Full Circle

A couple months ago I convinced one of my former bookstore coworkers to leave the world of wrathful middle aged women and pilfering teens to some work at the company I am currently employed by. It's been intersting to exchange stories with her.

Not to say that the bookstore consisted ONLY of the above mentioned, but it's weirdly weighted in that direction sometimes. It's been over a year since I last worked behind a counter, and I've found that the fact that I am treated humanely every single day has morphed me into a much more confident and secure person. hmm. I do miss the bookstore at times though.

In my talks with S, I was reminded the other day of the Not Really Lawyer. This was a man pushing the far end of middle age, who, dressed in a grubby and wrinkled polyester suit, would "stop by" the store in the mornings and end up wandering about all day. The Not Really Lawyer used to tell me about his job as I'd fill his coffee mug. He talked offhandedly about the firm he worked for/owned (depending on the day). So much to do. So prestigious. So lucrative. And, as he'd sit for the fourth hour in a row reading the same magazine, I'd think to myself, "So sad."

If he had just been a guy trying to pretend he had a place in life, that would have been one thing, but the Not Really Lawyer tended to border on obnoxious about it. He'd talk about the massive settlement he'd just raked in, while fingering the grubby edges of hs sleeves as though there were imaginary cuff links. And he'd give a look down his nose and pointedly say things about how he USED to work in retail, but he wanted something better for his life.

Then there was the time he abandonded his 94 year old father at our store. What a rollicking good time. The Not Really Lawyer dragged the old man in by the elbow and plopped him into a chair near the cafe. For the rest of the day the father sat there, sometimes snoring gently. Closing time came, and we realized that we hadn't seen Not Really Lawyer in hours, and his ancient father was still flopped onto the seat in the cafe. I don't remember exactly how we roused him from his deathlike slumber. I do recall though, that the old man couldn't even tell us his son's name at first, and seemed disoriented, to say the least. At a loss, we eventually called the police. I hope Not Really lawyer remembers to do things like provide food and liquids to his elderly father.

Shame on you, you pretender.

Most Likely the Coolest Photos You'll See Today...

It would take many many gin & tonics to get me to play tennis on the helipad of 20+ story building. Looks like a film set, but no... it's the Burj Al-Arab Hotel in Dubai.



And now it looks as though we've just been beamed up with Mike TV in Willie Wonka's factory.



Look! It's our favorite bald tennis player about to play fetch with his charming yet slightly gullible canine pal.