!”

I laughed in turn.

I then asked George what Mrs. Florene cooked for Sunday dinner – glad that Mrs. Florene could settle back into her old routines she has performed for years.

“She cooked fried cubed steak, broccoli, rice and gravy, and biscuits,” he said. “You should’ve came and ate with us.”

It did sound wonderful, but I was soundly asleep around noon when Mrs. Florene would be getting out of church and cooking.

Looking Back on a Week in My New Position…

Well, I have now worked six days, eight days counting training, in my new position. I really like my job. I enjoy working at night – always having been a night owl. It is also pleasantly slow and stress free during the early hours of the morning. Derrick says days are gangbusters. My biggest fears were running the point of sale and handling money. I have never been good at math and making change, but the register does that for me thankfully.  Like Derrick said, “Even a monkey could run the point of sales.” Walmart makes it easy for even the most mentally deficient person.

Everynight is pretty much the same. I clock in around 10:50pm and put away my lunch, sodas and snacks, and put on my smock. 11pm to midnight is usually steady with the last customers of the day and then it settles into this quiet calm.  Much of my job is centered around stocking items for sale for the next day. I am also responsible for cleaning up the shelves, fronting the items, and getting things looking neat for the next day. I usually get caught up around 3am when Jim visits me on his lunch break and we talk for awhile.  Then, it is time to goof off and I get out my iPad or laptop. I am finding having the iPad at work to be much more stealthy – easily thrust under the counter when a customer or coworker approaches.  I am going to try blogging with it tonight with a new app Syd suggested. I am still getting used to the onscreen keyboard and the lack of tactile feedback.

I look forward to work tonight – having got lots of good sleep today. Before long, I will be cooking supper, ironing my clothes for work and will take a shower and shave. Just the mundane, daily rituals we all go through when working a job – rituals I didn’t have in my life for eight long years. It has been a pleasant and much needed change in my life – to have purpose and to be self supporting.

The Reunion…

Mrs. Florene cooked George’s favorite meal last night. Pot roast with potatoes and carrots, Southern style sticky rice and gravy, green beans, and biscuits. She also cooked a chocolate pie which is also one of George’s favorite desserts.

“You would think you were on death row and it was your last meal,” I told him laughing as I ate a piece of pie myself.

Mrs. Florene smiled so proudly as she cleaned up the kitchen after supper and George and I talked as we sat at the table drinking glasses of delightfully sweet tea.

“It is hard to describe,” George said. “This prison thing. I thought I would go crazy every day with nothing to do. I’ve been to county jail before, but state prison was a whole ‘nother world.”

“You wrote to me a lot about prison gangs,” I replied. “Was it that bad?”

“It was terrible,” George said. “They censored my letters to you so I couldn’t write the truth, but gangs were rampant. If you weren’t in a gang then you were ostracized by the prison community. You always had to watch out for shanks – toothbrushes filed to a sharp point used as weapons.”

I could only imagine what George had been through. It must have been terrible, and by what he was revealing to me, it was.

“Tell me about my job," George then asked excitedly changing the subject to more positive things.

“I worked it for two months,” I replied. “You will be gathering and bringing in all the carts every early morning till the afternoon. It is a simple job, but satisfying.  At least, it was for me.”

George thanked me for getting him the job. It was one of the prime deciding factors to him getting parole.

After dessert, George and I walked outside like old times so he could smoke.  Only now, I no longer smoke which surprised George.

“Cigarettes were worth their weight in gold in prison,” George told me wistfully as he drew on his Swisher’s Sweet. “Certain guards would smuggle them in and they made a mint off them. Guards would smuggle in drugs as well.”

George said cigarettes were like a currency in prison and could buy you great favor. They were illegal and highly coveted.

As I was leaving, I gave George a big hug and he didn’t act funny about it. George can be kind of homophobic.

“So glad to have you home, man,” I said as we clasped hands and shook.

George chomped on his cigar with a vigorous grin.

“Now, it is time for some pussy.  Just don’t tell momma.”

I burst out laughing. I was still smiling as I got in the car and drove off. Prison might have been hard, but George was still George. Some things will just never change.

A Lazy Afternoon in the South…

I was just standing in mom and dad’s kitchen as Helen cooked supper.  We finally had something fried this evening much to my elation.  Helen was cooking English peas with carrots, fried Swiss steak, baked potatoes, fruit salad, and biscuits.  Dad had just arrived home and changed clothes into his pajamas.

“Mr. John?  Are you going to bed?” Helen asked as dad passed through the kitchen to survey Helen’s meal.

Dad laughed.

“I am going out on the porch to read for awhile until supper is ready. I am just getting ready to relax.”

Dad and I don’t say much to each other these days. We just chose to disagree about the course I am taking with my life. Dad worries about my retirement and disability ending in May. I finally got him to go online to read all the guidelines with disability and that diffused the situation some when he realized I wasn’t going to lose disability and Medicare any day now.

“Are you still feeling depressed?” mom asked from the den as she sat reading the fourth and final book of the Twilight series.

I had made a passing remark to her yesterday that I was sleeping a lot.  She took this as I was depressed as she often is when she sleeps all day.

“I am just tired,” I told her. “It has been a busy past few months. I am still getting used to working nights.”

“I think you are doing the right thing despite what Mr. John says,” Helen told me, never one to hold back “A grown man needs to work and support himself.”

I smiled and gave Helen a big hug as she giggled.

I looked on as Helen added mayonnaise to the fruit cocktail and began to mix.  She also started to cut up some bananas to add to the fruit salad.

“Tell me about your new job,” Helen said as she walked over to the stove to turn the frying steak.

“I work in electronics and love playing with all the gadgets we sell,” I replied. “It can be pretty slow customer-wise at night, though.”

Just then, Helen’s cellphone rang. It was her son who is a truck driver and on the road most of the time. I took this as my cue to leave with mom telling me she would bring me my plate later in the afternoon.  It was just one of those lazy and normal afternoons in the late summer of the South.  I enjoy these kinds of moments so much.

George is Home…

Mrs. Florene called me a moment ago.  They went and picked George up at the county jail. He is already complaining about how uncomfortable his monitoring device is she said.

“He’s lost a lot of weight,” Mrs. Florene told me. “He looks so skinny!”

“Put him on the phone,” I told her.

“What’s up you crazy motherfucker!!!!” George exclaimed laughing.

I could hear Mrs.Florene telling him not to talk like that in her house. It seems like he never left. I laughed.

“How does it feel to be a free man?” I asked him.

“I don’t know what to do with myself,” George told me. “I feel like a caged animal whose door just got opened and he is afraid to go out!”

“Take a long walk, smoke a bazillion cigars, and enjoy the fresh air!” I exclaimed.

“When are we getting together?” George asked.

“I will be over tonight before work,” I told him. “Be forewarned as I am going to give you a big bear hug!”

George laughed nervously.

“You haven’t turned gay on me, have you?”

“Only for you, you sexy thang!” I replied.

We got off the phone.  I still can’t believe he is home.  He sounded so good, as if he never left. We’ve all been waiting for this moment for a very long time. I thought September 9th would never get here.  Well, mom should be by soon with Helen’s Friday meal and my diet Sprite. I am going to eat and take a quick nap before going over to see George.

Free at last! Free at Last!

Well, I got a call late last night before work. I was fixing my lunch and had just finished ironing my khaki pants.  It was Mrs. Florene.  They had just arrived home from Atmore.  It was a long day she said fraught with worry and anticipation – a nerve wracking process that I was somewhat relieved that I didn’t have to experience.  It was the first time she had seen George in months.

“So, what’s the news?” I asked excitedly and with great trepidation.  I had been waiting all day.  I had trouble sleeping for worrying myself.  I am just exhausted tonight at work.

“George got parole!” Mrs. Florene exclaimed, almost starting to cry.

According to Mrs. Florene, George is to be transported to a county jail today to be fitted with an ankle alcohol monitoring device which he will have to wear for six months and to be set up with his parole officer, and then he will be set free on his own recognizance.  Monte and Mrs. Florene are going to drive to Lafayette to pick him up late this afternoon.

I know George, and the first thing he will want is a Swisher’s Sweet cigar.  He will also want his favorite meal cooked by his mother.  I can’t imagine being locked up so long and the elation he must feel at getting out.  It is going to be a long day today until they set him free. 

George is going to be thrown into the fray upon arriving home.  He starts work bright and early Monday morning.  I talked to my old supervisor last night on the phone before I left for work to give her the good news.  She needs him now and needs him badly – the part-time guy almost ready to quit who is working my old job.  I hope George doesn’t let me down.  I really went out on a limb with getting him my old position.

I can’t express the joy I am feeling right now in words on this blog.  We all here in the Valley have been waiting a long time for this moment.  It will be the first time I have seen George in going on a year it seems.  I am going to give him a big hug much to his chagrin and bring him a pack of his most favorite expensive cigars!

Busy Night at Work…

I clocked in at 10:50pm and immediately put on my smock.  It had been a busy day in electronics and all the shelves and displays were a mess much to my dismay.  I started to get to work getting everything neat and organized again.  I’ve also had a lot of stocking to do tonight and just have caught up. 

Jim stopped by as usual foregoing the registers upfront for my quiet little corner of Walmart.  He always buys the same deli sandwich and an orange juice. We got in a heated discussion over the burning of the Qur'an.  He felt it was in that crazy preacher’s first amendment rights to burn the holy text of Muslims.  I thought it was religious bigotry and the same small minded idiocy that blacks faced during the civil rights movement in the sixties. We just chose to disagree and I thought a black man would have a more open mind about such matters after the opposition blacks faced with integration in the South. I was surprised when Jim said Islam was a religion of violence.  I guess he has never read the Old Testament.

After about three, I could rest and relax some at work – my time to goof off.  The New Zealanders were busy on twitter posting lots of vapid stuff which Twitter is renowned for.  I also spent some time playing some Wii games at our Wii display.  I own a Wii, but would never pay $50 dollars for a game for which I maybe will only play a few times at most.  I am just not interested in video games these days to the point I would buy them.  I am mainly intrigued with the popular culture and fervor which surround these games lately – a multi-billion dollar industry.  We sell a lot of games and game systems at work – people, often adults, spending hundreds of dollars at a time on this stuff.

Well, it is after 5am and the early morning grocery crowd is already arriving.  I can hear the beep of the point of sales up front as items are being rung up.  Soon, a few will meander into my department and I will have to put on my working persona and greet the customers.  “How can I help you this morning?” I will say with my most earnest smile.        

You Get What You Pay For…

I have a lot of misgivings about selling the eMachines computers at work.  And they are popular.  People think, “Hey! A $500 dollar computer! I am getting a bargain!”  You get what you pay for – a neutered machine that is only good for basically browsing the web.  I sold one tonight to a lady whose laptop had gone kaput.

“What kind of things do you do with your computer?” I asked her.

“Online banking, email, and FaceBook,” she told me.

I guess an eMachines computer will work for her, but I strongly suggest you spend the money and buy a much nicer computer from Dell or Gateway.

Tonight was a busier night with the video game cabinet keeping me busy.  We keep all our Wii, PS3 and XBox games locked behind a glass partition.  I have a key and have to go open it every time someone wants a game. One young man couldn’t decide if he wanted to spend the ridiculous price of $50 dollars on Call of Duty 4 or Bad Company 2.  He finally made his choice after thirty minutes of waffling and I rang him up.  My patience was growing thin.

Jim showed up as usual during his lunch break at 3am.  Thankfully, we didn’t talk about politics tonight.  He was complaining about his job and all the bending and lifting he has to do.  He said his back was killing him.  I looked on as he ate his sandwich from the deli and it looked delicious.  Moments after he left me, I headed back to the deli to grab one as well. I got a turkey and Swiss on a hoagie roll with tomatoes, onion and lettuce.  A little spicy mustard and some mayonnaise and the sandwich was delightful. The snack was complete with a bag of harvest cheddar Sun Chips and a Coke Zero.  

Parole Hearing at 1pm…

It’s 5am.  Mrs. Florene, Monte and crew should already be up to head to Atmore at 6am.  They are stopping in Montgomery to eat breakfast at the Cracker Barrel Mrs. Florene told me last night.  It is about a five hour drive to Atmore.  I told Mrs. Florene to eat lunch at the Creek Indian restaurant at the Holiday Inn in town.  It would be an eye opening experience.  I often ate there when I was working at the University.  We had a pine seedling nursery just miles down from the prison where George is incarcerated.  

Will George get parole?  All the pieces of the puzzle are in place.  He has a stable living environment set up with his mother.  I have him a job lined up.  Mrs. Florene will be driving him to work every morning.  He has been a model prisoner with no marks or write-ups on his record.  Only time will tell, and I will be anxiously awaiting that phone call from Monte late this afternoon.

Mom and Stacey’s Diets Aren’t Going So Well…

Mom pulled up in front of my house yesterday evening and honked her horn as she normally does. I walked out to see what she needed.

“I got you a fried shrimp plate from Merl’s Diner,” she said. “I thought it would be a nice treat.”

Mom had also gotten her a fried shrimp plate and a salad, and said she was going home to eat it right then. 

“I’m never going to lose weight,” she said begrudgingly as she rolled up her window and drove off.

I put the plate in my fridge to eat after work as breakfast. 

I cooked supper last night.  We finally had mom’s mushroom chicken which is extremely rich and fattening.  The recipe calls for lots of sour cream and real butter.  Stacey went back for thirds and I didn’t say anything.  She was just hungry and the food was good. Before the meal, Stacey watched as I made homemade biscuits. I’ve gotten it down to a fine art and can have the biscuits in the oven in a matter of minutes.  Last night, I tried butter flavored Crisco as the shortening instead of regular and it was quite good.  I will use it from now on. 

“What is the difference between Bavarian style buttermilk and regular?” Stacey asked as I poured a cup of the buttermilk to be mixed in with the flour and shortening.

“It is just richer and creamier,” I replied. “Mrs. Florene taught me that trick. It makes for decadent biscuits.”

Stacey agreed that my biscuits rivaled her grandmother’s in taste.  I am very happy that Stacey is a Southern girl at heart and loves Southern cookin’.

That Shifty Guy in Aisle Three…

I learned long ago working in convenience stores and in a retail pet store that if a customer is spending a lot of time watching the clerk, then he or she is most likely up to something no good.  A man was in my department early this morning and every time I looked up from my laptop he was watching me to see if I was watching him.  Fortunately, almost all items in the electronics department have RFID (radio frequency identification devices) chips in them.  Anything he would steal would set off the alarms at the front doors as he walked out.  This didn’t stop him from eyeing me closely, though.

“Do you need any help?” I finally asked him.

“Oh, I am  just browsing,” he told me looking passingly at all the cellphones we had on display.

I finally ignored him and would just let him do his worst – expecting the loud glaring noise of the alarms going off as he left which never happened.  I guess he got cold feet.  

Jim showed up again around 3am to purchase his deli sandwich and orange juice.  We talked a lot about reforming Social Security.  He said his worst fears were that a Republican administration would get in the next election cycle and privatize it.  I echoed his fears.  I assuaged his worries some telling him Social Security was solvent into the 2030’s.  We still have lots of time for reform.

It was another very slow night, but I didn’t mind.  I didn’t sleep very well yesterday and was groggy all night – drinking lots of diet sodas to stay awake. I spent much of my time this early morning learning all the myriad of cellphone service plans we have to offer – my weakest link to my job in electronics.

Mexican Tuesday’s…

Mom stopped by last night with two big containers of chicken fajitas, chips and salsa and two of the largest cups of sweet tea you have ever seen.  The hot and fresh fajitas smelled so good that I left the mushroom and chicken in the fridge choosing to save it for tonight.  Stacey and I ate our meals and soon curled up in the bed to “talk”.  It was a one sided conversation as just lay on the bed and listened to all of Stacey’s worries and fears – mainly about her children.  She doesn’t get to see them as often as she would like with her mom living near Atlanta.  She has to work all the time and it is hard to schedule visits. 

“I’ve been thinking of getting a vasectomy,” I told Stacy at one point getting in my two cents.  “I’ve been musing over this idea for many weeks now.  I don’t think I ever want children of my own.”

Stacey grew alarmed saying that if we were to get married then she would like to have a child by me.  She pleaded with me not to do anything rash that I would regret later.  We will just have to see how I feel about it in a few more months. 

Tomorrow is the Big Day…

“Monte is driving us down in my sister’s van Thursday,” Mrs. Florene told me on the phone last night. “I am so excited I am about beside myself.  I have just been so stir-crazy for many months without George home. I spent some time cleaning his room and washing his sheets today in preparation.  I also got his Internet service hooked back up.”

“Tell Monte the prison is easy to find,” I told Mrs. Florene. “Just take a right at the Atmore exit and the prison will be on the left a few miles down the road.”

“Do you think he will get parole?” Mrs. Florene asked me, wanting words of encouragement.

“Yeah,” I said. “I think he will.  I have the highest hopes that we will have him home this weekend.”

George’s letters from jail lately have been so optimistic.  He says he paces his jail cell passing his days in excitement and nervousness – loving the intermissions for meal call.  He wrote me yesterday saying that one of his biggest joys this past few months was getting my often daily blog posts I have been mailing him.  That made me feel so good. 

A Piece of the Puzzle Falls Into Place…

“I called your best friend’s old supervisor at the distribution center in La Grange,” my former supervisor told me this morning as I was getting off. “He said he was one of his best workers until one night he just didn’t show up. He had never missed a night before.”

“That’s when he got his DUI,” I replied. “He worked for almost two years without any lapses.”

“I am going to go out on a limb hiring a convicted felon, but his old supervisor and you have swayed me,” my previous supervisor told me. “When do you think he will be able to start work?”

“I am hoping next Monday if he gets parole,” I replied now grinning vigorously so excited.

“You better not let me down,” she said giving me a big hug. “I don’t want another disaster like I often have trying to fill this job.  I have the part-time guy working your old position and he is not happy about the hours at all, threatening to quit.”

I immediately drove home and called Mrs. Florene.  I was bursting at the seams to tell her of the good news.

“George has a job!” I told her excitedly.  “He will be working my old position from 5am to 1pm.  Do you think you can drive him to work?”

“Oh, sweetheart!” Mrs. Florene exclaimed. “That is wonderful news.  I sure will give it my best try.  I don’t like driving in the dark, but I can do it if I have to.”

I long ago realized it was going to take a very concerted and family effort to get George back on his feet.  He is going to need all the support we can give him.  Now, we just have to wait until Thursday to find out the final results.  I will be anxiously waiting all day for that call from Monte telling me if George got parole or not.