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1 day left
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Miscellany
- Hits: 2082
And the landlord shows up, rings the bell, plunger in hand, 11:30 PM.
The downstairs is a mess, water pouring from the ceiling, there's an easy 10K flood damage. Raw sewage, eating the walls, drywall, carpets, filling the downstairs shower.
It's making my departure from here look increasingly attractive.
Tonight, work, slow - the first slow day in a month, long weekend. The Bosses Nephew has found out that the boss, he doesn't trust him so much and so he's got the dishwasher to move in and keep an eye on the house for the three weeks that he's away. He's not so pleased, he'll be moving in with the current girlfriend for a week or two at least...
And the bosses son, asking questions about creditors that have demanded settlements of 1/2 on his debts, he's accepted, he thinks it's a good deal, but will it affect his credit rating?
The boss, he just shakes his head, asks aloud to anyone who will listen - "How did I end up with such a fucking idiot for a son...."
The son, he's oblivious, he's now discussing the next Harry Potter movie and what will Voldemort do next....
It's a different world. 1 day left until vacation.
Clouds Boiling
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Miscellany
- Hits: 2334
Sleep in, wake up, this lunch off poor payment for last night taken from me, drinking my coffee, vague plans for the morning, afternoon, when the roommate bursts in to tell me the water is backing up, I need to call the landlord.
And I think it's a bit dramatic, we still have the laundromat, but it's the bathroom now, and I go to check and there are turds floating in the bathtub, the toilet has overflown, backed up into the tub, and she's there with mop and bucket cleaning it up.
I should clarify - not my turds.
She's not impressed. The "free rent as long as you clean" agreement - this wasn't part of it. Not at all, not a bit. And so I promise to call the landlord and send her off to work.
I call the landlord, leave a message, another message announcing my departure in August, but they're not returning my calls, and so I have to write this up and take a bus to the old hood where I leave it impaled on their door. Then to Safeway, I need a few weeks of cat food, and purchase as well some drain cleaner. Today will be spent pouring liquid plumber, draino down the sinks, kitchen sink, bathroom sink, bathtub, occasional pots of boiling water, trying to clear the blockage so I can shower and prepare myself for work.
A brief nap, clouds boiling on the horizon, tornadoes in brilliant blue dancing across the landscape, chalk-drawn edges that make them seem like wedges into another universe, hail, great storms that hide the houses across the street from me.
The forecast is for thundershowers.
Now to test my plumbing, take a shower and hope nothing unsavory floats up, then to work. 2 days left.
Swimming
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Dreams
- Hits: 1901
The phone rings and I'm swimming.
Swimming within myself, eyes closed, swimming upwards towards my eyes, there's an eternity between rings of the phone, I'm swimming inside my head, upwards, groggy, surfacing - the phone rings again and I'm on my feet - in front of the desk, taking a call, a reservation, a cancellation, a solicitor, I hang up and still inside my head, not a dream but the sensation of swimming within myself, of awakening too soon.
2 Days
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Miscellany
- Hits: 2160
2 more days. Long days. I can somehow imagine the last day will go quick, we'll get the customers out early, move the tables, final clean of bar and kitchen, our thoughts will be on the brief weeks ahead. Which really only leaves one day, one long day, much to do...
The customers, some, most of whom are too kind. I'll miss them, don't want to disappoint them that I no longer care to serve, it's tough to explain but they should understand. Still, some will be missed more than others.
Like Mitch, great regular customer, friendly, loves his food. And he has an apartment in Vancouver, he's trying to get me to take the keys to it, "Take a vacation, a couple of days off and go stay there" he says. And I want to explain that there are no days off here. None whatsoever, never 2 days off in a row. But he's on a roll - "I have a 57 Mustang convertible, fully loaded, you can have the keys.... Now this is nice, he doesn't know me but I serve him maybe twice a month, and he's offering me his apartment and even if there were time I couldn't accept but he's so insistent, the spirit is grand and I'll miss him, miss the others. Most of the others anyways.
But there's the vacation, the dentist, and then the move and it will be time to move on from there as well.
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