This Space Still for Rent

Something I like about my job: the look on people's* faces when they see their diamonds for the first time after they comes back to us from the jeweler. Nothing like the look on a woman's face when I get to tell her that yes, her fiancee really did get that ring for her.

Something I hate about my job: when every person in the store is running as fast as they can serving people, both registers are going full tilt, we have a back log of people waiting to check out, me trying to simultaneously ring something up and tell a co-worker how to fix the randomly not working receipt printer, and people getting antsy because all they want is their ring cleaned and why can't one of you do it for me real fast. Here's a hint for everyone out there: at one o'clock on Saturday afternoon, no one wants to do anything for you for free.

I've got other complaints, but that is one of the bigger ones.

Much has passed since my last post, dear reader.

Charity week came and went. The theme was Bond, James Bond** and the slogan was "the World Has Not Enough". I gave away some of my hard-earned cash monies, and got to watch Father Maguire bust out of jail (twice). Not everyone can use "Soldiers for Christ!" as their battle cry and get away with it. Fewer still can also use "Gondor Lives!" as their declaration of victory after escaping. Needless to say, good times were had by all.

Then Mikhail Gorbachev was the McDurmott lecturer this year. I was able to attend the question and answer session in the gym, but not the main talk (there were only 150 student tickets). He used a few prepared remarks to butter up the audience, answered the questions he was asked tangentially, and had a pretty scathing opinion about US foreign policy. All in all, exactly what one would expect from the last Soviet Premier.

One of my roommate's checks for rent bounced and we very nearly got evicted this week. A little guilt and much stress later and the offender payed the amount of the bounced check plus half a month of accumulated late fees and we were not all kicked to the curb. That is one adventure I never, ever want to have again.

I am changing my major, or more accurately I'm adding to it. I still have some meetings with one or two assorted professors, and some signatures to collect to make the registrar happy, but if all goes according to plan I will be double majoring German/Comparative Literary Traditions with a Concentration in Medieval and Renaissance Studies. This is an impressive sounding degree that will enable me, after graduation, to spend a short and intellectually fulfilling life living in a cardboard box under the Ponte Sisto.

-Yami




*Usually women. Let's face it we all know who really likes the diamonds.
**It's 2007, so the theme was 007, get it?