MSGID: 1:153/757.21@fidonet eb8a605d   
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   Hello Charles!   
      
   [On X-SMAPI-DateWritten: 16 Dec 20  14:57:20, you wrote to     
   me]:   
      
    CP> That makes sense. Your job still sounds pretty cushy to   
    CP> me. But we probably have different standards for what   
    CP> cushy is.   
      
   How's this for cushy:   
      
   This last week has intensified as people are very anxious to     
   have deliveries of their Special Orders (not necessarily what     
   I have in stock) arrive before Christmas. I thought that I was     
   pretty much done with requests LAST friday, but people still     
   came to me on Mon, Tue, and Wed to place orders!  In some     
   cases it is not a problem as I have a special account with one     
   distributor that guarantees a delivery in 24hrs (much better     
   than Amazon, btw) ..at no additional cost. But some     
   distributors need about 3 or 4 days to deliver - so an order     
   on Dec 18 is still feasible.  So.. the "cushy story is..   
      
   At home from about 9p to 3a, I was busy studying orders,     
   consolidating where I can, checking stock, and finalizing the     
   orders that can be placed online through the web services.   
      
   Then.. after 5 hours sleep, I am back at the shop to finish     
   the orders that can only be done via email and special     
   resources that I only have at the shop. That took another 5     
   hours - considering that I had to interrupt that with work at     
   the counter, helping people with research, recommendations in     
   person and on the phone, unpack and search existing deliveries     
   for previous orders, and some modest chit chat.   
      
      
    CP> Doing something I enjoy would be pretty cushy to me.   
      
   Sure, I can say that it wasn't like I *didn't" enjoy the     
   above, but the work takes a lot of time and sacrifice to get     
   it done (and criticism if I fail); *that* does not bode cushy.   
      
   And at the end of it all, I can't guarantee that it will pay     
   off - literally.  ;)   
      
   So, yeah.. Sometimes I feel that I would rather peer into a     
   telescope and make notes.  That would be cushy.   
      
   Today, I can feel some repercussions: my back hurts. It     
   usually happens after feeling a lot of stress.  Considering     
   the swings of stress that I endure, I'm surprised that I     
   haven't developed shingles by now.   
      
   But I have to be back at the shop at 8a tomorrow to get at     
   least 2 hours of uninterrupted time to unpack some recent     
   deliveries that may or may not contain some special orders of     
   the previous weeks.   
      
   Unpacking is not as simple as opening a box and sticking the     
   books on the shelf.  Every order needs to be checked for     
   missing items, damaged items, and in many cases the books need     
   to be relabled with Canadian pricing.   
      
   Today, I learned that I was missing one box from a delivery of     
   3 total.  The tracking record claimed that it was delivered at     
   my destination LAST WEEK!  But the problem these days (due to     
   Covid shit) is that the delivery guys self-sign on my behalf.     
   They just drop off the boxes and leave. They don't give any     
   time to check if all 3 of 3 boxes are present, for example.   
      
   Yeah, real cushy. :/   
      
   --   
     ../|ug   
      
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