Bautista on the 15-day DL. :(

Today I brought a dozen (might have been eleven..) cookies into work because I thought my coworker would take his normal afternoon shift on this his birthday.  He didn't.  (Why didn't I confirm BEFORE I started baking?)

I texted him to say that today I learned that not confirming people coming in on their birthday creates cookie orphans and attached a photo.  I wanted him to know I hadn't forgotten on the day and give the opportunity to say he was coming in any way or was in the area (for whatever reason).  He did say he needed to come in but a couple hours after I'd already given them away!

Around noon someone whose birthday was in March or April, a funvorite (fun + favorite?), showed up and in a moment I decided the cookies could go to him.  I had meant to bake something, forgot the day after and then thought too much time had passed for his birthday proper.  Since these cookies couldn't go to my coworker til Thursday (which is too stale for life) and I didn't want to bring them home they went to A.

When he entered the shop to pay for his gas he immediately chose my till even though my line was longer. :) We said some nice hellos and I-haven't-seen-you-in-ages-s and then I asked, "Can I tell you a story?"  I figured if explained how I had originally intended to bake something but kept forgetting, it would seem slightly less weird.  I dunno. I actually thought I would bring two batches to work in hopes of seeing him as I was already in baking mode but when I had finished my coworker's bundle and 11.30 hit last night, I was ready for sleep and only sleep.

He seemed more than a little shocked.... he said, "thank you," fourteen hundred times... he (best of all) did not appear weirded out and he insisted on giving me a hug.  I insisted that it was impossible with this huge counter between us but he over-insisted.  Amazingly not awkward. Well... 94% not-awkward.

He felt he needed to reciprocate and asked when my birthday was.  I very rarely get to answer that question with, "Actually it's tomorrow."  Often when people ask, I tell them it was yesterday...but never when it was actually yesterday...I just like doing it because I am weird.  I told him I wasn't going to be at work for a while...and wish I had done a better job of telling him he doesn't need to do anything for me (and I mean this) but I just didn't for whatever reason.

Highlight of my day.

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[At my other job,] My boss was talking to me about language, about propositions in language and I didn't understand all of it (which I enjoy).  He gave the example of a sentence in English not containing the same words as the sentence of the same proposition in German and I asked how the exact same sentiment could be expressed without the same words.  How do you say, "The water is cold," in German without using any of those words?

"OK."  He says, slipping into teacher mode, "How do you say 'water' in German?"

Why he thought I might know, I can't fathom but I answered without thinking, "Wasser," realising later I really should have used an article but there we go.  Anglophone up in here.

He continues*, "OK -- 'wasser' and 'water' are not the same word."

"Ohhhhh you just mean the two languages are different."  (A question without an inquisitive tone.)

Yes, that's what he meant.  We soon established that I don't know what he meant by "proposition" and when he realised I wasn't being coy about that ignorance he relented and we resumed the business matter at hand.

*I think the keyest part of this interaction, to my delight, is being spoken to as if I am a competent and intelligent person.  He doesn't seem to blink with me... just assumes I'll pick things up -- and something in that confidence makes me more confident in my replies.  It's a cool thing to have someone assume the best of you or assume high aptitude for you.


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Early in the morning good ol B____ came in.  I have probably never written about him but he's a daily and sometimes twice- or thrice-a-day-ly.  He's very funny and he's part of the coworking threesome with Mercurial S___, the tight-lipped scowler.

I like him separate from other associations.. he is downright funny.  He's actually quite bright but only exposes this in brief moments.  It's wonderful.. he makes me laugh and his pop culture references are clutch.

Today he was second in line after a guy who asked for cigarettes in four different ways, resulting in three trips back and forth between the cabinets and the counter.  I don't mind correcting if people make mistakes or change their mind but this guy was being unclear, contradicting himself and presuming too much that what he wanted could be reasonably interpreted from what he said.  (It couldn't.)  I regret not being more gracious.

They're cashed out and then B comes up.  He puts a couple bottles of water down and says, "Yes, please," which prompts me to pull his cigarettes from under the register where I'd stashed them before I had a queue.

I inquire, full of facetiousness, "You're not going to change your mind four times?"

He replies, "They probably just wanted to look at ya," and the gutteral Iamsogrossedoutrightnow sound that came out of my throat was uninhibited.  It lasted longer than I expected (the sound) but I was thoroughly grossed out (don't ask me why).

He's laughing a little bit as I'm shuddering and trying to shake it off.  Then I announce, "we're done," moving my hands resolutely, like an ump calling a runner safe.

"Hahaha that's it, eh?" he asks and now I see he's blushing (don't ask me why).

"Yep.  I'm never talking to you again."

He laughs more, collecting his purchases and at the last minute I throw in a "just kidding" because I'm of course not 100% sure he knows I'm joking.  It was funny.  He was poking fun at me and it was funny.  The humor overrode the grossness which is always a plus.


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I'll be going on vacation in about thirty hours...I've been getting more excited by the day for about a fortnight.  It'll be great.  Last legit vacation was October and before that May 2010. I don't even care. THIS ONE WILL BE GREAT.  I don't even care.