Shopping

Well, so much for figuring I can go downtown on October 7th. Nope. That won't be happening. The Eid break, which was supposed to end on October 6th has been extended and will continue through October 8th, which is followed by the weekend - Thursday and Friday - so it will finally end on October 10th. I will wait until October 12th to go downtown to try to get some lampshades and cornices made and get my paint samples then. Well, this has been a wasted month - in that regard - although since I've been home, I've been able to accomplish some of the tasks here, that I've put off for far too long, that have been taunting me.

Our Commissary made a couple of changes while we were in the States - above and beyond removing items from shelves that I regularly purchased - and above and beyond not being able to be prepared for Ramadan or the Eid holidays. There are new carts, or "trolleys" [above]. Ooohh. Exciting. Not! The new carts have a mind of their own - they are about impossible to steer - they want to go sideways instead of forward. [You know, actually, somehow this is not a surprise.] And, the many Saudi girls that were employed there are mostly gone. I can't say "the many Saudi girls that were working there are mostly gone," because the Saudi girls didn't work! The imported guys that used to work the checkout lines and were removed from those positions to become stockers are now pulling double duty - stocking at night - and working the cash registers during the day. At least they know what they are doing - and you can get through the check out line quickly. It is good for us, but unfortunate for them. One of them said to me the other day that he has not had a day off in a month and he is working sixteen hour shifts. I asked if the girls were fired, and his response was, "Oh, I don't know, Madam." Yes, you do know, but you don't want to risk getting in trouble by telling me. I understand that. And the look on his face and his lengthy lapse in responding said it all. Now, if someone would just fire whoever is in charge of the ordering and put the man who was doing it before him - who knew what he was doing - who ordered canned potatoes and crab meat and stocked Delta bread and bleach - then things would be back to normal, there. I won't envision that happening anytime soon!