Papa's Pantry

I know you were hoping I would probably blog about the wedding or the honeymoon, and I will, but that will be a long blog.  I only have time for a short blog this evening.

It has been an interesting week at Papa's pantry...  I got sent home from work on Tuesday for being dressed inappropriately.  I was wearing a dress.  Lynne said it was too casual and "summery".  She did not politely ask me to never wear it again.  No, she sent me home on the spot to change.  How embarrassing!  It was very similar to this picture, except it tied around the neck and it had some fancy chunky beading on the neck ties. 

Ryan was home when I came to change my outfit and I told him what happened.  He laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed.  In my face.  I had to cry about it later that night.  I'm better now though, although now I'm constantly worried when I go to work if I'm "dressy" enough to make $10/hour.

Then today, I had a lady that I was helping shop in the pantry, tell me not to drink Lipton Iced Tea.  Why, you might ask?  "Because it gives women yeast infections down there.  I was having some issues and I heard it on the news, so I switched my iced tea and it cleared right up!"  We have our own Dr. Oz right here in Woodstock it seems.  So not only do I make $10/hour, I get free medical advice.  *priceless*

Last words about CT

On Saturday I left CT.  Reasons why I left CT:

1. Bridgeport, CT is a very poor area that includes numerous tenements, housing projects, rundown buildings and businesses, and people out on the streets at all hours of the night. I did not feel safe driving after dark, or walking during the daylight.

2. The house was sweltering hot all at times.

3. The two bathrooms are connected to Sam and John’s bedrooms, respectively, and for that reason I felt like I had no privacy. Especially when coming home after everyone else is in bed….did I want to pee 3 feet from John’s head? Or 6 feet from Sam’s? Michael says he wouldn’t be surprised if John had cameras in his. Sam’s bathroom is under construction – no ceiling, no floor, no sinks, no lights, no tub.

4. Creepo John would hover at all times. I was finding myself getting out of the house before John came home from work and coming in late enough so that he’d already be in bed.

5. I’m used to living by myself, and having to talk and be around people at various times is not ideal.

6. I broke some rules…I was supposed to lock the house doors at all times, even when I was in it! Nothing could be left on the counter tops so each day I carried my coffee maker down 3 flights of stairs and back up the three flights of stairs.

7. I got accused (by both Judy and Sam on separate occasions) of giving the dog beans that he threw up.

8. I was on a totally different schedule than everyone else living in the house. They were all in bed by 10:00pm or so and I was coming home or in and out of the house way after that. I felt like I was waking everyone up and constantly walking on eggs shells.

9. When I was home, I felt like I had to be confined to the attic and we all know the luxurious conditions of that.

10. I was constantly juggling multiple balls at once and could not do it anymore. It did not feel like home, it was uncomfortable at all times, and I was uncomfortable at all times.

Before I left I got a picture with Sam, Judy, and Shawny so y'all could see what they look like.  They're quite eccentric!

Another fun thing I'd like to show you is the difference in stair cases between the main house and the maid/slave staircase.  Can you tell which is which?  The width of the maroon painted staircase is about 6 inches wider than my hips (3 inches on each side).

Michael and Me:  Farewell Photo

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The night before I left CT (Friday night) I had another date with a different guy from eH.  This guy is "so concrete sequential" that when he makes a to-do list, the first thing he puts on it is "make list".  Anyway, we went to this restaurant called V in Westport, CT and they had the cutest, fattest, shortest, bottle of ketchup I've ever seen!  The pitcher of water probably distorts how small this bottle of ketchup is, but look at it compared to the crayon!

When I tell my date how fascinated I am by the bottle (and then promptly whip out my camera...) he tells me to steal it.  I am appalled at this and tell him NO WAY!  Then he suggests that I ask the waitress if I can have it.  I tell him he is crazy if he thinks the waitress is going to give me permission to steal the bottle of ketchup.  Next thing I know, the waitress sees me taking the ketchup bottle's picture, comes over and asks me what I'm doing.  When I tell her they don't have ketchup bottles like that in Indiana, she asks me if I want it.  WHAT?!  Is this really happening?  #1 I hate being wrong, and #2 I am elated at the possibility of getting this ketchup bottle.  Then she says, "Better yet, I'll go get you a brand new bottle from the back".  The entire time now she's joking on me and asking if I've ever seen a bottle of Grey Poupon, if I want a couple bottles to give away for souvenirs, etc.  It was, by far, the highlight of my date =)

Days 2 and 3 in CT

Tuesday was my first full day in CT.  I actually had a date set up for that night with some guy I met on eHarmony.  Being the planner-aheader that I am, I've been communicating with people in CT for about 2 months now knowing I was coming. 

Did you know you can rent books on CD from any Cracker Barrel and return them to any other Cracker Barrel in the country?  A friend of mine told me about this so while I was in Ohio I got off on an exit that advertised for a CB and rented "Toxic Bachelors" by Danielle Steele.  It definitely made the next 4-5 hours of my trip enjoyable!  You have to return these CDs within one week and I found out the nearest CB to where I am, which is Bridgeport, CT, is in Milford, CT.

So, my date was going to meet me at the Cracker Barrel in Milford, CT.  While I was inside returning the CDs he texted me to let me know that he was outside by the rocking chairs.   I responded "You're not that really ugly guy with the missing teeth are you?"  And it all went down hill from there...  He talked about his ex-wife, whom he still lives with, the entire evening!  And when he wasn't talking about his ex-wife, he was telling me about his most recent ex-girlfriend.  And about how his bio-mom is a crack whore, bio-dad is a rapist, bio-sis has a drug problem, another bio-sis is a stripper, adopted sis has a learning disability, and on and on and on.  BAGGAGE?  He texted me later that night and said he had a great time;  I should've told him to send me a $90 check for the free therapy he got, but instead, I simply ignored him.  My food was AMAZING though.  We went to this place called Rainbow Gardens and I had a turkey/brie/fruit preserves sandwich.  It tasted like a freaking donut - I loved it ;)

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Needless to say I wrapped that date up early and was home by 9:30pm when good old John spots me and wants to take me out for the ice cream we never got the night before:

Me at Sunny Daes Ice Cream Parlor

Ice cream turns two hours later into a long walk on the beach.  John is talking about how God must've put me in his kitchen yesterday and he has friends texting him asking him how "things are going with Courtney?"  I AM CLEARLY IN WAY OVER MY HEAD.  After freaking out about this problem John texts me today and wants my facebook contact info.  I tell him I don't feel comfortable giving him that info.  He apologizes and says he didn't mean to make things awkward.  I say "I think you have the wrong impression about us...we are not dating!" and he says "I'm very clear on that" and when I say "good" he follows up with "So you wanna grab a bite to eat together at 6:00 when I get off?"  U-G-H

My lesson to be learned here is:  Always get out of the house before John gets home from work, and get back late enough so that he's already in bed =)  No, I'm sure there's a much deeper lesson here that I will ponder some other time.  Or perhaps you, the reader, have some thoughts?

Tonight I went out with Michael and his girl Kelly.  We went to the Colony Grill in Fairfield, CT where they have really good pizza!  She's super friendly and we had a fun time ;)