is Great!�
(sometimes)

The KIDS

Contrary to what most people have to deal with when working in retail with children, I had a ball. The kids knew what they wanted & told me about stuff we didn't have. Even if they didn't know English, they'd try their damnedest to let you know they wanted Power Rangers or Bratz or something. I had to deal with a few shy ones, but they were not as hard to crack as the stupid kids who swear they know so much that they know what they can do in any store. They should've been more concerned with what they can't do in any store. Case in point: stealing.
What the hell business do you have stealing, kid? Especially the kids who come into the store to steal Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards. Christ, I used to play Magic: The Gathering(uh-oh, gave away my age) and I never wanted to steal cards from other people much less steal from the store because of one reason: where would I put all of them? Yes, yes, a binder, but what then? If I don't want them any more, what then? Yeah, I could sell them, but to whom? How could I get a good price for them? I'd go to a store that sells them--nope, they don't buy back. Then where? To a convention that doesn't advertise on TV? What? If you can put it on TV to buy, then you should be able to put it on TV to sell back. Wait, that would lead to a world dependant on collectible trading cards as a form of currency, where Charizard, Uncle Istvan, Ben Franklin(the guy on the US $100 bill) and the Blue Eyes White Dragon duke it out for supremacy. Mao Zedong and his Medabot, Pandatron, preside as referees.

Still, the comedy doesn't take away the fact that the kids are stealing from stores and then complain when there's no Yu-Gi-Oh! left. That's why I tell 'em kids to punch other kids who boast about stealing cards. It's a vicious cycle, I know. So do the thieves.

But they're such darlings.

The CO-WORKERS

Man oh man. What would I have done without my dogs!
I love alla y'all. I would've seriously flipped out and killed someone had it not been for my co-workers keeping me in check. I'll name 'em down the line:

• Todd, the manager
  Wow, man. Thanks for saving my bacon. I am eternally grateful. Thanks for hiring me when the achievements on my resume far surpassed the requirements, thus making me�OVERQUALILFIED�for the position. Todd is a great man. He's into Star Trek, the Simpsons, and a lot of other cool stuff. I like him. Good man, that Todd. Whoo! Much love to you and yours, Todd!

• Chico, the assistant manager
  Holy moley! Look in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's an anime freak!
  No! It's Spanish Superman!
  Chico (also known as Cheeky Monkey) has saved my ass on numerous occasions from rude Hispanic customers who think that throwing a $20 bill at something they don't understand will solve a problem. Whenever I needed a Spanish speaker to handle these lucky souls who come to the counter, I can turn to Cheeky Monkey. He was the first to let me know that Miami don't like the talented nor the educated. Skilled as he was, he couldn't do what he wanted. I have to give him mad props for doing what he does all day. I was lost without him and another of the assisiant managers, Kareliz.

• Kareliz, assistant manager #2
  Last I checked, she was on her way to having a kid and I was rooting for her. Man, oh man. She really did her job as well as she could for her intelligence. I say that because she must've felt unchallenged what with graduating from high school early and all. Frickin' genius, that girl. Miss you too.

• Olivia, assistant manager #3
  When I first started working there, there was this cashier named Lorena. Full-blooded Colombian girl; cute in her own way. She was interesting to listen to because her English needed work. Then she had to leave and I missed her a whole lot. Then Olivia came along.
  Wow. She looks similar to Lorena because she's half-Colombian. Thick, curly golden hair, light brown skin and eyes blended with green, grey and brown; her eyes almost look cat-like. She is beautiful. I was happy to count the money at night because she would take down her hair and it'd be all over the place. She has so much hair for such a small person. And her voice kicks ass, kinda like Denise Richards' voice but not trying to be sexy all the time. Just when I was gonna push up on her, she's all "I have a boyfriend." Lucky you and lucky him. Good. I liked her so much after that, I could still be a co-worker and friend. That's rare. I really miss you, hon.

• Marie aka "Mom", cashier #3
  Whatta lady. She always telling me how much she doesn't care. She loves to tell people off 'cuz she's got the seniority on the floor in terms of age. We have to say hello to Mom or catch hell. Love her with lotsa hugs and stuff.

• The Guys on the Floor and in the Back (i.e., DaCarllo, Eden, Will, Big Al, Chris, Brian, Enoch)
  If not for these men, I'd really be stuck. Eden let me know that we, as graphic-designers-in-arms, are not respected in that city. We come a dime a dozen, but only a few of us are truly talented. He is one of the talented ones and is slept on regularly. Gotta clap it up for him.
  Will is an anchor for a lot of what I experienced in Tallahassee prior to the move to Miami in terms of encounters with general folk, so he and I have a mutual understanding of folks where I am now. He's slways trying to calm me because he knows I could blow and screw up my life at any time and I have to thank him for that. Much love to him and his peoples.
  Where there's smoke, there's fire and where there's fire, there's Brian and Chris. An inseparable duo from the neighboring KB Toys down the road, they always had me on the ball. Good guys, Chris and Brian.
  Big. Al. Yet another dude who kept me on the ball, Al is one of those people whom you meet that teaches you not to trust others by example. Still a hoot to hear talk about women tho'. The string of words that come out of his mouth shouldn't be repeated but would if I could remember what he said and not just their meaning. Lucky for you readers.

  Enoch was a new addition to the crew, as was Kristal, Joy and X. They are all cool peeps, but I can't really say much more 'cuz I'm trying to get to the part about Dacarllo.

  Then there's Dacarllo. That dude. A strange duck if there ever was one and I treasure the days we hung out at his second home. Dacarllo self-taught himself Norwegian and is a big metal fan. All that AND he's black. A rare young man indeed. He has a lot of potential in his person, but a lot of people are scared of that. Dacarllo has a sense of humor and is just fun to be around in general. Yet I can't seem to understand why he isn't doing something more constructive. I asked him why and, in query, suggested he teach Norwegian. He told me 'cuz he doesnt want to teach a class where even one student is not paying attention. It's a bit disconcerting, but I understand his reasoning. There's a lot of people who have slept through classes(namely myself) and passed. It's the ones that sleep through IMPORTANT classes relative to their major that are the dangerous ones. Granted, most folk don't think a Norwegian language course is important, but to Dacarllo, it is or would be 'cuz he's teaching it�if her were teaching it. I miss you, dude. I miss you --and the wimminfolk.

• Josie, our DSM(hehehehehehehehehehehehehe)
  Big ups to Josie Colonic for being a constant boon to remind me that the world does indeed work in reverse.

The CUSTOMERS