All In The Family

It’s official: Mum and I are going to the Bahamas for New Years! Boo-yah!

Caius is brilliant and found two really reasonably priced tickets, which I bought tonight with the magic of Visa. We depart from Pearson International on the 28th (so that we can spend Christmas Day with Dad and I can work Boxing Day at the Snail). Then return home Thursday, January 8th.

This is great news. It means I can see my Aunt and Uncle, and cousins and their significant others, and it means a real vacation with sun and beach and pool and palm trees. One which is sorely needed by both me and my mother, and which happily we can take together. Oh, the relief. A little sad that I don’t have a boyfriend to take along, as I’d hoped I would, but I can deal.

I will write more pithy, amusing news involving anecdotes from working at the Snail later, but for now, just needed to mark the occasion of a happy family moment, to dispell any lingering bad mojo that might have been lurking about in this diary. Away, bad mojo, away!

Also, must remember to check on Aleta’s birthing process tomorrow, now that it’s turned into a betting thing. According to my wager, she’ll be going into labour in about two hours and be delivered by dawn. Lisbeth gave birth Friday to her daughter Renee with no trouble, so now I’m on a baby binge.

What A Way To Make A Livin’

In honour of my new work schedule, I’ve decided to sing a little tune for y’all. It’s a Dolly Parton classic from the eighties, updated for the slightly more hectic modern age.

Maestro, if you please…

Tumble out of bed and stumble to the kitchen;
pour myself a cup of ambition,
and yawn, and stretch, and try to come to life.
Jump in the shower, and the blood starts pumping;
out on the street, the traffic starts jumping,

with folks like me on the job from six to nine.

Six to nine, what a way to make a living;
barely getting by, it’s all taking and no giving.
They just use your mind,
and you never get the credit;
it’s enough to drive you crazy,
if you let it.

They let you dream just to watch them shatter;
You’re just a step on the boss man’s ladder,
But you’ve got dreams he’ll never take away.
In the same boat with a lot of your friends;
Waitin’ for the day your ship’ll come in,
And the tide’s gonna turn,
and it’s all gonna roll your way.

Six to nine, for service and devotion;
you would think that I would deserve a fair promotion;
want to move ahead, but the boss won’t seem to let me.
I swear some-times, that man is out to get me.

Six to nine, they’ve got you where they want you;
There’s a better life,
and you dream about it, don’t you?
It’s a rich man’s game,
no matter what they call it;
And you spend your life
putting money in his pocket.

That concludes our musical interlude for this evening. Don’t let my medley fool you — I enjoyed my first official shift at the Snail. Earned myself nigh on thirty dollars for it, too! Which of course, I promptly spent on the second hardcover collection of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. What do you want from me, it was Alan Moore’s 50th birthday yesterday! Can I not celebrate the man’s birthday? Sheesh!