Wait, I'm not quite finished bitching yet.

My tooth has me pleading for death...it would be easier. Have you noticed that a toothache isn't really just that - it's more of a tooth, jaw, ear, head thing as it radiates throughout your body? I'm pretty sure my socks hurt this morning. And why is it that when one tooth starts, they all get involved? Piss off you guys and quit ganging up on me.

Enough about the tooth.

Let me really whine.

You know, I never take time off work...EVER. Throughout all the stuff with mom, I missed 1/2 a day. When I'm sick, I go make everyone else sick because if I'm not there then the boss has to take over. All the other workers have quit because she's so difficult to get along with. I'm the last, lone cowgirl there (besides her daughter and a girl who does Saturdays).

A couple of Mondays ago I had a scheduled day off (that she'd scheduled) and was really looking forward to it. The Friday before she came to me and asked if I could take the shift because her son was leaving for Australia that day and she wanted to make sure he had everything together. I agreed, despite the fact that I'd already made plans...I kiss ass alot am pretty accommodating. I was pleasant about the whole thing, even though I was really disappointed to be giving up my day off.

Unfortunately, what goes around doesn't always come around.

Wednesday I'd arranged to pick up Ty in Surrey....a 2 hour round trip. He'd been staying out there and had a bunch of stuff to bring back (including this baby, that he bought out there), which is why he couldn't take the bus. I set out after work on Wednesday but quickly realized, in listening to the weather reports on the car radio, that it would be a miserable drive out there. They'd got the morning forecast wrong and rather than it being 7 degrees and cloudy, the temperature had quickly fallen and it was snowing all over the place. Buses were being cancelled and the drive to Surrey involves some huge, steep hills so I decided to turn around and come back home and try again the next day (yesterday).

I was working yesterday and was scheduled to finish at 3:30, which would've put me smack dab in rush hour tunnel traffic. The drive is along River Road, which is just that - a road along the river that has spots that are a little dicey and one slip and you're in the river. No barricades, just a gravel shoulder and then river.

I wanted to leave work early, in order to do the drive in daylight and in case we got more snow (which they'd been predicting earlier). I called my boss Wednesday night when I'd made the decision to go the following day and needed her to cover me for two hours so I could get an early start on the drive.

She was a total bitch. Now, I could've just lied and not gone in at all...she knew my tooth's been causing me huge problems and it would've probably been easier to say I was hurting. But I don't like to lie (unless it's to council), so I told her I was picking Ty up and needed the jump on things. Before our conversation ended she said "well I guess he owes you big time" and I thought she was joking. Then I remarked back, in a joking fashion, to which she abruptly interupted me and said "NO, I mean it. If you've gotta start missing work to solve his problems, it's a problem and he owes you."

Back the truck up and let me get this straight:

When you need to be available to your son, I cover for you without a problem. Smile and agree, to make your life easier, because that's what suckers nice people do.

When I need you to reciprocate so that I can be available to my son, you're throwing daggers? Fuck off.

I'm the only one to have stuck it out at this place...everyone else leaves. Customers tell me that they won't come if they see her working because she's miserable and on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the highest in customer service, she's a negative 12. She scowls, is rude and has as much personality as a paper bag. It's bad.

So why do I put up with it?....two reasons. Mostly I love it there - I work on my own (which I love) and the customers are now friends...I'd miss them to death if I left. The other people who work around me are fantastic and we have a real "Cheers" like environment there. My boss steers clear of the place and lets me run things on my own and that makes me happy.

Plus, she's giving up the business in December and I'm seriously considering buying her out. Lottery sales are here to stay and things are booming...I don't see that changing. There's a four year waiting list to get a booth like that and people have already heard word that she's leaving and have been approaching her about it. I know I'd be first in line and am really thinking about it...I like the idea of being my own boss. (Plus, I'd put my kids to work)

In the meantime, my boss better watch her step or I'm outta there too (whenever I start leaning in that direction she picks up on it and starts suckholing...and, yes, I fall for it). For the time being, I'll stay - but this kind of crap has her walking on thin ice with me. She'd be hooped if I left, as she'd have to start working my shifts (which she doesn't want to do). Hiring someone else is a bit of a problem, as there are new regulations in place and she'd have to train them properly. Not like she did with me...."here, go".

* * * * * * * * *

Now for some good news that involves absolutely no complaining.

My team finally won a game in regular time last night to grab a very important 2 points. The Canucks are battling for a playoff spot and things are pretty tight. Alexandre Burrows got the game winner...God bless that boy. I'd like to adopt him.




Also, I'm totally pumped about seeing one of my favorite artists tonight (one that I've never seen live before). David Usher is playing up the road from me....OUT IN THE STREET!!! It's a free concert that's part of "Winterfest", a festival in the streets that was started last year as part of the Olympic countdown. Wooot. I'll take pics.