MY LIFE - SEPTEMBER

Tuesday, September 3, 2002

I am very sick right now, about sick as I've been in a couple years. It started last Thursday night (the night Erin left on her trip) with a sore throat that quickly turned into something more serious. At first, it was like the flu. I had the aching body, a fever (which I still have thank you), and the sore throat on top of it all.

The aches are still hanging around a little, but the throat has become the focal point, well that and my sinuses. Sunday, which was the 1st, was the day I felt the best. I was moving around, my throat didn't hurt that bad, the aches were gone, I thought I was all better. Then, Monday hit. I was at work and it just all blew up on me. By the time I left, my head was so stuffed I thought it was going to pop. I went home and went straight to bed, something I never do.

Today, more of the same. I have spent most of the day, laying down, trying to rest as much as possible to try and get rid of this, this, whatever it is that's cost me a day of work and two days of classes.

Believe it when I tell you that I fully intended to write on Sunday. After all, it was the best I had felt since Wednesday and that day was my five-year anniversary with CVS/pharmacy. I was all ready to write a long entry reflecting back on my years with the company, how things have changed, and remembering people that I've worked with.

I think I started to feel a little weak that night though and decided that it could wait until the next day. After all, I was getting better, right? Oh, was I wrong. At least it turned out that way. Yesterday morning, I didn't feel all that bad. I was a little tired, but feeling all right. I think my allergies started kicking in and that helped to make my condition worse. Suddenly, my sinuses were all clogged up and the headache I was developing was the worst one I've had in years. I was dizzy on top of it all.

I don't think my mom knows how to react to me being sick either. She's kind of been wary of talking to me and for the most part, has been treating me like I'm perfectly healthy, capable of doing everything she wants done. It's hard because as much as I want to help out, I just don't have any energy.

The thing that bothers me is when she's sick, she doesn't do anything at all herself, so it's kind of funny for her to yell at me when I'm sick and not doing anything. Maybe she doesn't realize how sick I am. I know I didn't.

---

Sunday did mark my five-year anniversary with CVS. September 1, 1997 I worked for the first time in my life for the only company I have ever applied for. I remember it was a 9am-2pm shift. The people working there at the time? I remember Mike was there, my then-assistant Rob, a co-worker named Matt, and the pharmacist Tom (who's still at the store). Mike and I have of course gone on to becoming great friends. Tom and I still talk every now and then. The other two, well, Rob I guess quit and then got fired or something like that and Matt went off to pursue his real career once he was done with college.

My manager was Lenny. The pharmacy techs then (I started as a front-store associate) were Debbie and Heather. I don't remember much about other people who worked there. I remember Donna and another girl, Jennifer, but that girl didn't last long. Two weeks after I had started, she was busted selling alcohol to an undercover agent without checking ID. Not long after that, she quit.

A lot of people came and went during my years in Strongsville. There were some frightening people, like both Renees, some weird ones, like Mike's friend Ryan, and some that were great to work with, like Crystal (what happened to you girl?). I was at that store from September 1, 1997 all the way through November 4, 2000. In that span, I worked with over a hundred different people (or so it seems like it) and many of them still stick in my mind.

There was Aaron, the kid who couldn't get it straight. The most mind-numbing employee I've ever worked with, he had his moments when he was amusing, but for the most part, he was an idiot. At the same time, we had Jeff, who was the same age as Aaron, equally popular in school, but a very good worker. You asked him to do something and it was done.

There was another kid named Matt who was also a pain in the ass. He and Aaron were friends, so I guess it wasn't that surprising. He would refuse to do what you asked him to do and spent much of his time trying to get out of working whenever he was scheduled.

There was Dominique, the most annoying girl I've ever worked with. She was attractive, but she would drive you nuts within minutes. She had a friend, Priscilla, who lasted about two weeks. She too was attractive, but it was hard to get a read on her.

Jennifer was probably the most interesting girl to work with. She could be real easy to talk to, real easy to get along with one night, then the next night she was trying to kick your ass for something. Ultimately, I have love for the girl as she did show up for work most of the time and she did her job, even if you did have to tell her six times.

Justin, now that was a kid who was pretty cool. He came along about the same time as Jennifer and another employee by the name of Matt. Justin was pretty cool. He did his job, he was cool to talk to, and he never talked down to anyone. Matt was the same way, although Matt was a bit flaky at times. The funniest thing was the little crush that Jen developed towards Matt. The two talked to each other like they wanted each other dead, but Jen had a thing for him. I don't think Matt ever knew.

Jen, Matt, and Justin came along in the summer of 1998. It was in August of 1998 when I went into the pharmacy for the first time. Heather had left earlier in the summer, so Justin replaced her initially. Then Justin said he was going away to school, so I was asked to go into the pharmacy and I said yes. The rest in that case is history. Four years later, I'm still a tech.

Crystal had come along early in that year as well. She was hired right around Easter, right after my second assistant manager, Nick, had quit. Nick, well, I don't miss him. He was probably as big a jerk as I've ever been around. There are a couple of entries on him that pretty much sum him up. Kevin was the next assistant shipped in, he was also our last one. Kevin was the best of the bunch though.

Crystal though, she became my closest friend next to Mike. It started off slowly though because the first few months she was there, I was working nights and she was working 12-5. I'd get in as she was going out. First time we ever worked together was on a Sunday. I only worked three Sundays in my time at Strongsville, but this was one of those Sundays that I'm glad I worked. For the first time, I got a good look at who Crystal was as a person. She was easy to talk to, easy to listen to, and she was always, I mean ALWAYS, nice to me. From the that moment on, we were practically inseparable on the job.

Now I've written plenty in the past (see the My Life archives) on her and her story. Crystal was one of those people who makes a bad choice, but you can't get mad at her for what she did because she was doing what she thought was best. She'll always be in the back of my mind. I cared about the girl and hope that I run into her again someday. I miss her more than anyone else outside of Tricia and although I remember telling her where I was transferring to, she had a tendency to go through a lot at once and more than likely forgot. She also had a questionable boyfriend at the time too.

1999 I remember being the year that we all graduated, well at least Crystal and I graduated. I think Jen went the next year. I remember how proud Crystal was of herself and I was proud of her too. She wasn't that good in school and wasn't certain what was going to happen.

In 2000, Jeff left and Jacqui came aboard briefly. It was the also the year that Steve, the other pharmacist, went to Berea. From January all the way through late October, it was just Tom and whatever fill-in they could find.

Jacqui, well, I fell for the girl, we went out once, and then she was gone. At the start of the summer, after I had made my intentions to transfer clear, she went away for the summer. The day before she left, that was the last time I ever talked to her. She never called me again. I still wonder what happened to her, but at the same time, I don't sit and weep about it.

I'm not going to go too in-depth with this because most of what happened with work, I've talked about in previous entries, especially in the last couple of years. Not much more can be said than I've already said on most of the things with work. 2000 was a rough year. I was trying to transfer out to a store that was much busier than the one I was working at. Tom took it the wrong way initially, then everyone sat on the transfer. I was finally able to get out of there, but it was a bittersweet moment.

The nearly two years I've been at Berea? Well, they've been both good and bad. Good in that I've made a new group of friends and have had some memorable moments. Bad in that somedays have been so hectic, so busy that you go home with a headache that lasts for two days.

I work with great people right now, despite all the uncertainty as to what's going to happen. Darlene, Peggy, Roberta, Swati, Jean, Rose, Lenny (different Lenny!), Jen, Cora, Steve, Nate, Jim (who transferred), and Regina, they've all been great to work with despite the occasional problem.

Here's to another five years. God help me if I'm still there.

---

Some things that I'd like to have happen in the next couple of days....Erin to get back. I miss the girl and can't wait to get back with her and see how things go between us....Get over whatever it is that I have. Enough already. I could really do without the sore throat, cough, fever, and aching all over. It's really not a lot of fun....Get online a little more to get some people caught up with me and maybe do some work on this site....Watch "SouthPark: The Movie" again. I love that movie.