Ah, the joys of working in retail. Yesterday afternoon, some lady came in and asked me if the store has any lunch boxes. Immediately, I was inclined to say no since I had never known our store to carry lunch boxes. I told her I didn’t think so. Then, I tried to ask her if she had checked the accessories or children’s departments, but she kept interrupting me, so I could never ask her the question. “It’s in the ad,” she kept repeating. So I gave up on asking her any questions, and I told her I’d just check the ad so that I would know what she’s looking for. As I’m turning the pages, she reads my name tag. “It says ‘I’m here to help,” she muttered. “So help me!” I almost lost it right there in front of her. If I had chosen to act purely on impulse, I would have screamed something to the effect of, “What the hell does it look like I’m doing, making a freaking sandwich?” But no, I still believe in common frigging courtesy. So I just gave her a wry smile, and as sincerely as I could, I told her that I was trying to help her. You know that saying, “nice guys finish last?” Well I hope it’s true, so that when I finally pass the finish line, I’ll be as far away as possible from snide people like the lunchbox lady. I kid, of course. Maybe she’s a lovely lady outside of the shopping environment. Just maybe.
Anyway, I went out and saw Austin Powers in Goldmember last night. Hooray for sneak previews. I laughed so much, I thought I was going to be sick. It’s full of juvenile humor, but that’s the charm of Austin Powers. I still think the first movie had the best story line and had the most heart. But having said that, I think Goldmember is the funniest movie in the series.
I can’t find a graceful way to end this entry, so I’ll leave you with a quotation by Pamela Anderson from when she appeared on Late Night with Conan O’Brien. When Conan paid her a compliment by telling her she looked great, Pamela responded: “It takes a lot of money to look this cheap.” True that, Pam. I have a lot of respect for people who can poke fun at themselves.