Plus One

Bad reputation

3 dimes fell out of my pocket on the floor of the train. I was too embarrassed to pick them up, and I figured somebody else could use them more than me

Generosity, humility, and embarrassment

The train stopped as it pulled into the station, and I picked up those three dimes.

I am at the main fruit stand today, and everything is off balance. I had to be set up for an account once again since the previous setup was forgotten on the computer I was supposed to be working at.

Which made Yancey ornery. I knew that the computer setup could be difficult, and I was right. It added to the apprehension that I had yesterday.

So it’s me & Lex Luthor manning the desk. Since his computer is fine at the fruit stand, he’s been carrying most of the weight as I struggle with my setup.

He was invited to the fruit stand holiday party as someone’s plus one. I haven’t. He’s been entered in the Toys for Tots raffle. I haven’t. He started a month after me and is at the main fruit stand, whereas I am not.

I have to revise my opinion of good old Lex. It’s been a stressful kind of day, though, and communicating with Mike has not been going well. Things were bad earlier they have gotten better since. And more than likely, it was all my fault that things had gone the way they had.

Apparently, he’s afraid to talk to me sometimes because of how I will take things, and I can see his point because sometimes I misunderstand, and things get lopsided.

I was supposed to meet Bill at 2:00 p.m. to hand over two shirts that he was supposed to pack but did not, and he showed up at 1:30 and threw me off my schedule that I had arranged with my co-workers, and they were fine with it, but I was not in the mind that I should have been.

So between dealing with Bill arriving early and Mike being whoever he might be…

The thing with Mike is that he posted these photos and videos online, and they are erotic, and they are what got me interested in the first place. But he is not that guy. He is a nice guy cuz he’s not the rough and tumble guy that he portrays in the video.

I did learn to like the guy that he is, and occasionally I would make jokes about seeing those videos and saying I’d like to meet that guy someday. Apparently, Mike had taken that the wrong way and was greatly hurt by it, which I found out today

So on top of all that, I spent way too much time and energy trying to soothe ruffled feathers, which I did, I suppose. There are some guilty feelings on my end with Mike saying, “I guess I’ll see you around Christmas time or later,” and me being out of sorts; it was just not a good combination.

He was supposed to he was supposed to come over tomorrow, and I suggested that he didn’t, but later on suggested that he did, so he will, I suppose.

Tomorrow I will be back at my miniature fruit stand, and happy to be there where things go according to plan or schedule.

The fruit stand is having its holiday party. I’m a contracted worker, so I’m not invited. I was fine with that. Slightly disgruntled, but holiday parties can be dicey. I’m not much of a drinker these days, and more often than not, after eight hours, I just want to go home.

Anise is helping to run the event. Lex Luthor is also a contracted worker. He was invited as Anise’s plus one. This afternoon, I was offered as her other plus one. I said no thanks. I saw Marcus this afternoon as he was at the main fruit stand, and he suggested I go. Then, Bill suggested that I go. And Mike suggested the same.

I could go, do a walk-through, and an Irish exit. I am uncertain, but I just called Anise and cleared it with her, so I am going.

Documentum sine titulo

Tuesday, December 9th, 2025, when I woke up, it was 17°. When I left the apartment, it was 17 degrees; now it is 26°.

Bill is on the road. He sent me his itinerary, which I got last night, and it doesn’t seem to be in effect. I don’t know why, but here we are.

So Mike had called up earlier in the night and it was good but me and Bill were in the middle of something so I told him I’d call him back, and after Bill went to bed, I called him bac,k and he said, “I want to talk to you about something,” which generally does not lead to anything good.

So, as I was anticipating either something that I had done or perhaps a joke, he proceeded to tell me about how he does not like to be on speakerphone, as he was on speakerphone at that very moment.

And I admit I didn’t want to hear it either on speakerphone or holding the phone to my ear. It put me in a bad mood, and I did not want to be on the phone with him after that. Lately, we’ve had phone calls that lasted almost an hour, but last night, it was 8 minutes.

Excuse me for being too sensitive, which I remember someone saying to my brother Frank back in the day, and Frank was greatly put off by that, since people have been telling him all of his life that he’s too sensitive.

Mike should be directing his love towards his beloved in the Bay Area.

I don’t know why, but there’s a lot of sadness right now in my heart. I have to work at the major fruit stands tomorrow, and I really do not want to. I have no say in the matter of course.

Yancy did my head in this morning, and it set the tone for the rest of the day. I could not argue with him or stand my ground; I just had to accept that he thought he was right and he thought I was wrong when it was the opposite. It made me think I was losing my mind.

Tomorrow I have to work around him at the main fruit stand, and I am not looking forward to it. I’ll be fine once I’m there; it’s just the dread of being around him. One generally knows what they’re going to get with Yancy, though I can only speak of my time working alongside him since April, earlier this year.

I finished The Cars: Let The Story Be Told by Bill Janowitz. I enjoyed it mostly. Towards the end, they don’t have much to do with each other except for Ric and Greg. Ben became an alcoholic and gun enthusiast, and a 2nd level rock star. Elliot and Dave do what they can successfully. Ric was a dick, though. An odd character in general.

I still think their first album is classic, with the second, third, and fourth albums providing diminishing results to my ears.