CarnelianMyst's Vampire Journal

CarnelianMyst's Journal

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16 entries this month

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Three Wee Crabs
21:26 Jan 31 2009
Times Read: 781

Came home from the pet shop with not one but three new little hermit crabs. And they are little...one has a dime sized shell and the other 2 have shells the size of quarters. My big crab has a shell about the size of my fist so there is a size difference. Luckily they all get along well.

When I first put them in my tank it was like the three stooges meet sleeping beauty. The three little guys were all over the place, exploring, tumbling around, finding the food and water dishes. Big crab was snoozing in the corner in his "spot." Along come these three rambunctious young uns, woke him up getting acquainted and wanted to play. He was a bit grumpy at first, not being used to all that attention, and the little guys were very excited to meet such a big crab.

It will take them a couple days to get used to everything but they all seem healthy and hearty. Fun to see them all moving around, "rumblin', stumblin', fumblin'" as one of my favorite sports guys used to say.

And, may I add that one of them has already discovered the grape in the food dish. He's sitting on it.

This oughta be good. :)

COMMENTS

Sinora
22:50 Jan 31 2009

How come they're call hermit crabs if they enjoy company ?

CarnelianMyst
23:08 Jan 31 2009

Hermit crabs live in snail shells, and if they are frightened or upset they withdraw entirely into the shell until they feel ready to come out..some can stay in there a long time, hence the "hermit" name. They are otherwise known as purple pincher crabs, as that is the color (in varying shades) of their big pincher.

Wilder
14:14 Feb 21 2009

awwww

i bet they are lovely:)

Pet Shop Girl
22:48 Jan 24 2009
Times Read: 790

I went to the pet shop this afternoon to stock up on birdseed and crab supplies. While I was there I saw one of the employees walking around with a beautiful sun conure on her shoulder. She saw me looking and came over so I could see the bird.

Sun conures are brilliantly colored parrots about a foot long, with bright orange/yellow heads and shoulders, green bodies and little hooked black beaks. They are very noisy and raucous but, like all parrots, highly intelligent. This one was making little chirpy noises and playing with the employees' hair.

The bird started to lean toward me, so I came a little closer and she hopped onto my shoulder. I thought oh boy, now I will get my ear bit, but the bird just sort of cooed and bobbed her head happily. I asked if she was for sale.

"She's kind of a store bird," I was told. "Her owner brought her back because she picked up some, um..bad words."

"What sort of bad words?" I asked.

Just then the conure tilted her head at me and squawked: "Bitch!" in a very loud voice. Other patrons stifled giggles.

"That kind," the employee said.

COMMENTS

Texting
01:58 Jan 24 2009
Times Read: 802

My boss is learning to text. I know next to nothing about it, but I do know the abbreviations of words and phrases. He got a text today and stood there scratching his head after he read it. Finally he said "I just don't understand some of this. I know that IDK means I Don't Know..but does LMAO mean Lick My Asshole Out?"

I bent over laughing and nearly wet myself.

COMMENTS

chrysanthemia
02:36 Jan 24 2009

Ohmigosh!! That's beyond hilarious!

I would have let him go on thinking it was something so vulgar. Just to see his reactions. But that's just me, and I'm a little evil. Hee hee.

birra
02:52 Jan 24 2009

At least you now know how he thinks things out.

Why I Can't Leave on Time
01:37 Jan 23 2009
Times Read: 811

I had closed out the cash register, shut everything off, locked up and was going out to my car when I heard this honking. I looked behind me and there was a lady, flashing her lights and honking her horn. She rolled the window down and I recognized her as a semi-regular customer.

"Wait! Wait!" she screamed. "You have GOT to let me in..I need my husband's shirts! He doesn't have any clean ones and he is leaving on a trip in the morning."

Um..like that's my problem, right? I said "Ok, I will go in and get them. You will need to either pay by check or have the correct cash amount, since the credit card machine is closed and everything else is locked up."

"No problem," she says brightly. "I have a checkbook". I told her the amount ( I knew what it was as this customer always has the same thing, 5 shirts.) I unlock the place and go in and find the order and bring it out to her car. By the time I get there she's looking frantic. "I can't find my checkbook," she says, "I must have left it at home on the kitchen table."

"How about cash?" I ask. She shakes her head no. Apparently the purse was left behind as well. Then she gets a bright idea.

"I will run home and get it. Will you wait?"

Shit. I'm late getting out already. "Where do you live?" I ask. "Janesville," she replies. Janesville is 18 miles away! There is no way I'm standing around waiting for her to drive back home, get money and come back. It would be nearly an hour. "I'm sorry, but I can't stay that long. You can come back first thing in the morning. We are here by 6 on Fridays."

She starts screaming so loud that people coming out of the bar down the street stop to listen. "I NEED THOSE SHIRTS! MY HUSBAND IS GOING ON A BUSINESS TRIP AND I HAVE TO HAVE THEM!"

A light bulb went off over my head. "Here," I said, handing her the shirts. "You take them, and next time you come in, you can pay. I will just make a note on your account."

"What if it gets messed up?" she says loudly. "How do I know I won't get double charged?"

Before I can answer a patron from the bar shouts out "Hey! Shut yer pie hole you twat in the Lincoln!"

I started laughing. I thought I was gonna pee myself. She starts shouting back at the guy and they proceed to have a heated argument. Meanwhile I walk around to the passenger side of her car and motion for her to unlock the door so I can put her shirts in the car.

"Hey, drycleaning lady," the guy says to me, "why you so nice to this cunt? Go home, you closed up, don't let her make you late." And he leans closer to her car and says loudly "AND YOU GO HOME TOO!"

This is why I can't leave on time sometimes.

COMMENTS

Morrigon
04:49 Jan 23 2009

Damn, she could be a little more gracious.

If it were THAT important, she would have gotten there earlier to pick the crap up.

birra
02:55 Jan 24 2009

Uh... am I the only one thinking there HAS to be a dry cleaner closer than 18 miles away?

...just a thought...

Personal Time
02:02 Jan 22 2009
Times Read: 830

My boss and I had a continuation of our ongoing discussion/argument about my personal life..or rather, lack of it.

He comes from a close, loud, loving Greek family. And it drives him crazy that everyone isn't that way. If you are single, you should be married, and if you are married, you should have children. That is life to him, and he thinks everyone should be that way.

"You should go out more and meet people!" he says to me. Go out more? When do I have time for this? I am gone for 14 hours a day, sometimes more. By the time I get home I am exhausted. I just want to get a little supper, take a hot bath and go to bed. I don't have the time or the inclination to go out during the week. My one day off, Sunday, is spent catching up on all the stuff I didn't have time to do during the week, aka housework, bill paying, grocery shopping, and doing laundry.

So then he decides if the mountain won't come to Mohammed...and talks to a single male customer who comes in a lot. The customer asks me out. I nearly fell over. I said no for two reasons..one, he asked me because my boss asked him to, not because he wanted to, and two...it was at the last minute on a Friday night and I was fricking beat. I wanted to go home, put my feet up, and relax. This guy wanted to drag me off to a free folk music concert at his church.

Um..no.

In my twenties, I went out a lot, socialized, met people. At the last gasp of my twenties I got married. BIG MISTAKE. It took nearly all of my 30's to recoup what that bastard took from me. I was not interested in socializing after that fiasco so I didn't. After I hit my 40's I decided to take another stab at it, and investigated these matchmaking services. You know the ones, eharmony, Match.com, the whole 9 yards. If you aren't gorgeous and/or rich, guys do not want to know you. I joined all of them for a bit, just to see what would happen. I never once got matched with someone who said "hey, you're not Cinderella, I'm not Prince Charming, but we have a lot in common so how about going for coffee?" All I got was "ugh." Yes. I actually got that response to a picture I posted.

So now, I am on the brink of another decade. This one will be spent trying to convince my boss that single people can be happy, healthy and productive members of the human race.

COMMENTS

birra
05:04 Jan 22 2009

It doesn't get easier as you get older.

Your boss sounds like he needs a reality check.. that your life is YOUR life and you can live it how you want. Married with children doesn't work for a LOT of people. It's not just you.

He might be able to tell you what to do around the office when he is paying you... but otherwise he needs to let you live as you wish.

Sinora
19:06 Jan 22 2009

Are you telling me you passed up the chance of listening to folk music at a church ????

Hell woman, you hard to please roflmao.

Grape Envy
01:49 Jan 21 2009
Times Read: 849

Yes, you read that right. Grape envy. Not me, my little crustacean friends.

The other night I decided to see what the reaction would be if I put a plump red seedless grape in the food dish. I cut it in half so the little guys would be able to handle it better, popped it in amongst their other goodies, and sat back to watch.

As usual the little guy was the first one to go investigate. Excitedly he approached the morsel, taste-tested it with his antennae, then dug in his little claw for a scoop of the new treat. He loved it! He ate nearly the whole thing.

I skipped a day, then last night I put in another grape half. Both crabs were still snoozing when I went to bed, but I was awoken some time later with crashing and clanking sounds from the tank. I scrambled out of bed to see what was going on. I found the big crab in the corner sulking, and the little guy IN the food dish hoarding the grape. All the crab house furniture had been moved around, and there was a chunk of carrot in the water dish.

I woke up this morning and found the little guy had spent the night in the food dish guarding his new treat. I took him out when I got home, put clean water in the water dish, spent a little one on one time with the guys and put them back in. The little guy went straight for the food dish. The grape was long gone but apparently he could still smell it, as he went right for the spot and stayed there.

This is almost as bad as the popcorn incident. I will have to get separate food dishes I guess.

COMMENTS

sahahria
01:53 Jan 21 2009

Awwww! LOL

Bloodmother
16:21 Jan 21 2009

They're scavengers, right? They can eat anything?

What would happen if you gave the big guy his own half; would the little one snatch it?

Probably not worth the risk. They're probably cannibalistic.

birra
05:06 Jan 22 2009

Heh...

Reminds me of that Daffy Duck cartoon where the genie shrinks him but he still tries to claim the big pearl as his own...

..ok, maybe I'm alone on that one.

MOAR RUM!

Grocery Shopping
00:03 Jan 18 2009
Times Read: 867

Nuts. The store I usually do my grocery shopping at is closing. They can't compete with Wal-Mart I guess. That makes two nice grocery stores that have closed here since Wal-Mart came in.

I never minded shopping at the other places. Sure, it cost a bit more. But it was closer, and the clerks had been there for a long time and knew me. The stores weren't so big that I got lost in them, and they had all my favorite brands.

Poop. Now I have to choose between driving way across town to Woodman's, which is huge, or go the other way and go to Wal-Mart. I've been to Wal-Mart a few times. Way too big, if that is a valid complaint. I always forget where I park my car, lol. Well, at least both places are open 24 hours, so if I get a craving for ice cream at 2 am, I can go get some.

*Sigh* I hate change. I really do. The economy here has taken such a hit, first GM closing, then other places affilated with GM went down. Now a long time grocery store. I feel bad for all the people who are losing their jobs. I hope they can find places elsewhere soon.

COMMENTS

chrysanthemia
00:42 Jan 18 2009

And I find it quite sad that these huge corporate monsters march right in and squash small thriving establishments like the shops you mentioned.

Isis101
02:40 Jan 18 2009

I know what you mean...there are a few Walmarts here, but not as many as in other places - San Francisco, Berkeley, and the rest of the Bay Area in general are big on blocking out a lot of big box stores.

I hate when smaller mom & pops have to close...

Work N Stuff
02:36 Jan 17 2009
Times Read: 882

My bosses are two brothers, and two more alpha males would be hard to find. They are constantly trying to one-up each other by getting more gadgets for their homes, cars, boats, fishing/hunting gear, and cell phones.

Dese are guys...you know the type. Fishing, hunting, camping, anything outdoors guys. Beer-drinking, scratching, snuff chewing...GUYS. More body hair than your average bear.

Their newest thing is to try and outgross the other. Today, Brother B (younger brother) told a story of what happened at archery club. (He's a bowhunter and goes to practice once a week). He said "We were shooting and I had to blow my nose..and there was no kleenex around. So I just flicked this booger and it went into the air and I didn't know where it went. All of a sudden this other guy shouts out "THERE'S A BOOGER ON MY SCORECARD! AND IT'S FRESH!"

Well. I tell you. These two thought this was the funniest thing ever. They laughed fit to bust. Anyway, we went on with our day, and at lunch time, Brother A (older brother) let loose with a stadium-shattering fart. Brother B acted all offended. "Ewww...you farted!"

"Well," I said after a pause, "better a farter than a booger flicker."

Don'tcha think?

COMMENTS

chrysanthemia
02:41 Jan 17 2009

Yes. Very true.

Could very well do with neither though.

How you tolerate that is beyond me. Lmao.

Sinora
15:26 Jan 17 2009

Just...eeewwwww

Bloodmother
16:25 Jan 21 2009

Do I really have to choose?

Crab Mommy
01:46 Jan 15 2009
Times Read: 896

I'm experimenting with giving the crabs some different foods, so they don't get bored. Tonight they got a chunk of chicken, green beans, carrot chunk, cauliflower, and chunk of banana with peanut butter.

They watched cautiously as I set the food dish down, no doubt intrigued by all the new smells. The big guy was trundling around and decided to check it out. He went straight to the peanut butter and had a little taste of that. Then he practically stepped into the dish to find the banana and the chicken. The little guy watched from a distance, waiting for his moment.

Suddenly he stood up on his shell tip and spun around....he wanted the chicken!! He stopped by the water dish for a quick drink first then on to the main course. He picked up the chunk of chicken and quickly took off with it in tow, dragging it across the sand. Big guy was too busy cleaning the peanut butter off his claw to notice. Little guy took the chunk of chicken into the crab house and settled down for a snack.

Fun to watch them eat. Dinner time is quite the occasion in the crab tank.

COMMENTS

Sinora
13:43 Jan 15 2009

Aint nothin worse than a bored crab...lol

meeper
05:35 Jan 16 2009

Peanut butter can be very distracting lol

Stikki
13:33 Jan 17 2009

I haf peedut budduh tuk to da woof of my mouf wite now :P

Bloodmother
16:28 Jan 21 2009

I didn't discover peanut butter until my twenties. My mom denied us this treat because it had been such a mainstay of her diet when she was a kid. She couldn't stand the stuff.

Owie
02:21 Jan 13 2009
Times Read: 916

Well, I was right. I spent most of yesterday stiff and sore. It wasn't until quite late in the day that I felt vaguely human, after a combination of soaking in a hot bath, advil, and deep heating rub. It's hell to get old. Can't move dem bones like I used to when I was a young sprout.

On the plus side, sitting around being quiet, I was able to spend some one on one time with the crabs. I took each of them out separately and gave them their baths, then let them crawl around the front room till they dried off. When I first got them and put them down, they would scurry away from me as fast as they could go. Now they stay pretty close by, crawling over my legs if I am on the floor and up the back of the chair if I am sitting in one.

They really seem to like the diced turkey I put in the food dish. As for fruit, they like the chunks of banana and peaches, and usually always take a nibble of the veggies I put in there. I put in a piece of popcorn with peanut butter on it, and that provoked such a commotion that I haven't done it since. Each crab got a hold of one end of the popcorn and was tugging at it. I had to intervene and give them each a half.

Anyway, I felt better today and was able to toddle off to work and do my thang.

COMMENTS

chrysanthemia
02:29 Jan 13 2009

Oh my goodness! The crabs sound so adorable. Beyond adorable.♥

What kind of crabs?

WorkBitchWork
23:55 Jan 10 2009
Times Read: 953

Well, so much for my early day at work. I was supposed to get done at 1 pm and have an early day, as opposed to my usual Saturday quit time of 4 or 5 pm.

About an hour before closing my boss bounds in full of energy and announces "we're gonna clean the store!"

Um, does anyone else think this is shitty? If we were going to have a cleaning binge, why wait till almost the last minute? I was there till after 4. And here is another thing. On Saturdays, we do not clean or press, it is a strictly pick up and drop off day. So it's pretty quiet and we can kind of relax and wind down. On the days my bosses work, they do NO cleaning, and I mean sweep, mop, do the windows, scrub the toilets etc. If things are so filthy that we need a purge, why do they wait until I am working to do it? If it's so dirty, they should clean it too, not just me.

Anyway. Boss and I go out to the storage shed to bring in some loads of clothes from a local house fire so we can get them sorted. The bags of things were piled so high that I literally climbed on top and started rolling them down to my boss. He thought it was funny to yank the bags out from under me and make me lose my balance. I fell once and banged my knee, and now I'm so stiff and sore it's incredible. I feel like an old lady hobbling around here. What it will be like tomorrow goodness only knows.

Anyways, that's my bitch for the day. Next!

COMMENTS

chrysanthemia
00:56 Jan 11 2009

A warranted bitching, to say the least. Sounds like a truly awful day. Hope you have better soon. Keep smiling!

Kyriele
01:58 Jan 11 2009

Bringer

Of

Stupid

Solutions

Bloodmother
01:57 Jan 13 2009

I hate this guy.

Crab House News
01:05 Jan 10 2009
Times Read: 956

Wow, I just got home from work and the crab tank looks like a disaster area. What went on while I was gone? Water dishes pushed around, food dish emptied and the contents either eaten or scattered all over, and the little guy sleeping peacefully in the midst of all the carnage. (Big guy is dozing in the crab house.)

The other night, when I couldn't sleep, I came out into the front room and had a peep in the tank. They were chasing each other round and round, up ending everything that got in their way. When they saw me peeking in, they paused for a moment, waved their antenna, then kept on going. I had just cleaned out their little "gathering spot" in the corner and put clean sand in, so maybe that had something to do with it.

They seem to have a lot more fun than I do these days.

COMMENTS

Bloodmother
02:01 Jan 13 2009

Awww I want crabs now. Wait . . . that sounds weird. I also want you to have some crab-like fun, but it sounds like you'd have to be nocturnal for that.

Job Seekers
01:49 Jan 06 2009
Times Read: 972

You can spot them a block away. A college student, home on holiday break, out looking for a job. Dressed in a torn t-shirt, jeans that looked like they were going to fall off, a filthy pea coat, and hair hanging down in their face. Extremely colorful facial makeup, and eating a slim-jim.

"Um, you guys hiring?" Standing there with a finger in her mouth like a baby sucking on a pacifier.

WHAT THE HELL IS THE MATTER WITH YOU?? DO YOU REALLY THINK ANYONE IS GOING TO TAKE YOU SERIOUSLY AS A PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYEE WHEN YOU GO INTO A BUSINESS DRESSED AND ACTING LIKE THAT???

Ahem. Sorry about the screech, but really...young people have no idea that this is not the right way to go about it. First of all, dress nicely. This business is involved with meeting and working with the public, so you should go into a place looking halfway decent when you apply for work.

Get a "nice" outfit to wear for such occasions. Black pants, clean and pressed, and white shirt or blouse. Can't beat that. No fancy labels or garish designs, and please make sure all your buttons are buttoned. Ladies, we do not want to see your cleavage, and guys, we don't wanna see your dick, so zip up.

Wash and style your hair in a simple fashion, and go easy on the makeup. Most places where you work with the public will have specific things they don't want you to wear..such as heavy perfume or excessive jewelry. Some places even require you to remove any facial piercings.

Instead of using street slang aka "you guys hiring?"....get a resume made up (easy to do with a pc and a printer, even if you have no job history, some educational background and a couple personal references would be peachy). Then, when you go in a place to apply for a job, even if they aren't hiring, you can leave a resume. Beleive me, that will put you points ahead of people who do not have one.

"Hello, I was wondering if you were accepting applications?" is a good opening query. If the answer is no, then "May I leave you my resume?" smile nicely, hand over the paper, and leave. Don't pout, whine, or stamp your feet...if a place is not hiring, they're not, but leaving a resume will get you remembered for future openings.

The local middle school here is actually teaching courses on how to apply for jobs, and how to behave at job interviews. This is wonderful! Young people learning how to cope in the big bad world.

Meanwhile, we continue to put up with "umyouguyshirin?"..yes, all one word. And just in case you are thinking we are total assholes, yes, we have hired such creatures. They do not last. They get totally offended when you try to tell them what is proper dress and deportment. We usually direct them to Wal-Mart, who seem to hire anything live that they can get.

COMMENTS

Manda
02:14 Jan 06 2009

Nicely put.

My first interview I wore kakis, dress shirt and flats. I got the job though. wooo

LaceworkLacerations
02:31 Jan 06 2009

Holy crap. You make it sound like it's sooo easy!

I go to hand in my résumé dressed like I have a court date that day. I'm soo polite. I leave a completed application and a nice little résumé, very clear, highlighted, underlined, categorized, embraced tightly in a spiffy little page sleeve to keep it all together and safe from spills.

No call-backs. Ever. I fill out applications, write up new résumés, clean myself up, act respectably, hand out these references and forms to everyone and their dog--and nobody ever calls back.

Cleaning up and acting respectably can help. But it doesn't guarantee a spot.

At least not with me. Done rambling now. ^^

Morrigon
02:34 Jan 11 2009

Dressing nice and handing in a resume is not a guarantee of getting a call back or a job.

But it is a hell of a lot better than parading yourself around like a jackass.

Bloodmother
02:06 Jan 13 2009

Wow, Patty, this is so good, such good advice.

Manic Monday
01:28 Jan 06 2009
Times Read: 973

So, we hired a new person at work, because we are just overwhelmed with stuff. On top of all the clothes, we have 3, count em, 3, smoke orders to get through. All 3 are from house fires where kids were playing with matches/lighters and burned the house down. WTF!!

I show the new person the basics of getting started with shirt pressing. She had done the same job at other cleaners, so it was supposed to be just showing her how we do it and letting her get on with it. But every time I turned my back to do my own work, she would do exactly the opposite of what she was told...very bad habit some dry cleaner people have.

My boss had me tell her again what was expected, and I stood and made sure she understood me and did what she was instructed to do. This time the boss was watching her when I went to do something else. She went right back to doing things "her way."

My boss went right over to her machine and shut it off. She stood there all stupid, "what's going on?" My boss: "You were shown how we want you to do this job. You continue to do it the way you want, and not the way we would like you to do it." He held up a piece of paper. "You see this? This is a list of 15 people who would like your job. I am going to start calling them if you do not shape up and do exactly what you are told. Am I clear?"

She hung her head, then looked angrily at me. "She spoke too fast, and I didn't understand what I was supposed to do," she said, all pissy.

My boss: "Let's not go there. If you really don't understand the job, we will simply let you go now, and find someone who does understand what we require, ok?"

Grumble grumble bitch bitch. She finally did what she was supposed to do...but kept looking around to see if we were watching. Which we were. We really shouldn't have to babysit someone, as busy as we were. My two bosses and I had a powwow at the end of the day after she had gone home. We will just watch to see what she does tomorrow, and if she slips back into doing things "her way", she goes out.

Pain in the ass. We had to document all this for her file.

You'd think in these times, with jobs so scarce and people out looking for whatever they can find, that if a halfway decent job comes along with fairly simple requirements, people would be grateful for it. Which reminds me...I need to make an entry about the doorknobs who come a job-hunting looking like complete idiots.

Next!