MY LIFE - SEPTEMBER

Monday, September 18, 2000

There's a reason why Monday is often the worst day of the week. Yes, it's the first day of the work week for most. For kids, it's back to school after the weekend. But Monday's seem to have a certain curse upon them that cannot be explained. For one, anything that can go wrong when you can't afford to have anything go wrong, will go wrong and to an extreme. It's just that way in life. It was that way tonight.

First off was an employee calling off. This was not a good thing to hear because the only other cashier tonight was a kid who was working his third day overall. That meant that I was going to have to play manager/pharmacy tech/trainer, all at the same time. It was fine until about 7:30, and then the bottom just completely fell out. It's amazing how people all come in at the same time with problems about one thing or another. It's just amazing.

There was one line after another and it seemed like it would never end at times. I would get one line down, then five minutes later, another line formed and it was right back to it. Then Tom got slammed in the pharmacy, so I was flying back and forth trying to fill scripts and ring register at the same time. To top it all off, the kid at the register kept having one problem after another with customers, usually involving the price of an item. Either nothing was scanning up right or he wasn't scanning shoppers' cards like he was supposed to. No matter what, it was a pain in the ass and something I'd like to avoid in the future.

I had the registers cleaned out at around 8 like I usually do, but I didn't get the store funds counted until around 8:40, which is almost a half hour later than normal. I didn't get a register counted out until 8:50, which is 20 minutes later than I'd like to. Thankfully, it was quiet for the last ten minutes for me to get everything caught up and we got out on time with everything counted out all right. It's just amazing what can happen in the short span of time.

I'll put it to you this way though. We had 165 scripts filled at around 7. We ended up with 195. 30 scripts in two hours, while not unusual during the middle of the day, is absurd at night. I just don't understand.

Then again, it only happened because we had a relatively new person working by himself most of the night and we had a call off. This would not have had happened if we weren't short-handed. If we aren't short, it's the deadest night in the history of mankind and each cashier is bored out of his mind.

But that's life.

---

Think I might have a slight beef with Dick Feagler, columnist for The Plain Dealer? Well, I do and I think I've illustrated it more than enough in the last few days. Feagler is a guy who constantly claims to be the voice of America, a view that is flawed from the start. It's impossible for one person to be the voice of a nation. Maybe of a generation or group of people, but not for the masses.

As I said earlier and have heard others say, Hollywood has no reason to be ashamed of the violence and sex prevalent in our culture. The only person you can blame is yourself for buying that. I've read of parent after parent complaining about the programs their children are watching, about the games they play, and it just strikes me in the middle of my forehead that they don't realize that they bought whatever their kid is viewing or playing.

Who bought the child that senselessly violent video game? Chances are pretty good it's the parent who did it after lots of complaining by their child. Then the parent probably doesn't explain to his/her son/daughter that what they're playing is just a game, that it isn't real life. Same thing with movies. You rarely hear a parent say that fighting is bad while their child watches a bunch of fictional cartoon characters fight. In fact, you don't hear anything from them until someone says that cartoons and movies can lead to violent behavior. Then they spaz.

It's just silly to me. You don't want your kid watching that violent show? Change the channel or get rid of the tv. Don't like the music they listen to? Stop buying them the CDs and punish them if they buy the music on their own. Don't like the violent video game? Take it away. You're a parent so start acting like one. We cannot depend on the government for regulation over things we can control. You can block what web sites your child can visit online, but an even better suggestion is to monitor what your child is doing.

No, Hollywood shouldn't be ashamed. They put a product out and we quickly ate it up and begged for more. They're just giving us what we want, contrary to what many will have you believe, and that includes Feagler, Mr. Voice of America himself. It's just funny that he would feel that way. There's no way anyone can be the voice of America, not with the diversity of this country.

Sorry Feagler, but it just isn't going to happen. Take your conservative nature and go somewhere else. The new generations are up and coming and your views don't fit anymore.

---

Tribe Watch 2000

Cleveland Indians, 2
New York Yankees, 0

Summary

Bartolo Colon threw a complete game one-hitter while the offense nicked Roger Clemens just enough to get a win as the Tribe took 3 out 4 from the Yankees. The game featured spectacular pitching and defense from the Indians, with the play of the game coming from Kenny Lofton. Lofton took a homerun away from Jorge Posada as he lept at the wall, stuck his glove over the fence, and hauled the drive to center back into the ball park to preserve a no-hitter for Colon. Jim Thome made two spectacular plays at first to aid Colon, one saving a run as well and Colon took the no-hitter into the eight before Luis Polona drove a first-pitch fastball up the middle for the only hit of the game. Colon was just three over the minimum, striking out 13, allowing the one hit, a walk, and a runner due to an error in left field.

Meanwhile, Clemens struggled just enough early as the Indians got a run in the first on a Manny Ramirez oposite field single and a passed ball in the third, scoring Ramirez to make it 2-0, which was more than enough for Colon. Clemens struck out 9 but walked 5, throwing more pitches in seven innings that Colon threw in nine.

Record

80-66