So I figured out what the heck the moose/deer thing with a hole in its head is. It's a candle holder! My friend came in and started to examine it. From my seating postiion I was able to look at it in a weird angle, and EUREKA! It's a Candle Holder!
Now to get some moose/deer head shaped candles...
So yesterday was a slow night at Borders. Slow, that is, until they called me into the cafe. I haven't been in the cafe for a few weeks, so I wasn't annoyed by it. And since it was slow, I figured a change of pace would be nice. I got there and the place was packed. There was a newbie there, and a semi-new guy but he's been there a while so not really new. I jump in and start working the register. They're hella backed up in drinks, but with my help, all is well. I'm there for 10 minutes.
And I get my hand burned.
I was making a LARGE (that's 20 oz people) tea ready, filling it up with HOOOOOT water. I'm holding it carefully, not filling it to much, since leaving a little bit of room is a good idea. I turn around to hand it to the customer....and the newbie runs into me.
Half of the water splashes over my hand (10 oz people...doesn't sound like a lot, but trust me, it is). I see steam rise from my hand...and I don't drop the cup. I instantly place the cup on the counter and stare at my hadn for 2.5 seconds. I'm in that anxious place where you know something should hurt but doesn't but you can feel it starting to. I go to the sink and run my hand under cold water. Even through the cold water I can feel my skin getting all tingly....and not in a good way. Everyone's asking if I'm okay. I'm gritting my teeth, trying to smile and squeak out a "yeah...." I look over at the customer and go "um...you're tea'll be ready in a second..." She smiles and says "Take your time." Yay for nice customers!
I go to the back and have my managers take a look at the hand. More cold water and an ice pack later, I"m chillin in the break room. The decision I had been not looking foward to seems so much easier now. I go back out to the kids section and grab the letter that I wrote during my shift.
I give  Borders my two weeks notice.
I love the place. I love the people. But it's time to move on. I may re-apply in the new year, but right now, I think it's a good time to leave. That and the whole they won't give me the time off so I can go visit my familia thing. If I do reapply, it won't be till January. I've had a second job ever since I left college all those years ago. I want to see what life is like with only one. I'm going to miss the extra cash, but if I budget accordingly and intelligently (yeah, not my specialty but....) I'll be good to go. In Febuary I'll decide whether I miss having a second job (It gives me something ta do) or need a second job (comics are expensive don't'cha know) than I'll look around. Going back to Starbucks (a new one, not my old one) wouldn't be a bad thing. I enjoyed working there (with certain folks) and the money is good. I looked at my tips as my allowance. Or go back to Borders. I know for a fact they'd hire me back in an instant. The hours are good and I love my discount. But we'll see. We'll see. But starting on the 20th, I'll be a free man.
Bye bye Borders. For now....BUM BUM BUM!

So had the talk with mommy dearest. It was rather surreal. I had this whole argument about why it's not fair that I was only given less than 2 weeks notice to change my work and personal schedule around and how my cousin shouldn't be upset at me because it's their fault for not giving me notice and how I have my own life and can't change it at the drop of a hat and blah blah blah blah. But the conversation in reality actually went like this:
Mom : So can you come?"
Me: Probably not but...
Mom : Okay.
Me : What?
Mom : Okay. That's fine. THat just means we won't go.
Me: What? Why aren't you...
Mom : That means your other two aunts can go. If we went they wouldn't go, but now that we're not going they can go.
Me : *insert grimace on face here*
Basically, I got the impression that my mom didn't really want to go, especially without my dad. Funny that, seeing as how they're seperated and all. Not divorced mind you, since my familia doesn't believe in that (I have an aunt who hasn't lived with her husband in over a decade, and has talked to him less times than fingers on my hadns in that time, but they're not "divorced" they're "seperated." Yeah, about that) but she doesn't like going to parties or events alone. But I didn't even think about the whole drama my familia is STILL going through, about the two aunts who've austrasized themselves from the familia. Damn, I shake my head everytime that's mentioned because it is so stupid and meaningless and trivial. All the cousins, and the uncles who actually have an opinion on the subject, all wished it would just end. The sisters need to kiss and make up and get over this stupid issue. But the women in my familia are proud and stubborn, if nothing else.
Anywho, that ended....well? I could hear my mom was on the verge of trying to guilt trip me by saying "well if you're not going we're not going" into coming down, but she stopped herself. Either a) she really didn't want to go in the first place or b) she's finally learning. Learning that I do have a life outside of the familia, and that I can't just drop everything to go over there. I like to think it's mostly the latter, but I'm sure the former had something to do with it. Ah well.
I asked if she would like to come up for X-mas. Seeing as how it's over 3 months away, I figured that would be enough time to plan out a quick visit. My familia has not visited my "new" apartment, the one I've been living in for 3 years. My mom always makes comments about how she wants to come up and see what I've done with my life (I've done pretty damn good if I do say so myself. Hell my apartment is hella nicer than home, but you'll never hear me admit that to her) and always says they'll come up, if even for the weekend. But when I mentioned it, that I might have trouble coming home for the holidays since now I'm working at Borders (retail HATES giving vacation during holiday seasons, so I don't know if I will be able to go home, though I have in the past and I only work 12 hours) it might be kinda tough. But she didn't seem all that interested, resorting to the "Well, we'll see what happens" statement. In other words mom, you don't have issues with me coming down less on less than 2 weeks notice, but you have issues with you coming up with 3 months notice. Riiiight. sigh. I love my familia.
Anywho, Borders is great. I did take a pay cut, but I also got a massive reduction in stress and work. It's great. We're FULLY STAFFED in the mornings at the Cafe with PEOPLE WHO KNOW WHAT THEY'RE FRICKIN DOIN! It's so nice! I'm the newbie, but I know my way around the cafe since it's very similar to Starbucks. Seattle's Best Coffee is in contract with Borders, but Starbucks owns SBC. So they have a lot of similarities. They have a few different recipes, but I'm quickly learning those. And the people are great. A lot of my old co-workers are still there, and they were all excited to hear that I was coming back. I'm having a great time working in the cafe, and it's like what it was at Starbucks back in the good ol' days. Plus the benefits aren't to shabby either. 33% off books, 20% of DVDS, and 10% off electronics and magazines, not to shabby. AND I can check out any two books for 2 weeks and return them. It's my own library! You know how much mula I'm gonna save on graphic novels! w00t! I am anxious to go back to the kids section (they said that after the cafe is fully staffed and back to regular business than they'll transfer me) but I am enjoying my time in the cafe. I wouldn't mind splitting my time between the kids section and the cafe. As long as I stick to mornings lol. So far I hear the afternoons are hell, since they aren't fully staffed and that's when the rush comes in. I do miss my tips at the 'Bucks though. I used to make an average of 25 bucks a week. Now I get like 8. Slight difference. But again, stress level is waaaaaay down.
So all in all, it's been a good week. I'm content. ALl except for this damn bout of insomnia. Seems a lot of people are suffering from it. Wonder what that means. I go to bed at 11, but usually don't fall asleep till 2ish. then I have to wake up at 6:30ish to get ready and it's no good. Ah well. We'll see que pasa.