While things are vaguely looking up on the job front, many other things are going to shit. I guess that's the way it always works but I'm really not enjoying it.

Heed the foster basset did not go home with the folks from Placerville today. Not only was their dog not fluent in the language of dogs, they used a rope as a leash, looked like they were homeless (I really did try to look past these things) and spoke of having bred a mixed-breed dog in the past.

Sorry, folks. Get your dog from someone else.

How I know that I've had enough of IKEA. The new user's guide doesn't even strike me as funny. Or interesting enough to read in it's entirety.

Like any good scholar, I will, however, add my own two cents about the experience. The best way to shop at IKEA is to NOT get your heart set on any one piece of furniture. It will invariably be sold out (I know, I know, you are right, we should have known you were coming on *that* day and put one aside for you. Really, I am sorry about that), leaving you to either be disgruntled and leave or approach an innocent co-worker like myself, announcing with great sadness that you have driven all the way from (insert city 20-60 miles away from our current location) and are so disappointed that we didn't have your bed/dresser/chair/curtain/whatevercrapyouthinkicarethatwedon'thave in stock at that very moment.

Here's a little tidbit: the whole store is designed so that you ("the many people") will spend as much of the many dollars that you make at the store. In fact, folks, most stores are built with this factor in mind. Take a minute to stew on that if you need to.

Translation: it's in the store's best financial interests for you to return, because all of the nifty products we carry will avail themselves to you again. Or, when you come back looking for whatever it is that would complete your life, you'll buy some other crap, too.

Yes, it's true. I'm getting burned out on the whole retail thing. Or at least on my current stint. I'm actually starting to care that I'm often the only one actually helping customers while my management and other co-workers do important things like sit in the office at someone else's desks and chat, sit in random places about the building or simply hide from their jobs. I did politely suggest welfare as a better work alternative to one of my more endearing co-workers, though she didn't quite get it. It's time to 1. stop caring about what other folks are doing (restore tunnel vision) and 2. get that better job.

And I assure you, I'm on the road to #2 as we speak. No, not that kind of #2.