Good, Bad, Ugly Yet Mildly Amusing

Where did I leave off .... ? My days run into each other so much that I almost have to do this everyday.

Apparently, last week was uneventful as I don't remember anything about it. Mainly the same stuff that happens most days. I had a trainer at my smelly-can't-get-out-of-the-contract-so-I'm-stuck gym put me on a program and he's kicking my butt! Like, can only go every three days kind of kicking my butt.

I think the excitment may have started on Friday night. Yes. Thats where it started.

I'm not sure all I can tell you other than it started out with dinner at The Vin Room with Julie .... Yes. Thats all I can tell you. Oh and I ran into church friends later. I met someone I'd heard about in great detail since May, it was so cool to finally put a face to a name. He'd heard about me as well, in fact, they'd JUST been talking about me and I materialized. He looked like'd seen a ghost when, after initial greetings to the ones I already know, I turned to him and said "Are you Matt Starchuk"? We were pretty excited to meet each other. He was really good friends with the main group of people I hang out with, but, long story, he doesn't really hang out a whole lot with them anymore.

AND I met someone from Halifax who knows the Hunters very well. Strange, fun, weird night. Its just odd to be in a club in this city, and see people you know. Familiar faces here are very rare, which makes your day-to-day interactions with, let's say, the Starbucks girl, that much more special (?) thats not the word I am looking for, but its a lot different than Halifax where all you see are people you know.

Saturday was quiet, one of Maria's friends from Edmonton was here and we discovered, through a very random topic, that we were both brought up in the Gospel Hall. She is related to the Hoys and the Copps (in Van). She's hilarious and we had some pretty interesting conversation, as we are both on the same page on alot of issues and have both transitioned to where we are in quite the same way. She has purple hair sometimes, she's got lots of tattoos, says it like it is, and has a huge heart. It was so nice to meet her.

Saturday night played out the same as it always does, other than there was a going away party at my house for Karen, who leaves on Saturday to move to Uganda for a year. (my guess is that she's going to get married there and stay) I met a really neat girl that was here; its cool to meet young, (well, my own age) hip, well adjusted women with the same interests, same marital standing .

Sunday - the same. But not really. I went to a church at SAIT University with Karen and the pastor asked the "Kids Corner" participants a question that has a very dirty connotation and, obviously, noone else around me caught on (that I know of) but I was busting up inside like a 10 year old who hears the word "boob". It was hard to maintain my composure to be very honest and was pretty glad that a certain handful, who will remain unnamed, wasn't there. We'd have to leave. I told Maria this morning and we both agreed that it was beneficial to both that she wasn't there with me.

Oh Deaaaaar. Sunday night happened. So I missed my Mustard Seed shift, and truly miss it, I did. There was a work function with the 'big wigs' from Corporate at a restaurant near the office to kick of the 4th Quarter. There were prizes and draws and Visa cards and free drinks. We each were given two drink tickets and I was given more to hand out to 'deserving' people. I forfeited mine for both personal and professional reasons and when I drove away at 9:15 to "why are you leaving so early, where are you going, come on! just have shots with us", I was quite content to be on my way home and not just starting my night - because listen to this:

Monday am, I'm training the new TM, who is driving me kind of crazy with his knowledge base and eagerness to unload every fact he's ever learned in his whole life on me in one trip to Banff ... ANYWAY ..... I guess I am used to doing this by myself for so long that when someone tells me how to do my job or where to park in the parking lot I park in twice a week, it makes me want to drop kick him) So we're sitting at my desk as I'm training him and I get a phone call from one of the staff from Banff. Heres how it goes: (are you ready?)

Banff: Hey Leanne, did you get my email?
Me: No, what's up?
B: Ummmmm .... well, I have a problem that I need an answer to by the end of this phone call. (they must be used to me saying "I'll get right back to you on that one") We lost (let's just call him .... )Jack last night. He took off on us and we couldn't find him so at 5 (am) we just got a cab back here. He's on the other line, he just called from a payphone at Chinook Center. He has 40 cents on him, so he can't get a bus back.
Me: Silence ....... seriously?
B: Yeah. Sorry. What should we do?
Me: Isn't the guy like ..... 27 years old??
B: Yeah
Me: Thats retarded. Well, I guess I have to go get him don't I? Tell him to be in the movie theatre entrance in 45 minutes.
B: Sorry Leanne, Thanks.
Me: No Problem

So I park in the firelane, leave my new coworker in the truck, walk in to find Jack looking like a street kid snuggling on the bench with an equally dirty girl. Thats when I lost all patience and empathy and said "Let's go Jack, who's your friend?" (He didn't know her name) But he asks her "which way are you going?", indicating that we would take her there..... I promptly stopped him with a "I'm not taking your friend home, let's go". So they say their goodbyes and he gets in the truck with toque pulled too far over his head, without a coat which became cab fare earlier in the day. After the obligatory "JAAAAAAACK YOU STINK!, you're going to make me smell like booze", we were on our way to the Greyhound station to get this punk home. Now, I get that you can drink too much and make silly mistakes and end up in a mall FAR from downtown with no coat, no money or no dignity (or can you) but his attitude was almost like I owed it to him to pick him up. He was so blase about it, that it prompted a 'you gotta listen to me because you're stuck in a truck for the next half hour with me and I'm literally your ticket home' talk. But I took him to the ticket counter, visa in hand, $26 later, took him to the cafe and got him a hearty lunch and went on my way. It actually made me really, really sad. It was pretty funny though, I was extra dressed up because I had a breakfast meeting with said 'big wigs' and actually looked a little glam, (which isn't usually the case) and here I am walking through the disgusting bus station, weaving through lineups crossing of gorgeous early twenties eating McDonalds in their way-too-short-for-November skirts and must have Uggs to the very typical consumers you'd expect using this mode of transportation. And I'm with this little waif who looked like he'd slept in a ditch. (which he very well may have). I felt like I was on an episode of Intervention, you know, when the big sister with the real job swoops in, must to the chagrin of the other family member who've fully given up on him, bails out the black sheep sibling.

The end of the story is: I did my store visit on Tuesday and the poor guy, he was so ashamed and kept apologizing and if I asked him to do something, he'd say "Yes, of course. I owe you my life". He's quite a nice kid and I'm just sad that thats his life, so I quickly told him to stop, that he was forgiven and not to worry about it. (I think the 30 minute lecture I gave him the day before was quite enough ... ) And he paid me back in full.

Thats been the week/end so far. And tomorrow's Thursday, which means the weekend is almost here, which means Brit's bday bash, which means ... I have no idea. But I'll be sure give details, more than necessary, right here !

Peace Yo'

I gotta go and help Maria decorate for Christmas .... YAAY!!!

LeeLee