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July 15

Okay, so last week we started putting together our new store. Things have been going pretty well. When we began on July 7th, nothing was in the store but the aquarium display. Our crew started setting shelving fixtures. Saturday, we got our first truckload of merchandise. There were 22 skids of freight. I have had a hand in unloading that truck as well as all the trucks we’ve received up to this point. We got this truck mostly put away by the time we left Saturday afternoon. The truck was late so it really put us behind the gun. We really had to work hard to catch up.

So, Sunday, we didn’t end up getting a truck as scheduled, so the boss, Mark, told us to go home early and get some rest. I went home and had some lunch with my wife. Afterward, she told me that she was going to take a nap. I told her I was going to watch a movie. I went to the “On-Demand” menu and selected “Tin Cup”. I sat back and started watching the opening credits…and immediately dozed off. The next thing I knew, I woke up and the closing credits were playing. So much for the movie.

Yesterday, Monday, the store got another two trucks. A total of nearly 50 pallets of freight. We really worked hard to put up all that freight. We got all but 12 pallets finished. Mark had pizza delivered for lunch as a thank you for all of our hard work. The store is opening on the 21st, so we only have 7 days left to get this place ready. We are all excited, I think.

The one person who is a negative is that little punk ass kid, Mike. He’s constantly bitching about how far he has to drive. I just don’t understand it. He drives from Cape Coral. I wonder if he bothered reading the ad that said “New store in East Fort Myers”. Why in the hell did he even apply for this job? I mean, there were plenty of others who probably really wanted to have the job he got. He always does half assed work.

Anyhow, today I went in early. I had to take my wife to the airport for her trip to Memphis this week. She’ll be back on Friday. So, after I dropped her off, I went to work. Of course, there was a stop at Starbuck’s for the obligatory Venti Americano. My boss, Mark was off today, so Sue warned me that she would be giving me a lot to do. We started right off with a truckload of dog food and cat litter. Greg, the store setup coordinator, and I unloaded the truck. Sue told me that Mike was going to work directly with me and that I was to really make him work. I definitely told her that if he was with me, he’d be workin’ or he’d be walkin’. Anyhow, Mike ended up a no-show. Guess I don’t have to listen to his bitching anymore. I’m sure some of the others will be more than happy to pick up his hours. Good riddance.

Anyhow, I’ve been getting to know some of the new employees. We have a new girl who just started yesterday. She’s a trip. She’s as redneck as they come…a true Florida native. Her name is Nicole. Some of the others don’t really like her because she’s kind of loud and outspoken. I get a kick out of her. I think she’s fun to work with and she makes it interesting. As long as she keeps up her part, I don’t care if she’s a little loud or whatever.

I also got to know this kid who was hired as “team leader”. He’s 23 and a nice kid. He’s not been here for much of the setup. I don’t know how in the world he’s supposed to manage a crew when he’s completely unfamiliar with anything in the store. He wasn’t even in the basic training classes the rest of us had to go through. I’m sure he’s a really nice kid, I just think I have to wonder about the choosing of him to be in a key position. Our other “team leader” hasn’t even been here for a single day. It really kind of pisses me off. Here the rest of us have been doing the heavy lifiting and here these schmucks are going to get the nod from management. It just ain’t right.

Anyhow, it was a long day. I was really glad when 5 rolled around. It was raining, so I was really glad I had my wife’s car. I came home and took Freckles – my beagle puppy – for her walk. I heated up some TV dinners to eat…bachelor food. So, now I’m just watching a little TV. I’m going to watch the pilot for this new show, “The Cleaner”. I’ll give a report on it after I watch.