Ten thousand bedrooms are all too few

Despite getting stuck behind a funeral procession on my way to work this morning, today went rather well. Because a funeral home is on my route, it stands to reason I'll get stuck behind a train of cars antenna-ed with little red flags every so often. Heck, maybe more than every so often. So, the fact that I'm delayed by a funeral procession at least three times a week isn't surprising. What is surprising, and vexing, is how I manage to be the first car or second car waved to a halt by darkly clad attendants so the procession can proceed unhindered. Today, for example, it looked like it was going to be smooth sailing. There was no one rushing out to the street to handle traffic, no one milling about their cars, but yet, when I reached the funeral home, the suits swarmed into the road and bid me to stop. I was already ten minutes late. This was a set back. It happens to me whether I pass the home ten minutes earlier than usual, whether I'm on time, or whether I'm fifteen minutes late. Shit luck, I guess. Not as unlucky as the the individuals being brought to the cemetery, though. Maybe this is the Universe's way of telling me I'm going to die soon. Fuck, now watch me go and die because I wrote that. You'll be able to revisit this post and show all your friends and say "Dude, this guy thought he was receiving signs that he was going to croak, and look what happens, he goes ahead and croaks shortly thereafter!" Ah, whatever. Maybe the Universe just likes making me late. The gods and their games, I tell you.
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Hmm, there's something I feel the need to address, but can't quite bring it to mind. Oh, I know! We've reached and exceeded the ten thousandth mark! Hazaaahhh!! I know there are other blogs that receive ten thousand hits a week, but those are the ones that are interesting. My first post was in December of'06 and I've just hit that mark. And, you know what? It's a fucking achievement, son!

I've always enjoyed writing, but never did so on a regular basis. I kept journals here and there, but they weren't fashioned in the interest of honing a craft; they were the raw results of my venting process. Here, I'll vent, to be sure, but the intent from the beginning was to use this blog as a canvas to improve my writing skills. The canvas was blank, I didn't have syllabus in place. The main objective was to write on a regular basis and, by doing so, become a better writer over time.

Have I? Sure, but not in ways that are immediately apparent. Hell, I'm not that sure at all. Fuck if I know if I've improved. I do need less editing these days, even though, for better or worse, I never did much in the first place. More than anything, I'm pleased that I stuck with it. There's your improvement. I know what it's like to start something and not see it through, so the fact that I've been doing this steadily for nearly four years is an achievement.

Despite the questionable quality of some of the post found within this blog, I've had some steady readers over the years and I'd like to tip my hat to all of you. Knowing that people are going to read what I write makes me try a little harder than if I was jotting my thoughts down in a little journal. I'm sure many of you would like me to try a lot harder, given some of the slop I produce. I'll see what I can do on that front. Not making any promises, though.

Can we reach twenty thousand? Sure. I don't intend to quit this blog anytime soon, though I may start up another one with a different bent. I'll keep you posted.
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Ellen quit today. She left work last Wednesday wishing everyone a good weekend. Marcy asked her why she wasn't coming in on Thursday and Friday and Ellen responded that she was flying down to D.C. to see her daughter. "I thought you knew I was going on vacation", she said.

Ellen had asked for the days off weeks ago, but, because other people had already requested those days off, was denied them. Marcy had told her there was a slight chance she'd be able to take the days off, but not to count on it. Well, Ellen counted on it and bought her plane tickets for that week.

"I never gave you permission", Marcy told her.

"Well, I bought the tickets already. I'm leaving in the morning."

Marcy was not pleased. "Call me in the morning before you come in to work on Monday".

Ellen said she would and, as she made her way out the door, she looked at me and mouthed the words " I think they're going to fire me".

Not only did Ellen book a vacation when she shouldn't have, but she had no intention of calling Marcy before she came to work today. She told Therese as much over the weekend. So, when she arrived at work this morning and signed in, Marcy asked her why she didn't call first.

"I figured if you were going to fire me, I'd rather you do it to my face."

"I'm not going to fire you, but I am going to write you up and suspend you a day without pay. That's why I wanted you to call first. I didn't want you coming in today."

Marcy presented a written warning to Ellen for her to sign. Ellen refused, saying she'd rather quit than sign it. And that was that. All this, before my arrival. I must have been stuck behind a funeral or something.

When I came in, Marcy called everyone in to the main part of the office and explained what happened with Ellen. Therese cried. Maureen looked shocked. Sharon looked the way I probably looked: nonplussed. I will miss Ellen, to be sure. She's a firecracker, that one, and was always good for a laugh and never filtered her comments, which, as a consequence, were often wince-inducing.

I'll miss her, but I wasn't upset at the news that she left. Maybe it's because I've been at jobs where the turn over rate was through the roof, or maybe it was because she telegraphed her departure in numerous ways weeks and months beforehand. She didn't need the job -- her husband makes a ton of money -- and only worked there because she wanted to keep busy. On several occasions she told me she was going to quit. No, I wasn't surprised she left.

The office has become smaller again. I think they'll have to hire a replacement for Ellen. They didn't hire any for the last four people that left, but now, I think they'll have to. If they don't, well, maybe that will present an opportunity for me to get more hours and a raise. We'll see.

Ok, I'm going to go for a run. Tomorrow: work, the registries in Nashua and Lowell, and then to my parents for dinner, and more Internet training.