And The Winner Is...

First off...I want to apologize to anyone who happened to visit the blog say...oh, after 2:00 yesterday afternoon. You see, sometimes when I'm at work, I will take a break and write while an idea is fresh in my head and incorporate it into a blog post...usually, I choose a later date to publish the entire thing, and I accidentally hit the wrong one, so imagine my surprise when I went home to check my comments and there was not only an unfinished post, but and untitled one...but there were 2 comments on it, which is actually more than I've gotten in the past few days, which is leaving me to wonder if I'm trying too hard?

LeSigh.

Anywho...last night at the Airstream, I helped Rich choose a winner for the Prescott faction of Scott Kelby's World Wide Photo Walk 2008.

How fun was it to help Rich choose a winner for the World Wide Photo Walk in our area? I mean, yes it took me out of the running to receive a prize (thank goodness because I think we've gone over what I thought of my photos from the day) it was also a really agonizing choice. We had a lot of talented photographers in our group for sure! I sat next to Rich while we both wrote notes and then narrowed down, and then rounded up, made phone calls for extra help and tried to figure out exactly how we were going to choose the winning photo. I would no more than say, "OK...I am taking this choice out of the mix!" And breathe a sigh of relief, and watch as that breath turned into a, "...or not." and then I would throw my arm over my eyes in a dramatic sort of way...reminding me of that one Muppet on Sesame Street that used to try to play the piano and inevitably throw his entire Muppet being on the piano in frustration. That was me...only more gentle because the Airstream's dinette table isn't that sturdy and I don't want to ruin the only computer table Rich happens to have. It was a close close competition people...each person that submitted from our group had at least one outstanding photo...

I'm glad it's all over though because on Sunday Rich made me a Moderator for our Flickr group...so, along with Tom, we were able to approve photos when Rich wasn't sitting on top of his computer (people tend to feel uneasy when their photos don't show up immediately...which means Rich gets a lot of emails...totally understandable.) So, that means I was sitting on top of my computer instead, neurotically checking Flickr for updates every 5 minutes or so for the last 3 days. Which wasn't necessary, but...Can I tell you how happy it made me to go check the site and then see there were pending photos that needed to be approved? It did! I would get all excited and bounce up and down and pump my fist in the air...Yay, I beat Rich and Tom to approve a photo.

The only thing that would have made it better is if Flickr had some sort of bonging noise to alert you when you need to do something for them...kind of like my email alert noise.

Yes, I am a dork...
I am also competitive and it's probably good I wasn't part of the photo competition...

Congratulations to Chad Banning and his photo Saturday Morning...it is beautiful!

In employment news this week:

I look up from the MacBook, where I've been obsessively checking Flickr (of course) at the customer who is holding a velour patchwork skirt in her hands, inside out desperately searching for something...

"You know....... ....... ...... It's actually the law that they put what fabric is made out of."

She angrily exclaims after pausing appropriately in her communication all while he stops to glare at me with a disgusted look on her face, as if I was the creator of this garment and I had a minor oversight.

"um, well...maybe someone took it out?"

I am wondering at this point if I should point out that this is a resale store, and the point of a resale store is that often the things in the store are used...

"These tags are very. hard. to remove.... ..... .....they don't just tear out you know."

I move more solidly behind my counter putting an obvious physical barrier between the two of us.

"Well, I'm sure someone could have cut it out with a pair of scissors."

This is also the very same woman I had this conversation with:

"Is anything arranged by size?"

"no"

"it's not arranged by size?"

"no. Just by category"

"So, things aren't arranged by size?"

".............?!"
(deep breath)

"You know...you should think about organizing things by size..."

"Yes, well. I've had this store for close to 14 years (yeah, I pull the established in card out) and since no one will adhere to a standard sizing chart, I already get complaints if people try things on and they don't like the way they fit (mostly because a 16w is trying to stuff her pregnant self in a size xs...and is just amazed that the garments they've chosen to try on don't fit) so, it's very very hard for me to organize things by size."

I tried not to stare at her milky white clammy skin and her ill fitting highwater jeans. Sometimes I wonder if people just come in to complain? I mean...really, if that's your main goal in life, are you having fun? Are you happy? Maybe that makes them happy. I always figured that if someone comes in and complains me or attacks me in any other various manner, then I may have just saved someone else from being attacked.

You may thank me in your comments.

Or send Starbucks gift certificates...