Work It

(soundtrack)

Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down – Puff Daddy f. Mase

Let me get the good stuff out of the way first.

Wednesday was great. I already knew it was going to be a good day because I was going to see Fahrenheit 9/11 with Angel, but then to later go out with the boys and watch Spiderman 2…that’s just overwhelming.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Of all my university friends, Angel is the most ready and worthy to hang out with us (David is a close second). Whether that’s a compliment to her or not, I’m unsure, but there it is. Seriously, walking around with her looking for chapstick shouldn’t be so fun. Another activity I enjoyed exponentially more than hanging out and drinking with people Tuesday night.

And yeah, Spiderman 2 was tight. I think I still prefer the original X-Men (can’t explain it) or Batman Returns (Michael Keaton, Christopher Walken and a frisky Michelle Pfeiffer in a catsuit: Damn). Something about the Spidey flicks don’t quite click with me. They’re good movies, great even, but in terms of sheer enjoyment, something’s missing. It’s me, I know.

Eileen’s BBQ was cool. It dragged a little, but I think that tends to happen when you’re around so many people that you’re comfortable with. You don’t feel the urge to try too hard to do anything. Eileen said it best, I think: “Is it a good thing that we’re okay with doing nothing but sitting around and watching cartoons?” Yes, yes it is. It was real good to see her.

Today was a fokkin’ tough day at work, let me tell you. Having a six day break really takes you out of your rhythm. I felt so sluggish and inefficient. One of my supervisors, this Chinese guy named Mike, seems disgusted by me. Everytime I ask him a question, he shoots me a look of sheer contempt. Good times.

I forgot my retractable knife at home today, so I had to borrow one from this guy named Steve. At one point, I lost this screw that holds the knife together. I dropped it through some grating, but I could still see it. So, channeling the usually unused Gifted/Enriched part of my brain, I fashioned a “snatching mechanism” using a steel hook that was being used to hold up packages of markers and tape that I had cut through to open a box (which was promptly followed by me losing the screw). It took some doin’, but I got that screw out and everything turned out okay. However, the 15 or 20 minutes that it took to pull this off may explain why…

I worked an hour of overtime today, so I got out at about midnight. It was my fault. I was taking a long time to organize all this frozen food. It didn’t help that my fingers were freezing off until I finally wised up and asked for some gloves. My night supervisor, this black guy named Ervin, was too understanding. He was all like, “It’s okay, man, it’s okay. In a month’s time you’ll be quicker than quick.” I was thinking, “Damn, come on. Yell at me or something.” I felt so bad. I didn’t even get all my work done. It was like that feeling you get when you hand in an assignment late to a teacher and they tell you that they’re not going to take any marks off. It’s relieving, but you can’t help but feel guilty.

About an hour before I got out, this cute blonde cashier chick comes up to me while I’m sorting things. She hands me a box of Sara Lee cake and says, “Ervin told me that I could give this to you to put back. This is your section, right?” So I say, “Er…yeah, yeah. I..okay, I’ll find out where it goes…sure…” I start to get back to work, but not before she shoots me this smile. The kind of smile a girl gives a guy when she knows that she can make him do whatever she wants. I’m in high school all over again.

I only brought a dime. I didn’t know there’d be pornography.