Nowhere Girl: Unemployed Again, Naturally

- Loreena McKennittDark Night of the SoulSt. John of the CrossUpon a darkened nightthe flame of love was burning in my breastAnd by a lantern brightI fled my house while all in quiet restShrouded by the nightand by the secret stair I quickly fledThe veil concealed my eyeswhile all within lay quiet as the dead(Chorus)Oh night thou was my guideoh night more loving than the rising sunOh night that joined the loverto the beloved onetransforming each of them into the otherUpon that misty nightin secrecy, beyond such mortal sightWithout a guide or lightthan that which burned so deeply in my heartThat fire t'was led me onand shone more bright than of the midday sunTo where he waited stillit was a place where no one else could come(Chorus)Within my pounding heartwhich kept itself entirely for him.He fell into his sleepbeneath the cedars all my love I gaveand by the forest wallsthe wind would brush his hair against his browAnd with its smoothest handcaressed my every sense it would allow(Chorus)I lost myself to himand laid my face upon my lover's breastand care and grief grew dimas in the morning's mist became lightThere they dimmed amongst the lilies fairThere they dimmed amongst the lilies fair




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Italian Dining at Mall of AmericaYes, once again for my 2 for Tuesday submission, we have yet another glimpse inside Mall of America (MOA).
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I got laid off from my job at the tea shop. This past Friday was my last day. So for the second time in 14 months I find myself back at the unemployment office. While waiting my turn to file my claim today, I was treated to free entertainment in the form of a white trash guy (a chav, to use British terminology) on his cell phone - while sitting right next to the sign that read For the consideration of others, please turn off your cell phone - putting the heat on some guy who owed his girlfriend forty bucks. Then he called some girl that he apparently had been involved with eleven years ago, who was accusing him of popping pills in front of his daughter (an allegation that this young man insisted was unfounded). And he wasn't at all embarrassed at the fact that everyone in the waiting room was now privy to his personal life.I wasn't too upset at being laid off again. This time it was due to the economy. The tea shop has been losing money for the past three months because no one is coming in to buy overpriced gourmet tea during the present housing crisis and impending recession. So the owner decided to restructure the staff, and chose to eliminate the only full-time employee (me). But far from being angry, I'm actually relieved. The owner was a nightmare - an impatient, passive-aggressive, anal-retentive, obsessive-compulsive with an anger management problem. Everyone who works for her dislikes her. I feel like a prisoner who received early parole. Some highlights during the past eight-and-a-half months:1. The owner blaming me for the fact that she forgot to put a stamp on the envelope with her check to pay her American Express bill. The check came back to her, thus making her payment for that month late. When she saw the envelope in her mail when I gave it to her that day she waved it in front of my face and said When you see this, you put a stamp on it and put it back in the mail. Now the payment is late! (For the record, it was not my place to go through her mail).2. Her making me stand next to her while she spoke on the phone with her business partner. She was in the middle of carrying some items out to her car to take over to her business partner when the partner called. When I gave her the phone, she barked Stay here. I thought she needed my help with moving things to her car. So I stood there in embarrassed silence while she chewed out her business partner for calling her while she was on her way out of the store - to go see her business partner! It was awkward. This woman loses her temper at nothing, and she spoke to her partner the way she talks to all of her staff - like we're idiots wasting her time. So when she finished the conversation, she threw the telephone down on one of the tables and walked away like an immature child. If there were any customers in the shop at the time, or if she had done that in someone else's establishment, people would wonder what the hell was wrong with that women. When I asked if she needed help carrying things out to her car she said no. She wanted me to wait for her to get off of the phone so that I could take the phone from her and put it back in its base (something she does all the time -she never hangs up the phone, she hands it off to someone to put back for her). Yet she didn't even have the decency to treat me with common courtesy and hand the phone to me. She threw it down on the table for me to pick up and put back.3. Her pretending to be nice to a customer's baby in the hopes that they will buy more than just a cup of tea. I always knew she didn't like kids, judging by her reaction whenever children came in with their parents. But when this one young mother came in with her baby, the owner was being really sweet with the child. It surprised me, until the mother and child left without buying anything. Then the owner turned to me and said Usually the way to their hearts, and their wallets, is through their kids. She said it in all seriousness, as if she was imparting her years of retail wisdom to me, so that I can follow her example. Any respect I had left for her went out the window that day.When I was first hired, I thought the job would be a nice, relaxing change from the fast pace of the corporate environment. But the owner put sales pressure on her staff, claiming I dont make money selling tea." But the hypocrisy was that she would tell customers "Were more than just a gathering place. Were an institution, where people can come to get healthy mentally, physically, spiritually." Yet she was anything but. It was a retail establishment disguised as an oasis of relaxation. And ironically, the owner stressed out her staff and had everyone walking around on eggshells. She never had any real respect for any of her staff. We were all underpaid and overworked, with no health insurance. And judging by her behavior, I seriously suspect she has a personality disorder. Oh well. I know there is a world out there beyond the shop - one that is reasonably more well-adjusted, and with benefits. At least I can sleep at night knowing I remained true to myself. I take pride in the fact that I genuinely helped people without resorting to exaggerations, untruths, or tactics to try to make a sale. If the owner didnt truly appreciate that, I am sure that the customers did.See full article here (link)