Happy Valentine's Day!
I'm all cozy on the living room couch, drinking Yoplait banana yogurt and eating sesame bread. I just spilled my yougurt on the floor and down my quilt, but it has been One of Those Days and I feel philosophical about the mess. At work today I spilled one iced green tea all over the place and dropped four loaves of bread on the floor. I admit to occasionally spilling drinks, but I almost never drop bread. Some of those loaves are so expensive! On days like this I sometimes think it would be adventageous for them to just send me home; I must be losing them more in dropped breads than I am making in sales.

I have so many interesting things to tell you! But I won't write about them all tonight, and don't get excited because none of them are that exciting- just amusing anecdotes of work.


Interesting name watch:
1. Hammer
This guy had a foreign accent which I couldn't place, and which was very difficult to understand. Our conversation went like this:
"What name do you want on the order?"
"Hamma"
"What was that?"
"Hamma, like the tool."
Katie looks confused. "Could you spell that please?"
"H-a-m-m-e-r"
"Oh!" Katie looks embarrassed.
2. Clover
3. Odelia (actually one of the employees)
4. Athena
5. Tiberius

That last one was middle-aged gentleman with a well-developed sense of humor. I asked for his name, he gave it, and I was instantly curious. I asked him if he was named after Tiberius, the place. He said yes. There was a momentary pause, then he said, "For today," in an explanatory tone. I looked properly astonished. Apparently he randomly chooses a different name whenever he comes in, and today just happened to be Tiberius! Some people have all the fun.

Random observations on names and height:

How is one supposed to respond to really weird names anyway? One wants to be frank and say, "Whatever possessed your parents to name you Hammer?" Or, "For Pete's sake! Why Pepper, of all things? Was your mother fond of sneezing?" But I suppose they get inane comments all the time and are always spelling their names or explaining their origin. I think I am going to name my kids John, Chris, Jared, Lisa, Michelle, and Nichole. Nothing unfamiliar about those.

Here is another group of people who excite my desire to say stupid things: really tall men. Every once in awhile some gentleman of NBA proportions will come order a sandwhich from me. I am in awe of them. I feel stunned by the sheer overwhelming height of them. I suddenly feel small and insignificant. I want to take a step back, crane me neck, and say, "Wow! You are really tall!" Now isn't that brilliant?
It isn't as if I don't know any tall men. But I guess I'm not as aware of the height difference if I know them well, and I really don't know any 7-footers. Once in Israel I stood in line behind a family of Dutch Afrikaaners. The father, the mother, and the two teenage boys were all well over six feet tall. Behind them I felt dwarfed in a way I rarely experience. I loved it! I had gotten used to feeling large in a sea of Middle Eastern smallness. I think I'll move to South Africa.


Have you every heard of singing valentines? Early afternoon, when things were fairly quiet in the restaurant, I suddenly heard a humming, and somebody said, "They are going to sing!" I looked up to see six men in a semi-circle by one of the other registers. Somebody found the pitch, and suddenly they were singing "My Wild Irish Rose" barbershop quartet style. What a delightful surprise! Everybody gathered round to listen and clap. They sounded so good! One of them explained to me what they were. Apparently you can hire them to come sing to your true love ( for a fee) as a valentine. They had around 176 appointments today!

Okay, goodnight to you all. Must needs get up sooner than I want.

(feel free to tell me if there are any gross grammatical or spelling errors in this. I am too tired to go back over it.)