As The Station Turn 5/02

 I wasn't looking forward to going to work because the Part Time Woman is suppose to be training at the Truck Stop on the Saturday morning shift and I was going to have to deal with her for about 10 minutes during shift change, however she wasn't there. I asked Mrs. Late Guy about it and she told me that Part Time Woman was suppose to work on Friday night and then Saturday morning but had "called in sick" for both days. This means in the first two weeks she was suppose to be training at the Truck Stop she hadn't worked a single day there. Mrs. Late Guy pointed out that the city is doing their Cinco de Mayo party this weekend and she probably went to that instead. If what I've been told is right they are going to shut the Haunted Station down while the refurbish the place for a walk up counter service restaurant which means that if the Part Time Woman doesn't know what to do at the Truck Stop she won't be working at all. And I won't mind. 

I wanted to zip outside and check the trashes so I could plan when I was going to toss them later, however a guy came in so I was stuck behind the counter waiting for him. He finally got all his stuff done and I made it to the door when a woman came in to buy smokes. She apologized for interrupting me but she's a regular and I told her I had 8 hours to do it so no big deal. She got her stuff and left, good, chance to go check the trash and...the first guy came back in for more stuff. Eventually I did get a chance to check the trash, one needed dumped. 

There is a regular at the Truck Stop and the last time I saw him, about a year ago, he didn't look too good. Plus he was driving a van with a bad fuel pump and had rigged a hose to his carburetor and was literally dumping gas into it to drive (needless to see the cops caught him and took his license plate until he got it road worthy) He also lives in an old restaurant, not a house that was converted into a restaurant but an actual restaurant. Anyhow he came in today and doesn't look too good, and he's now driving an old motorcycle that looks like he pulled it out of the scrap yard. He couldn't get the gas cap open and was prying away with a screwdriver. I'm fully expecting to see that guy in the obituaries some time by the end of the year.

A guy in a big box truck pulled into the auto diesel pump, the difference is that it only has a nozzle on the driver's side and not a satellite pump for the semi tank on the other side, and he came in the wrong way. So  instead of pulling forward and turning around he backed up, backed around, and backed into the #10 pump, which is still out of order. So he had to back up and pull over to the #11 pump. I enjoyed the show. 

An old guy pulling a 5th wheel trailer and a golf cart on a second trailer pulled into the semi diesel pump. The problem is they have a larger high volume nozzle and it wouldn't fit into his truck's gas tank. Nobody else was there so I explained to him that he could pull through the regular pumps, around the building and then into the auto diesel pump. He seemed kind of confused about it so I carefully explained it to him again. Then I watched to make sure he didn't run into my car. He got around, figured out the pump and then left, and pulled the second trailer over the curb as he was exiting the lot. Personally I think the second towed trailer should be banned and there are people who have reached an age where someone should check to make sure they should still have a license. And he was heading to Texas so if you live there beware.

A guy came in and was having an unpleasant phone discussion with his girlfriend. At one point he said "Of course you're upset, hearing the truth hurts." I wonder if she's still his girlfriend. He was having a really bad day because he had been out checking the horse's water tank, bent over and dropped his vape into the water, ruining it. He was buying a new one and they ain't cheap. 

So last week I posted about a kid that pissed me off, he had filled up a cup of soda, dumped it out, filled it up a second time, dumped it out and then ran out the door. Today he came in and actually bought two cups of soda, and I charged him one size up to pay for what he had wasted last time. He wasn't paying attention to what I rang out. So now we're somewhat even. 

And then the Homeless Millionaire came wandering towards the station. He didn't look good and forget walking a straight line. I rushed over and met him at the front door and told him point blank that he had been banned and wasn't allowed in the station anymore. He said some gibberish and left. But then I heard a guy at a pump shouting at him. The guy came in and said the Millionaire had punched his car. I told the guy the Millionaire had a no trespass order and I could call the cops but the guy didn't want to get caught up in that hassle so he passed. After the guy left I called the Random Woman across the street to warn her about the Millionaire, I told her if he showed up to lock the door and call the cops, to not even mess with him since he's become too erratic and possibly dangerous. I didn't see him the rest of the night and I'm still hoping that he wanders down to the Conoco and causes all his problems there.

There is a regular retired guy who comes in, he gets a cup of coffee and a snack and then says "did I tell you about....?" Every time he says that I always tell him no and he proceeds to tell me a story he told me at least 10 times before. It makes him happy since I'm sure everyone else in his life says "yeah yeah, I heard that one before". It's probably why I see him three or four times a week. Today was about the big cookie jar full of pennies. 

A guy came in and wanted to know if he was still in Texas. Not for 90 miles. I told him he was almost in Colorado. He must have been asleep for a long time, I hope he wasn't driving.

In Denver there is a huge car auction, I'm not sure how often they hold it, perhaps every three months. They sell abandon, repossessed and trade in cars that dealerships are looking to get rid of. They are sold for scrap and there are several companies that pass through the station, they will find one car that runs and hook up a second car with a tow bar, take them back to their scrap yards, either in Texas or Juarez, part them out and then melt down the remaining steel to be reused. I like them, they don't make a mess, they pay cash and get anywhere from $100 to $300 at a time. 

My last customer of the night was a guy looking at the vapes. He appeared to be in that "better check" age range and what do you know, his ID wasn't in his pocket or in his truck. He must have left it in his overalls when he was at work, gosh. I told him the inspectors were in town so I had to see all ID's this week. He left without argument. I bet he's use to coming in when the Doofus worked there and never asked. That's a good way to get stuck with a huge fine. 

Stinky and the Graveyard Shift Guy came in so I closed my drawer and did my paperwork fast, I was in a hurry to go home. I warned the Graveyard Shift Guy about the Homeless Millionaire and nobody had told him the guy had been no trespassed from the lot. Honestly, a little information goes a long way, and will eventually prevent police involvement. I noticed the Random Woman was still across the street, I wonder if she got a lot of auction car drivers too. And, that was the end of my day.

As The Station Turn 5/1

 I went to the store and then stopped at the West Side Station to say hi to the Weekend Guy. He confirmed that the Manager of the Truck Stop is planning on retiring in June. He can't believe that she is doing it just as the summer really gets geared up. I said it makes perfect sense, get out before things get bad.

I also told him about the Homeless Millionaire, he said the guy had been talking erratic for a few days and he too was wonder when the crash was coming. He said the same thing everyone else had "I'm surprised the Crazy Lady didn't shoot him". Also they are moving everything around at the West Side Station, I told him it was so they could set up to sell hot foods, which won't work at that station since it's right across the street from McDonalds and they don't get the semis.

The Weekend Guy told me that the Boss has been in talks with the owner of the old warehouse next to the Haunted Station. Gotta wonder what plans they have for that place. I expect everything to be completely different next year. 

I then dropped by the Haunted Station but the Late Guy wasn't there. Someone had been sick, I'm guessing at the Downtown Station and the Random Woman had gone in to cover and so Mrs. Late Guy was doing the morning shift at the Haunted Station and the Late Guy would be covering the afternoon. Today the Part Time Woman is suppose to be working her first shift at the Truck Stop and Mrs. Late Guy (who hates her) was going to have to work a couple of hours with her but she got out of it. But it also means that the Part Time Woman will be doing her shift with The Graveyard Shift guy and he doesn't care, he won't show her anything or teach her anything so this should be a disaster. The Boss is bouncing the Part Time Woman around in hopes of pissing her off and getting her to quit. This should be interesting. 

I told Mrs. Late Guy about the Homeless Millionaire. I guess he had been in earlier in the morning and got pissed because his debit card has been cut off. He claimed he could buy a new pin but I'm pretty sure that is just something in his mind. He got angry and left. I told her if he came back to just call the cops, it's reached that point and who knows what he is going to do. Later I saw him out in the middle of the street yelling at cars. I'm worried about the guy and I hope they pick him up soon. 

I went back to the Haunted Station in the afternoon because the Late Guy was having problems with the lottery. However when I got there the problem had cleared up, oh well I had to go for a walk anyhow so it worked out. He told me they are going to gut the station and redo it all so they can set up a walk up counter service where the old restaurant use to be, he even had to go take a class. I figure they are going to put him in charge of it once they have it up and running.

And for the first time I knew something he didn't, he hadn't heard about the construction company wanting to rent the lower lot. I was telling him how it would work out for the boss, but he was going to be selling a lot of coffee first thing in the morning. Then I came home. We'll see what happens tomorrow.

As The Station Turns 4/30

 It's raining today, which means the floor will be tracked up the whole time. But at least I have a good excuse for not mopping. And the weirdos mostly stay home. 

They changed the price of fuel again which meant that the Late Guy was going to have to go in and do the sign. I had to laugh because he wanted to be the manager. I also realized that he's change the sign more times in a week than I did all last year. 

The touch screen on the credit card wasn't working, I had no idea how long it had been like that but people were having to use the touch wand. So, I got under the counter, unplugged it, plugged it back in again and it worked. No wonder they always tell you that stuff when you call the help line.

A bus pulled into the Haunted Station but then left and went to the Chevron. The Weekend Guy is working across the street today so I had to wonder if he rushed over, locked the door and put up the Closed sign and then hid until they were gone. I wouldn't put it past him.

A woman came in, used the restroom, wandered around the station and finally bought some stuff. As she was standing there I realized she was wearing a company shirt from a rival station. I don't think she was spying but I had to wonder why she didn't go to the station for the company she worked for. Odd.

The Part Time Woman was going to be working across the street and I wanted to see what time she showed up. However some guy in a big rental truck, and towing an overpacked pickup on a trailer, blocked my view. No problem, he'll probably leave before she gets there, but he hung around outside, not getting gas. Then he brought his young son inside and headed to the restroom, for 20 minutes. Then he came back out and finally started pumping gas. Then he came in and they looked all around for snacks. Then hung out in the parking lot, then he and the kid came back in to use the restroom again. He was parked out there for 45 minutes and when he finally left the Part Time Woman was across the street and I never saw when she got there. It's as if they know what I'm doing. 

It was so cloudy and dark that I turned the canopy lights early. The Weekend Guy didn't and he looked closed all afternoon. The lights went on after the Part Time Woman went to work. I know he did that intentionally.

The Boss came by and was telling me the Manager is thinking about retiring in June. She could live off her husband's retirement, and she's talked about it for the past 20 years. I believe her this time. There is also a theory that the Manager of the West Side Station may also be leaving which would explain the rumor of my potential moving over there. But that means they'll have a whole new staff at the Truck Stop in the next 6 months. The future has never been this unknown. 

They just finished repairing the pumps and the #10 pump stopped working. The bosses get mad when you mark a pump out of order and I didn't have a lot of diesel customers so I just kept telling them to move to a different pump and left the problem for someone else. And then #11 started rejecting all the cards, I didn't tell anyone about that either. And I'm off on Friday so it's really someone else's problem.

I went to do a last minute check on the restroom and there was hair on the floor of the men's room. And not loose strands but wads of hair. Are they undergoing some kind of medical thing and losing chunks? It was odd. 

A guy came in and it took me a minute and I suddenly realized, I had worked with that guy a long time ago. He was a bit of a goofball and had started getting into drugs, which caused him schizophrenic episodes. Things got really bad for him. I didn't ask what happened and I kind of hoped he didn't recognize me. 

It was the end of the night, I was out of my drawer, finished my paperwork and was ready to leave. Stinky was slowly counting in his drawer and the Crazy Lady, who had opened her drawer, had wandered off to who knows where. Some woman was asking about cigarettes and didn't know what the brands were. I told her that there was regular Marlboro so she was going to go out and ask if that was good enough. I told the Crazy Lady that there were all kinds of red flags on that one and to be sure to check an ID. Or the woman was Canadian.

Anyhow, for the big news of the day, the Random Millionaire has been acting more and more erratic for the past week. He's been losing his temper over nothing, riding out into traffic and mumbling to himself. I figured if he was going to go over the edge I hoped he did it down at the Conoco. Well, on Wednesday night he came in to the Truck Stop and got into a huge fight with the Crazy Lady and in the end he punched her, in the chest. I don't think it was that hard but none the less there is a zero tolerance on physical violence so he now has a No Trespass notice on him. Everyone said the same thing "I'm surprised she didn't shoot him" (yes the Crazy Lady is always armed). So, this is going to be interesting.

The Lottery Experiment April

Week 15

 For the first Saturday of the month I had $22.68 in the Tip Jar. Since I've bought all the available tickets it was time to start over. I was planning on buying one of two $10 tickets for their color so I could use them in my project. I spun my lucky coin and it landed on the one with the potential $50000 jackpot. The coin was right, I won, $10. I'm starting out the month on another push. It would be nice to come out ahead but walking away with what I spent isn't bad.

Week 16

Like every other Sunday there was another temptation. This time it was game 666 which is in space 13 and the ticket was #007. Once again I decided to stick to the rules and ignore the numbers. Someone came in on Monday and bought it but they didn't come back so I don't know if it was a winner or a loser. And it means when Saturday rolls around I won't buy it.

Saturday rolled around and I had $14.03 in the Tip Jar. There were two new tickets, one for five dollars and one for 10. I decided to go with the $10 ticket because I liked the color. It had a potential jackpot of $20 thousand. And it was a loser. Oh well. 

Later on Saturday I found another lottery ticket outside, it was the same game as I had lost on. It wasn't a winner either. But I have two tickets towards my project. I really need to get busy on it. 

Week 17

This week I had $6.51 in the Tip Jar. I had a choice between a ticket that was going to run out or the new game. I went with the new $5 ticket, it has a potential jackpot of $25k. It wasn't a winner but it's a second chance drawing and the overall ticket is black which is good for my art project.

The scanner for people to check their own tickets quit working so I had to do a hard reboot of the system. I needed to check it but the only old draw ticket I had was a winner and the scanner ignores those since it had already been cashed out. I needed a loser so I was tempted to buy one for the afternoon draw and test it out. However a guy came in to check tickets and one of his draw ticket was a loser so I could check it on the scanner and it was working. So, that saved me a dollar.

Week 18

And then everything went sideways. There was a firing at one of the other stations at the company where I work and the boss wants me to go over and run the afternoon shift. The problem is they don't sell lottery tickets so I can't buy my own anymore. I can go by once a week and keep the thing going but do I want to is the question. If I quit now I end it down. I have 5 days to think about it. Also I'll have to shift my purchase day to Friday.

I've been on my new job for 24 hours and have had to go to the old station two days in a row. I ended up having to cover for an hour so I figured what the heck, I'd buy the last April ticket. I had an even $7 in the Tip Jar and there is a game that will be ending soon so since we have a few left I figured I would buy it while I had the chance. It is a $5 ticket with a potential jackpot of $200. It doesn't have the best of color for my project but I can make it work. Anyhow it wasn't a winner so I'm ending the month down. I have no idea what will happen at work for the next few months. The good news is since I won't be around the tickets all day I won't be making stupid decisions based on lucky numbers or the week being just right, or the Fates telling me "buy this, buy this now!" Perhaps I can get a better grip on the whole experiment. It also means I won't buy a ticket for a week and a half.

My April Total

I spent $92 on scratch tickets.

$14 on Powerball tickets.

 Won $79

Found a ticket good for a free $2 ticket

Was tipped a $5 ticket.

Got a $4 lottery tip. 

I entered 16 Second Chance tickets on line

At the end of the month I am down $23 in the regular lottery experiment. 

I also have $180.00 in the Alternate Fund

The Art Project

I spent $20 on tickets.

I got one free ticket

I won $3

I'm down $17 but it's for art so....

So overall I'm down a total of $39 thanks to art.

As The Station Turn 4/29

 When I got to work the pump repair guy was there. The station had a contract with one company but they pissed off all their employees and everyone quit. The station got a contract with a new company but the Boss pissed them off so they stopped showing up. So on to company number three. He was there for a couple of hours, there were multiple pumps that didn't work and he finally got them up and running, but then one crashed after he left, and it was one that had been working before. I went outside to see what was going on and it was trying to read a card, even though nobody was using it. I messed around a bit, pushed the cancel button and hit the fuel selection button and it went back on line, probably had nothing to do with what I did. Anyhow we now have fully functional pumps. Before he left the guy asked if I had any paperwork for him to turn into the state but nobody told me anything about it so I didn't. He called someone and found where the paperwork was and left. The Boss came around later and wanted to know if the guy had gone across the street to see why those pumps are running slow. Again, nobody told me anything about it so I get a pass on that. (as part of my "cover thine own ass" policy I'm going to be ignorant on a lot of things for the rest of the year)

I looked across the street and the Dyslexic woman, who works Wednesday mornings, was sweeping around one of the pumps. I figured out that someone must have had a fuel spill and she dumped the absorption stuff on it and now she was cleaning it up. Sure enough, someone came along and parked right where she was trying to sweep. No surprise there, the whole place is empty and that is the spot where they had to park.

I decided to run and check the restroom, hey the urinal is working again, that thing is always bagged out. I needed to dump a bucket of water down it to clean it out but just then I got swarmed by pissers. They know, they just know. Then I discovered the station doesn't have a bucket anymore, how the heck to they clean anything if they don't have a bucket? Anyhow back in the day there was a leak in the freezer blower and they had an old ice bucket under it so I filled that up and used it to give the urinal a good flush. I'm gonna have to take my own bucket because I like to dump hot water down it at least once a day. Or until it gets bagged out again.

It started to get hazy outside and I wondered what the heck was going on. I looked out the back door and there were clouds of smoke coming up from south of town. I got on Facebook and there was a grass fire but it was in a perfect spot, between two roads and a railroad track, pretty much perfect fire breaks. In about four hours they had the thing put out.

There was a pile of old plastic pallets out back of the Haunted Station. Where they came from? I didn't know. Who did they belong to? Again, I didn't know. How long had they been there? Before I worked there. Some woman had asked about them and I told her that if I came in and they were gone I wasn't going to say anything. Well I looked over there today and they were gone. Who took them? I don't know.

I found a nut, metal bolt thing by the way, and dropped it in the Take A Penny tray, just for laughs. Well, someone took it. Why would you take an old nut out of a penny tray? Now I'm gonna have to find a new one. 

A guy came in and said the coffee wasn't working. What? I went over to the pot and it had coffee in it, all he had to do was pull the lever forward and fill up his cup, so I pointed that out to him. He pointed to the paper that was over the buttons that said "Don't push these buttons" I told him that there was coffee and he could get all he wanted. So he asked me how much it was and I asked him what size. He said he was going to go check...and went outside. He never came back. 

The Boss had been across the street and he got really happy because he saw a bus pull on the lot and he thought I was going to be busy. However it turned out to be the Mexican bus and they were just dropping someone off. BTW, if you're from Colorado or New Mexico you know what the Mexican bus is and won't get pissed at the term.

The highway department is going to rebuild the interstate overpass, something that has been in the planning stages for the past 5 years. They finally got all the plans done, they got all the contracting done and I guess they are going to start within the next couple of months. The construction company contacted the Boss and want to rent the lower lot at the Haunted Station to store their equipment. I said it was a great idea, he gets paid to do nothing, they will be at the stations every day buying coffee, snacks, sandwiches and so forth and they'll be filling up their equipment. It's a win/win/win for him. He then asked if I thought the bridge was going to cause him problems and I pointed out anyone coming from Texas wasn't going to want to deal with the mess of driving across the bridge and the detour was going to start at the Haunted Station and then down the frontage road, they would stop there or at the Truck Stop in order to avoid trying to get to the other side of the interstate, another win for him. Although I don't think the West Side Station will survive.

I got a Where's George bill in my drawer so I had taken it home and updated it. At the first of the shift I had given it to a truck driver. A couple of hours later he came back and paid it back in, that was the fastest turn around I ever had on one. I gave it out to the next customer that came in. Happy wandering bill. 

Some guy came in and very specifically wanted $28.88 on the pump. I don't question people's phobias. Too bad he didn't go to pump #8

It was almost the end of my shift when a guy walked in and said "good morning", at 9 PM. I pretended I didn't notice. If you ever go to a place and say something embarrassing know that it happens all the time, we're use to it and we don't judge you for it. 

Since I came back to the Truck Stop I've noticed that every night at 9 I get swamped, I guess the other stations are closing at that time and everyone heads up here. So, I've started trying to get everything done early enough so I don't have to worry about it or leave something undone. So today I was completely finished and...the place emptied out and I was so slow for the last hour. They know, they just know. Oh, and the Graveyard Shift was late, I figured Stinky was once again sick and taking the day off but he showed up. I ran out the door as quickly as I could. Also the Weekend guy was working across the street and I'm pretty sure he closed at 9 and left at 10 so he wasn't stuck there when I went home. 

As The Station Turns 4/28

 My day started early, I got a phone call from the Late Guy, they finally got the big digital price sign working and the programming fob, however, it is suppose to switch from cash to credit price, .03¢ discount if you come by, however the sign was stuck on credit. I changed the price on the sign maybe twice before it broke down but I figured I would go see what I could do. I also decided that since I'm not the manager anymore I was going to clock in, they have a digital clock in system so you can get on at any of the stations. I was planning on getting the sign working, then clocking out, hanging out for probably a half hour or so chatting with the Late Guy and then going to work, I was wrong. I don't know what they did but the sign was stuck on credit and wouldn't go into displaying both the prices mode. I went through the instructions, the Late Guy looked some stuff up on the internet, nothing would work. I finally decided to do the old standby, turn it off and turn it on again. Then hit the proper combo on the remote and viola, cash or credit price came up. I set it to the right price and by that time I killed a little time and just went to work, and I picked up an extra hour on my check. Later the Boss came by and I told him I was over helping get the sign up but I didn't mention the clock thing. If he asks me why I clocked in early I'll tell him "I told you, I was getting the sign up and running". 

Also the internet crashed at the Haunted Station so the credit cards weren't working. They have a back up system that works on its own signal but it's not connected to the register so you have to manually enter everything and at the end of the day you are way off in your total. Later in the day I saw a couple of work trucks over there so I figured the internet company sent someone over. I'll find out what the details were later, probably on Friday. 

Also the Late Guy is telling me all about what he wants to do, move this over there, put in a new rack there and stock it with this, and so forth and so on. Oh this isn't going to be good, he's gonna end up with a lot of outdated stock and have to spend a lot of time telling people where stuff is. I spent months observing the flow and where people were heading when they were looking for something specific. Also getting similar stuff into the same places. He's gonna change all that and it's going to turn into a Walmart type of situation. I also suggested he orders the new $3 lottery ticket because he's about to have an open space. We'll see if he listens. 

When I got to the Truck Stop the Homeless Millionaire was there and I don't know if he's on something new or he's not taking his proper meds but he was on a tear today. He was having a huge argument, with himself, and I couldn't tell if he was winning or losing. When he realized the Manager and Mrs. Late Guy had left he decided to leave, I think he's a little afraid of me. Later I saw him in the vacant lot down the road. His shirt was off, the fight was in full gear and he was storming around. He must have headed back to his camp because I didn't see him the rest of the day. I hope that guy gets himself balanced out or bad things are going to happen. And if he can't get himself balanced out I hope the bad things happen somewhere else. 

I was suppose to be off today but the Boss had called and told me to take Monday off since the Manager needed this morning off. Mrs Late Guy worked the afternoon shift and was suppose to work solo on Tuesday morning. However the Manager had gone to the dentist and since it wasn't anything serious she came in, they were both there when I showed up. It's fun not knowing what days I'll be working from one week to the next.

I was looking across the street and I could see the Late Guy and the Random Woman having a conversation in front of the Haunted Station. He said they were going to be having a serious talk about personal food in the coolers and the cleaning schedule. The Boss wants to start doing hot foods and the health department will be dropping by for an inspection. Considering the Haunted Station isn't set up properly I don't see them getting a permit. Also the Random Woman kept talking about how she wasn't happy and was considering finding something else before the summer kicks in. I don't think the daily lecture on what she's doing wrong will encourage her to stick around. I always had minor problems with her but nothing I couldn't deal with. This is going to get interesting. Perhaps I'll start dropping hints to the Boss that if he hires a couple of qualified people for the Truck Stop, and she quits I could go back over there and do the afternoon shift. 

Some kid pissed me off. He came in, got a soda, dumped it out and left, came back got a second soda and dumped it out again and then rushed out the door. I gave him the death stare the whole time. He had better not come back. 

The Manager came by, she had the Boss order her some brats for a party her family is holding this weekend and he was suppose to drop them off, however he was running behind. When he showed up he changed the fuel price, just another patriotic 20¢ per gallon increase, winning. The Late Guy was across the street trying to change the price on his sign and he still couldn't figure out the remote. I was trying to give him instructions over the phone but he wasn't getting it. The Boss told me to go over and help him so I was halfway there when he finally figured it out. Again, I'm not a manager anymore. Anyhow the Truck Stop Manager showed up, filled up her car and then changed the price, I don't blame her for that. Then they all left.

Towards the end of the night a guy tanked up at the diesel pumps. However, when he went to pull out he discovered that his transmission was stuck, he could go in reverse but not into drive. He was pulling a trailer so trying to maneuver around the building was going to be impossible, although I'd love to see someone try. Anyhow when I hauled the trash out he waved and me and explained that he was waiting for it to cool down and hopefully he could get it into gear and pull out of the middle of the road. He was going to have someone come and tow him to their shop but that could be a couple of hours. I told him it was no problem, after all what could he do? Later when I looked out he had gotten it into drive and had pulled over into the dirt lot but he wasn't going to chance doing any permanent damage and was still waiting for the tow. 

Some guy came in, got pissed at the price of sunflower seeds and stormed out. I'm tempted to print the White House address and email with the words "Price Complaint Department" on it and hand it to grouch people. You know the majority are MAGA.

A truck driver came in and wanted to know if he could park in the vacant lot next to the Truck Stop. I told him sure. He wanted to know if he had to pay and I told him we don't charge, especially since it's not our property. He said the Haunted Station was charging to park, that was news to me. I wonder if someone over there has been pocketing cash as a "parking fee". If the Boss finds out someone could lose their job. Oooo, what if it's the Part Time Woman? I might have to drop a hint about that.

Some guy came in and was looking for the highway to Texas, I told him he was going the right way. He said that there is no sign when you come off the interstate. I walk by there on a regular basis and there is a really big sign with a really big arrow pointing the right way to go. But then the guy told me he was coming from Colorado Springs where he picked up his friend at the airport and they were driving to Houston. Ummm....wouldn't it have been easier for your friend to fly into Houston? So, I wish that guy the best of luck because he seems a little weird. 

I wanted to do the ice before I left but some guy drifted in. He wandered around and finally bought some stuff and left. I got to the end of the counter and he came back in, he wanted $40 on the pump, why didn't he just pay for it the first time, then he left. Then he came back in and wanted more stuff. Then his girlfriend came in to use the restroom. Then he came back in because he wanted to put gas in his girlfriend's car too. Then the woman who the guy picked up at the airport in Colorado Springs, who had been sitting outside for a half hour came in. AAAAAAAA! Yes, I eventually got the ice done. 

The Crazy Lady and the Graveyard Shift Guy came in and I closed my shift. I warned them that the wind was blowing so the crazies were out. The Crazy Lady told me about a tornado in Kansas. Ummmm....well that was a strange shift. But I was on my way out the door so I didn't care. I looked at the Haunted Station and the Random Woman had a lot full of cars so she wasn't going home for a while.

And I'm so looking forward to Wednesday.

As The Station Turns 4/26

 Mrs. Late Guy had a thing to do on Sunday afternoon so I went in an hour early. The place was mobbed. I haven't seen it that busy since "the war" and the price increase. Also the wind was blowing so it meant I was going to have a bad day. And I was off. 

I was watching the goings on across the street, some guy had pulled into the pumps wrong so he was trying to turn around and pull in to the diesel pump. There are acres of room over there and you can drive all they way around the building but instead he was trying to pull forwards and back up, with a trailer, back and forth, back and fourth, it took him a good ten minutes to finally get around to where he could finally get to the pump without dragging the trailer across the barriers. And in two minutes he could have pulled around the building. Oh well, I was entertained. 

A woman got a soda, but used a coffee cup. It's no big difference to me, I knew what to charge her, however she couldn't figure out what lid to use. She was trying to use the lids labeled for the soda cups, since she got soda, instead of the ones labeled for the coffee cups, which she was using. I kept telling her to use the right lids, but she got soda so shouldn't she use a soda lid? Then her daughter got involved and I got really frustrated. They finally said, "these are for the coffee cups" and I told her "Yes, you are using a coffee cup". If there had been a point in my life when someone listened to what I said I would be pissed but after all these decades I'm use to it. 

The Homeless Millionaire came in and he was all wired up. He counted through his stuff, said something strange, and left. I saw him ride it bike through oncoming traffic and head across the street. Then he came storming back to the Truck Stop and asked for a pack of cigarettes Being-Sure-To-Put-Emphasis-On-Every-Word. I knew his brand so I was already halfway to getting them while he was still talking. I rang it out, he mumbled something and then stormed out. Later the Late Guy came by and I asked what happened across the street. The Random Woman was ringing up his smokes and he got pissed that it was taking too long. She said if he didn't behave himself she was going to start asking for his ID, which he probably doesn't have. The got into a shouting match and she told him to not come back as he stormed out. He'll have forgotten by the next day and go back, and be nicer. He keeps talking about heading south or even out to L.A. and I won't mind. 

The Last Guy told me the company was gearing up to sell hot foods like hot dogs or nachos. Oh I'm not looking forward to that. I've worked at places that do that stuff before and it's a mess, plus the waste and all the health department regulations. These days you have to pass a food handling class and I can't imagine someone like Stinky being able to do that. This is a disaster waiting to happen. 

For the second time since I moved over to the Truck Stop I've had to change out the soda syrup. What the heck? Can't it run out on someone else's shift? And of course I was busy the whole time. 

A guy with an EV came in looking for a charging port. I told him where the closest one was but he said they didn't fit his car. I though those things would be universal, one design for all cars but I guess they have to make things difficult. Anyhow I gave him directions to another place even though I have no idea what their plugs are like. Also wouldn't they have them listed on Google?

An Earth Wanderer came in, I could barely understand what she was saying, she was an interesting one. She asked if she could fill up her water bottle and I told her sure. She did and then left. So that didn't turn out bad which was nice. Usually when the wind blows the real nut jobs come out but that didn't happen today.

Business slowed down so I figured it was a good time to get something to eat, trail mix by the way since I know better than to try to eat anything hot. Sure enough, a woman came in and was looking around. She was complaining about reducing sodium in her diet and boy did she pick the wrong place to come. She finally left and then another truck driver came in, he was describing everything in the store to someone on the phone. He finally left and I got swarmed. An hour later I went back to eating.

A guy came in looking for DEF at a pump (Diesel Exhaust Fluid). I told him nobody around here had that and he left. I'm sure he didn't believe me. Happy hunting dude. 

I started my end of the shift stuff but two women came in and wandered around the whole store. At one point they got into an argument about the amount of chocolate chips in the various packages of cookies. All I wanted was for them To Leave! Finally they came up to the register so I could ring them out, then they decided the needed something else. ARRRRGGGG! Then the Boss came in and every time I tried to step away from the register he asked me another question. He usually runs in, does his stuff and leaves but today he wanted to hang out. he finally left. 

I bagged up all the restroom trash and was about to carry the bag out to the dumpster and again I got swarmed so I has to set it off to the side. An older guy came in and was waiting for someone to fill up at the pump and naturally he had to hang out right in front of the register. I can't tell you how much I hate that. Go away so I can do stuff or other customers can buy stuff. Some people have zero awareness of the universe. 

Once again the place cleared out so I figured I would do the ice in the soda machines early. I went to the office got out the step ladder, took the lid off the machine and three vehicles pulled up on the lot. I quickly ran back to the office to turn off the light and close the door. Sure enough all the people who came in headed straight back there despite the big sign that say DO NOT ENTER. NO RESTROOM. If I had left the door open they would have gone into the office, wandered around and then figured out the lack of toilets probably meant something. 

Stinky showed up early, thank goodness since I had been at work for 8 1/2 hours. However after buying his cigarettes and a sandwich he stood at the end of the counter staring out into space, while I dealt with a register problem. Finally 10 minutes later he logged on and I was able to close my drawer. Seriously, it's a small town, you should know how long it takes to get from your house to work, if you aren't going to clock in then don't come in I don't understand people.

As I was getting ready to leave I checked my phone and discovered that the Late Guy had tried to call me at 9 in the morning. It was way too late to answer whatever question he had. Plus, he's the manager of the Haunted Station now, he's going to have to figure it out.

Meanwhile Today 4/27

First thing this morning I got a call from the Boss. These days with my screwed up schedule I was going to work on Monday and have Tuesday off. However he wants me to take Monday off and come in on Tuesday. What's up with that? Are they going to shuffle the schedule again?

Anyhow I figured I would go for a walk and dropped by the Haunted Station to see if he knew what was going on. It turns out the Manager at the Truck Stop has to take tomorrow off so Mrs. Late Guy will be covering the afternoon shift today and the morning shift tomorrow. I'll be covering the afternoon shift. Well, that answers that. 

He, the Late Guy, also told me the Part Time Woman is complaining because she doesn't want to be shuffled around from station to station and is talking about quitting. He's encouraging her to do so, I would too. If I have to see her I'm going to bring up how bad things will get once they introduce hot food to the mix. Fingers crossed. 

The Late Guy also told me all the plans he has for the Haunted Station and I said it all sounded good. The problem is that there is limited space and you have to maintain a proper turnover. If you pack too much stuff in you start to have outdated stuff. I wish him the best.