Employee of the Month

[aspara]

This morning I woke up at 4 in the morning and couldn’t get back to sleep. I had one of those panic-sparked adrenalin surge flashes into instantaneous and total consciousness usually reserved for suddenly realizing your entire house smells like gas. Mine was about my finances - I awoke terrified that I was completely broke and about to be crushed

Comments

I consider your hair to be almost entirely abstract, which doesn't preclude it from being whimsical.

[mwittier]

Writing to Ingrid Bergman, Jean Renoir once noted that the real basis for great achievement "is daily humble work within the framework of a profession."

So, hey: you and Renoir. And Bob.

What exactly is a Fred Meyer, anyhow? Some sort of emporium of Fred's tastes?

Also, that was quite dandy.

Hey, is that two faces or a lamp?

[aspara]

I admit, without more context I'm not sure what to make of that quote. Is it about dignity or hubris? Is the message that great achievement is humble work done brilliantly or brilliant work done humbly every day? All I know is if I was Renoir I'd be writing to Katharine Hepburn instead

[bugboy3001]

then I got the call from Preston asking me to rejoin the weakass document review team

Hells yeah, dude! Veronica would be so proud.

[aspara]

Veronica would be proud? - I think she'd just use me for my access to confidential corporate records. On the plus side, though, I'd probably get to make out with her.

Mmm...Veronica Mars.

[bugboy3001]

Oh, and I forgot to say that I know exactly the employee you're talking about. He's the man.

[mrsock51]

I ran into a cashier at a QFC in Kalispell, Montana like Bob once. It didn't have to do with reward cards or anything, but he did seem to have the added weight of 'not only do I work at a job that by no means fosters human dignity, yet I have that same job in the most loser-ass city in the entire United States.' The fact that he could hold his head up under those conditions was remarkable, considering he's about smack in the middle of the 5th and a half circle of Hell (dead-end jobs right between the wrathful and the gloomy).

Oh well, I guess it could be worse. He could work in Dodge City, Kansas I guess...

[aspara]

I deny that Kalispell, Montana is an actual city. That actually makes your clerk's apparent dignity all the more impressive.

I only ever knew one person from Kansas, and he was a total hipster badass. Except, of course, that he didn't graduate from college and owes me about $800 in unpaid rent, but whatreyagonnado, right?

[eden_xx]

i know its a city. ive been there in fact. twice a year on my way to great falls, montana. which i assure you IS a city and im pretty sure stephen is wrong and there are no QFCs in montana.

[mrsock51]

lol, oh yeah i forgot, Montana has nothing but IGA's and SuperFoods grocery stores!

nah, cities over 30,000 people constitute QFC's, trust me :)

[lissi_9]

you surprise me a little with every post. I hope we can meet up sometime during the holidays!

[aspara]

I hope so too, though I'm afraid I'm going to be working like crazy all weekend. I need 68 hours by next wednesday...but maybe we can slip in a late dinner / coffee some night?

[random_lifeform]

I think you're the only person about 25 I know that has retained a youthful sense of writing.

We don't know each other all, but I admire you.

[aspara]

Thanks very much for the comment, even if it's a comment on the immaturity of my voice. I've been sort of lax in my updates lately, but there's nothing like a little friendly encouragement to get me excited about writing again. So thanks.