Its been a quiet 10 days. I've had the house to myself - both roomies are away - far away - one in Sask and the other in Ethiopia. One cozy in her childhood home with her parents one last time before she moves to Uganda for a year, the other in grave danger on a mission trip with promises of bloodshed and bombs. She is sending updates every chance she gets and each one is scarier than the last. She fell asleep the other night to gunshots and Orthodox chanting. There are piles of rocks ready for them when they enter the stadium tonight (in two hours) to preach the gospel. She said before she left that this isn't her thing (preaching) but she wanted to go meet her sponsered child as well as visit the country and do a missions trip. One of the statements she made before she left was "this is so far outside my comfort zone, its going to really stretch my faith." If she only had a fraction of an idea of what was going to happen .... I was terrified as I read her first text message and I think thats why I've been so jittery and anxious this week. But I have to have faith that she is going to be okay. We've become very close and I consider her to be a very special friend, as I have so much respect for who she is as a person and what she does in life (she is a director at an organization called Youth for Christ and she runs a mobile drop in center for streetkids) and who she is a roommate, a confidant, and fellow 34 year old single girl. (shes getting married in April). Part of me diligently prays for her safety, and the other part is ostrich - HEAD IN SAND. I go to the same church as her some Sundays (its bree's church too) and we're going tomorrow so it'll be interesting to see what they are saying about it. Whew. Its exhausting even writing it down. She IS coming home on Tuesday. IS. And I will never take her presence for granted again.
On a lighter note:
I went for some skin treatment today seeing my face is like a 14 year old and getting worse everyday. So I got whats called Microdermabrasion. It took 30 minutes and its a suction action which raises the skin and the tip is encrusted with diamonds.
So basically .... today I had diamonds dragged across my face .... not a bad Saturday.
But she told me that my skin was good and soft and clean with good pores and that ... get this.... "yes, these are productive"- talking my acne. Oh well, at least something I do is productive !! So she figures it has to do with emotions and stress. Remember when my boss back in July wasn't going to pay me ? Well, thats when the acne started, then I started my new job and it was stressful and I wasn't sleeping very well, eating very well, getting stressed out about the lack of gym in my life etc. But I can't figure out why its not settling down now .... She also mentioned the change in climate. I've come from a place that is very moist and good for ones skin to this dry/cold/prairie-ish (i guess) air.
I finally got my Alberta license, health card and phone number changed over. I feel official. And covered (by insurance).
Then I was a WalMart in Marlborough tonight (busiest one in Canada). On the phone with one of the Branch Managers trying to figure out schedules as I'm looking at belts which I forgot to buy earlier today. This kid, likely 16, was standing near me and as I was finishing up the conversation, he was standing right beside me holding a belt, staring at me. It's been a reallllllllllly long and stressful week and I kinda didn't have time/want to deal with some creepy Walmart kid. So I just looked at him and smiled and he wasn't moving and was literally in my way, so I was just about to say excuse me and he said "you speak nice". Meanwhile my thoughts went immediately to the word that slipped out during that conversation. And I said (partly in confession) 'Thank you, but I just said a bad word". Long story short, he hadn't heard me, and picked out a belt for me after introducing himself as Peter and asking me if I was born here. To which he replied "Well, welcome to Calgary" when I told him no. I told him he did a really good job in picking out a belt and thanked him and literally bolted. I kind of didn't know what to do with that kind of interaction - but wasn't shocked seeing where I was.
Never again, Marlborough WalMart, never again. You are creepy and dirty and busy and repeat.
One more than I have to go. I get calls all the time from one particular manager who runs our busiest location asking me what to do because so-and-so didn't show up for their shift. I go through the usual, "how late are they, who else can cover, have you called them, texted them?" This particular situation was out of the ordinary as this guy is young, a good worker and has worked with Rogers before and knows his stuff. So this kid calls me yesterday at 6pm to tell me why he didn't show up for his noon shift the day before. He starts off with "Leanne, I didn't have my phone all day, I have a really valid reason for not showing up yesterday".
He sounded so distraught and he has no family around here, so I softened and asked if he was okay.
He said he was and "I'll tell you sometime". I was okay with that, I was in another meeting anyway. Then he blurts out "Well, I'll just tell you - I was in jail". The bottom line is this:
He gets pulled over for a DUI Thurs pm - the cops were letting him go, called a cab for him (i will divert for a second here : (sorry Kenny, bear with me) The Calgary City Police will pull someone over for going 60 in a 50 zone, threaten to tow, and ticket them $113 - thats stupid enought, but to let a drunk driver off the hook is a dirtbag move - I guess they don't make money of scum of the earth ..... SO ANYWAY, this kid is drunk, which we all know inhibits our sensibilities, and he hears them making racist jokes about Natives - and starts giving them gears for being racist. Stooooooopid boy. They come after him, in his face, saying stuff like "oh, we have a native lover here" and the cop was totally in his face and he made a move like he was going to head butt the cop and they attacked him - he is soooooo bruised up its crazy. and in the scuffle, he spit on the cop. Yeah..... spit on a cop. So they dragged him off to jail for assaulting a police officer. He used his one phone call to call him mom..... that poor mother. (so, he has to go to court and will end up in jail - NOT FOR DRUNK DRIVING but for assault. I hate Calgary police. They suck)
Anyway, I'm going to stop talking - but thats been my week. Stressy and weird and worried.
Its 10:09 Saturday night and I have lots of stuff to do before I hit the sack, and hit the ground for another non stop day of church, church (mine - I didn't go tonight, then Bree's) then the gym, then the Seed.
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