Not Good News

 

This Morning is my Doc Appt. to get the Ear looked at, it's a relatively long drive coz my Doc wasn't at the nearby Office for the earlier Appt. they could get me.  It's near some good Shopping tho'.  And a very big Indoor Mall to walk around for exercise in Climate Controlled Space, so while I'm way over there I'll putz around having some Me Time after the Appt..  I'm Working Tonight too, this time they gave me a whole Day's Lead time and not Five Minutes, so I agreed to cover for yet another Friday Night Person whose not showing up.  *LOL and Le Sigh tho'*  They are chronically having No Shows now, but, I don't wanna commit to a permanent shift to replace anybody permanently.  Being On Call suits me better.

Then I can accept or decline any Shifts that come up to Cover for a No Show or someone on Vacation or a Medical Leave of Absence only.  Without having any commitments clogging up my Schedule and Life.  It got to be too much having to always show up on a specific Day of the Week becoz I found myself having to Call In sometimes due to Obligations I had with Family or my own Health.  Once you're allegedly Retired the last thing you wanna do is go back to Work even Part Time.  Especially since you don't get Paid there, just Comped Space Rent at a ridiculously exploited Hourly amount way below Minimum Wage, not worth it, akin to bein an Unpaid Volunteer really.  Some folks Work Shifts, Sell their Merch, and still end up Owing the Mall Rent.  That's a double whammy.

Anyway, don't know who bailed on their Shift this Friday Night, or if it will be busy or slow?  The regular Shift Vendors working it are a mixed bag of good Workers and Problematic ones who do what they know they're not supposed to do.  And my tolerance level for Problematic folk is practically non-existent now, I ain't gonna Lie, I have pretty much a zero tolerance policy in place for anyone who becomes Problematic in my Presence.  *Winks*  In my Personal Life, anyone even smelling like they bring that kind of baggage into my Orbit, are instantly ejected out of my Life.  Be Well and Be Gone!!!  Don't go away Mad, just go away.  *LOL*  Life is too short and already too complicated to tolerate folks who are Toxic in any way.

In fact, one of the Vendors who can be Problematic, at one time was a closer Friend, but the level of baggage increased to where it became an Issue with me.  So, the best possible solution for ME was to not be as close anymore so that it wouldn't cause a Situation, coz one would have been coming.  *Winks*  She's a Dear Soul with some Bad Habits and she's too Old now to expect to change them, she's quite a bit Older than me and set in her ways.  Older folk, we can be stubbornly set in our ways, I am too, and at some point you just aren't gonna have much of a metamorphosis.   I accepted that with this Friend and just don't hang out like we used to, it works now when we are briefly together at Work only.  But, I wouldn't wanna Work a permanent Shift with her again, let us just say.

It's not that she lacks a Work Ethic, she's a retired Professional and skilled beyond what she's now doing.  It's just that she gets so distracted in her Old Age and fixated on her own stuff that she shouldn't be doing on the Clock.  And worse, can become confrontational with other Vendors becoz she breaks Rules herself, but is like the Rules Police for other Workers.  *Eye Roll & Shakes Head*  I think she just likes to imagine she's still in charge of something, but, she's not, so it just aggravates everyone and she's not well liked becoz of it.  Lighten Up some and stick to your tasks on a Shift would be my best advice to her, but, she probably wouldn't take it.  When someone not in charge gets Bossy I just Ignore them completely and don't get Twisted about it like some do.  Don't let Toxic folk live Rent Free in your Head if you can help it.

Whadda they gonna do if you just ignore them, they're not in charge of anything and they have no authority, power over you or influence.  So, they're not relevant, just blow it off when they start barking orders they have no backing to enforce, or try to tell you what you're doing Wrong, while they're doing shit Wrong constantly, it's Simple.  Some of the other Co-Workers will come to me when someone like that is annoying them, mostly to Vent.  I just tell them what works for me in that Situation, to avoid Drama and Headaches with anyone or escalate a Situation needlessly.  But, I also always say to do whatever they feel is Right for them.  Do whatever you feel is Right.  I do.  Always works for me anyway.  *Winks*  Management there is mostly impotent and scared of confrontations or addressing Issues, so going to them is a waste of time and energy and everyone knows it.

I have been able to get Management to intercede if a Problem Person becomes too big a Problem by merely saying Calmly, either YOU handle it, or I will and then you'll have a "Situation".  Otherwise, do NOT put me on a Shift with that Individual, EVER, I don't wanna Work with them, Period, unless they're Handled.   A few have been Handled, let us just say, and they are no longer a Problem for ME anyway.  In fact, they wanna make Nice and I'm Okay with that, I can be Professional enuf to make Nice with you so long as you are no longer a Pain in my Ass anymore or get confrontational and out of Line with me.  Coz I WILL Handle you myself, no qualms about it, and you'll know you've been Handled.  *Winks*  I can be very Nice to you if you Respect me too, then I'll show you due Respect as well.  I make a Good Friend and a Formidable Foe.  Choose whichever Status you wanna have with me.

LATER:  My Doc was really glad I got in to see her so soon, it doesn't look good, so it was Bad News.  When she Photographed the part of the Ear I can't see, it looks way worse than what I could see.  She's immediately referring me to a Specialist to do a Biopsy, they should be contacting me in less than a Week.  You never see that part of the back of your own Ear or examine it no matter what kind of Tantric Yoga Pose you twist yourself into in a Mirror and Hand Mirror.  So, until it got to the Top of my Ear I didn't realize it was even a problem.  She said the Top of the Head and Ears are the worst places to get Serious Sun Damage and especially in Arizona.  I've lived here now over 50 Years, so I suspected it might be Bad, I had a Gut Feeling it was not Good.  She said it is likely to require either Surgery or Treatments.  Either/Or will require Down Time for me and she knows my Situation at Home.

I told The Man and the Adult Kids, but will not say anything to The G-Kid Force about it until we know what it all will entail and the Specialist Prognosis.  The Kiddos and The Man received the News pretty well, so did I, before I even went I told them it might be worse than better News, which is why I had a sense of Urgency about getting it seen.  The Daughter was more concerned that if I lose an Ear, how will I wear Earrings?  *LMAOROTF*   Well, the Questionable part is on my Upper Ear, not my Lobe, so... and that seemed to make her relieved.  *LOL*  On a Bright Note there was a "First Watch" Restaurant nearby and my Doc and her Male Nurse, who know me so well, laughed that I showed no Emotion about the Bad News, but got pretty excited about having Breakfast close by at "First Watch" now my Exam was a Wrap.  *LOL and Winks*  On other Good News Spin I'm almost down to 200 lbs. and should break that stubborn barrier soon, only 4 lbs. to go.

My Goal Weight is 157-160 and I feel confident I can attain that in 2026.   I took a lot more Pixs of Halloween at various Stores.  They had a "Spirit Halloween" Store nearby, surprisingly not very busy but they'd already Sold so much they had lot of empty Shelves.  They did have some items the other locations I'd visited didn't have tho'.  I didn't Buy anything there.  I found a Discount Grocery Store in Peoria on the way Home that is so Awesome now I know where to go to get deep Discounts on Grocery Overstock, better than the Dollar Stores actually.  I'd seen it for some time and always meant to stop by.  My Mom and I used to go to the Discount Grocers all the time when they had many in the Valley, then they fell out of Fashion I guess.  This is a really big one, as large as a regular Grocery Store.

They give extra Discounts if you spend over a certain amount so I got $10 off my Purchase.  The Cashier told me that Thursdays Seniors get another 10% Discount.  The prices they had on things like Coffee and Snacks was of particular interest to me so I stocked up on those.  I know from having Shopped at Discount Grocers of the Past that they get random overstock so may not have the same things Month to Month, so you get it while they have it.  They had the Capsule Coffee we use most and of famous Brands like Starbucks, Don Francisco and other expensive Gourmet Coffee Brands at about 50%-75% Off Retail.  We got Coffee and Individual Serving Sized Snacks for Days now.  *Smiles*

After getting shitty News about my Ear I did indulge in some Retail Therapy, why not?  *Winks*  "At Home" was having 25% Off all their Halloween Decor so I picked up this Skull Candelabra made out of a heavy Resin and a Cloth Skull/Halloween Gothic Themed Tablecloth called Midnight Shadows.   Yeah, that was it other than the Groceries, the other Day I'd bought a Farting Face full size Fuggler Plush and it just makes me Smile, it's so immature and childish of me, but the disgusting Fart noises it makes sound real and there I was walking around TARGET with it in my Cart making Fart Sounds and Laughing like a Lunatic about it.  Every Customer I passed probably thought it was me 'til they looked in the Cart and then Smiled that it was the Toy!  *LOL*  He looks rather like a Brown Bigfoot with Human like Teeth.

These little and large Disco Ball Ghosts were Cute.  They were rolling out Christmas now so that was the overall Vibe and will be now in all the Stores.  The Halloween Merch is dwindling fast, some Stores pretty much Sold Out long before Halloween was even close.  So, to get any marked down was an unexpected Bonus and to find any left that I really wanted and liked at a Discount Price.   So few folks were out Shopping so most of the Stores were pretty empty of Customers, as has been the case and why Sales are Soft everywhere.  Just about every Store, no matter how Big, felt like you had the place all to yourself and Employees had little to do except stand around bored.   

At the Restaurant, it was busy and the Waitresses, all Young Women mostly, were telling of going to College to earn a Degree in Hopes to find more sustainable Employment.  But I know a lot of very Skilled people with loads of Experience and more Degrees than a Thermometer, who are out of Work... tho' I'd never mention that to them and dash their Hopes and Dreams, spoil their Enthusiasm.  I just Hope it works out for them?   But I do think a lot of Higher Learning Facilities now doesn't really Care if their Graduates can find Employment or not, they got their Tuition out of them and that's the primary focus, on making Money off the Students and their Families.  Most go so deeply in Debt to obtain their Degrees that they'll have crippling Student Loan Debt and if they can't find Work in what they went to College or University for, they're no better off than if they never went.   Mebbe worse off actually.

LATER:   The Young Prince made it to Phoenix, thru Denver, which seemed Odd instead of going straight from New Mexico to Phoenix?  Anyway, his Dad got him from the Airport but he was not staying at his Dad's House.  He was hanging out Downtown at some Clubs, it's a Friday Night and he knows the Phoenix Club Scene well.  He said he'd let us know when and where to pick him up from Downtown after I got off Work.  My Shift was busy and the Co-Workers weren't the best since one showed up for her Shift 45 Minutes late due to Car Troubles and then seemed distracted and tired all Night.  Another one kept disappearing and not answering Locked Case Calls until they went to Last Call, sometimes not even then.  The 3rd one not being much better, on her Phone most of the Night.  *Le Sigh*

 

Anyway, this meant I was helping most of the Customers who needed to get into Cases and not be able to do very many Floor Assists.  It was busy, and people were Buying, my Sales aren't good tho', about as abysmal as last Pay Period started.  Turns out last Pay Period I did Owe, they'd told me over the Phone that I didn't, but those Kids can't read a Spread Sheet to save their lives, so I just Squared Up with what was owed while I was there Tonight.  There has been scant few times I've ever not made Money and instead Owed the Mall.  I didn't have any Comped Space Rent for that Pay Period coz I'd turned down the Shifts offered coz of The Man's Surgery and Recovery.   Rent is high so you really do have to make Good Sales to make a Profit.  You pay a Commission and Fees for anyone not paying Cash... nobody hardly uses Cash anymore either.  It's why so many Small Businesses now charge a Fee for using a Debit or Credit Card. 

Our Mall doesn't Charge the Customer the Fee, they Charge the Vendor the Fee instead.  Anyway, que sera sera, whaddya gonna do, the Economy is in the shitter.  All the Young Paid Staff were talking about this Regime and how fucked up it all is, clearly anyone under 30 is showing more common sense than a lot of their Elders.  A lot of them have Friends in the Military who are worried they'll be activated to the Streets of American Cities and our Military aren't Trained for Crowd Control or for being deployed against Fellow Americans.   They are Trained not only to Fight, but to Neutralize Enemies, that's all.  Sending them to the Streets of America and Armed is gonna give our Military a Bad Look and the Public won't Trust or Respect them anymore.  It will put our Soldiers in a very precarious position that will be worse than it was during Vietnam... in an unpopular War abroad where they Paid the Price for the Public's resentment about what they were sent to do then.

In fact, for many of us Older folk the Protests now are reminding us of the Protests of the 1960's during the Civil Rights Movement and War Demonstrations, where Demonstrators were often savagely Brutalized then too.   Sad to see a repeat performance of our Government being violent against Citizens just Protesting for Human Rights again!!!  But, now here we are... Deja Vu.     At Work I picked up another Creepy Doll, but this one was made by a different Vendor and she gave me a very deep Discount on Buying it, which I appreciated.  She Named it "Amber Alert".  *LOL*  That's her pictured Below:

The Night went by fast since it was so busy, but I was annoyed that all Three of the Co-Workers were Slackers Tonight.  I was filling in for Yolanda, who actually is the only Friday Night Regular who Works really hard, so it's rare for her to call in and ask for a fill-in, which is Why I did it, I like Yolanda and when she's on Shift don't mind working with her coz she's providing good Customer Service and with a great Attitude.  I just felt like Tonight none of the Trio of Regulars wanted to even be there and it showed.  Each is a nice enough Woman on a Social level, but working with them isn't enjoyable so I'd prefer not to fill-in for Friday Night No-Shows due to that.   I don't want to have to do more Work becoz someone else isn't whose getting Comped Space Rent for doing hardly anything or not providing Customers with adequate Service.  Customers were having to wait too long for a Case to be Opened.

Luckily none of the Customers got irritated at having to wait and were pleasant, but sometimes if they've been ignored like that and see Staff not Assisting, some get upset and impatient about it, and rightly so.  I don't wanna be put in a position to have to apologize for anyone else I'm Working with not being up to the Job.  I do always Thank someone for Waiting if I know that Case went to Last Call.  Often I haven't been able to get it coz I'm already assisting someone at another Case or on the Sales Floor.  Or am nowhere near the Case, our Mall is 55,000 sf and often a Co-Worker will be close, since some just hang out at the Locked Cases and never Work the Sales Floor doing Floor Assists, they stand around Socializing or on their Phones if no Locked Case Calls go out.  

They were not doing Go-Backs either 'til I began doing it, so the Go-Back Cart had piled way up.  Everyone is supposed to work on putting Merch back from there when they can fit it in between assisting Customers.  And, nothing from a Locked Case is supposed to even be put on the Go-Back Cart coz then it's not Secured and Locked Case Items are Paying for that Added Security Feature of being Locked Up.  Yet, there were numerous Locked Case Items on that Go-Back Cart too, which should never happen... and, often does coz the Paid Staff don't pay attention to the Rules most of the time either and get Careless or Lazy.  If an Item is from a Locked Case they are supposed to give it directly to a Key Dealer to put back in the Case so that Eyes are on that item all the time providing an added level of Security for whatever it is.

I am just glad I'm not working a permanent Shift anymore coz I just don't wanna Deal with the level of Not Caring that so many Workers, both Paid and Vendors being just Comped Rent, seem to now have.  Nobody seems to Care and to me, if you don't Care about whatever you're doing, you probably shouldn't be doing it.  Most especially if you're getting Paid or Compensated in some way for your Time.  Even when I was an Unpaid Volunteer doing Ministry Work I Care about what we were doing.   It's problematic when most of the Workforce really doesn't give a shit about whatever they're doing or doesn't really wanna be there and projects that attitude.

 

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Hanging in there in the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian