Meet Sparrow, an average man passing an average life…
Wednesday, November 18
Mark has taken using highlighters on our cash drawer spreadsheets to the next level…It’s pretty exciting, actually…Recall he started shaking things up at the front desk when he started highlighting the amounts on the spreadsheets and the date…He made two big changes tonight, tho: one, he’s highlighting not in his usual, dull, blue color, but in a bold, dynamic pink and he is now highlighting his name, as well…The only thing missing is a slamming techno soundtrack…So far we all remain in awe of this and no one has mustered the courage to copy Mark’s lead.
I finally found the oaf who was taking all our French vanilla creamers…It was a bit after morning coffee service began at 0500 and I happen to be out front and one of several mouth breathers we’ve had in house all week lumbers in…These people are working somewhere that isn’t clean and they need to bathe and they don’t wear their masks, a violation of state law…I wish they would leave.
Anyway, he comes in from the outside and pours a cup of coffee, grabs a handful of blue creamers and starts pouring them in…Good gravy, he all but laid waste to the whole creamer stand…I go and look after he leaves and he took most of the top row: eight total…For one cup of coffee, leaving yours truly to wonder why didn’t he just do creamer shots and avoid the coffee altogether.
Had a laff with Head Housekeeper Gloria…Recall yesterday she said she recently washed the walls of her living room – something ol’ Sparrow, of course, can barely comprehend – so I told her I was planning to clean The Shire on my day off Thursday, adding it should take about an hour.
You clean once a month and it’s only going to take you an hour???
She sounded more shocked than anything, as if it were an affront to her professional housekeeper sensibilities…I told her yeah, but that’s only because I was going to vacuum and clean the bathroom and my desk and might completely lose my mind and clean my bedroom, too…She smiled and shook her head in feigned annoyance, saying there was no possible way this much cleaning could be done in any sort of satisfactory manner in an hour…I looked at her dumbly, my mouth partly open, as if she had imparted some previously unknown wisdom…She added the proper cleaning of a house my size should take all day, a advised me to do just that, that it would be good for the soul.
I couldn’t really argue with that, of course…There were times when The Ex would have the bright idea of thoroughly cleaning the cabin and I’d whine about that but a really clean house was nice to have afterward…I told Gloria I’d consider it, but it would be a shame if cleaning got in the way of Thursday lunch at the fave Mexican joint.
It was a routine day at the Veterans Service Office (VSO)…The county is now at Code Red because of our recent spikes in virus cases which means the entire county building is closed to clients…Still tho, ol’ Sparrow managed to be of service.
Recall a couple of weeks ago a vet came in looking to sign up for VA medical because he wanted help for his depression…Well, he was turned down for it because he made too much money, so I dove in looking into if there were any resources for him that did not require VA medical enrollment and, after working it for a bit, found out there were…We are going to file a claim for tinnitus, too…He was in the air force and worked a flight line and, unprompted by me, he said he does have intermittent ringing in his ears…Tinnitus is only a 10% rating, but it gets you enrolled and that is what we are looking for.
I knocked off a bit early and was at the hot springs for my weekly soak a bit earlier than usual and it was almost empty…In fact, I had the heart spring to myself for about a half-hour or so…Amongst those that joined me was a guy who had traits consistent with homelessness: long, unkempt beard and hair, weathered skin, carrying a large bag.
You don’t see many homeless wandering around fancy-pants health clubs – or any health clubs, really – but maybe he’s got some income and chooses to spend some of it on a membership…Or maybe he’s not homeless, maybe he chooses to carry a large bag of possessions with him and look scruffy.
Anyway, he left his boots and his large bag by a door, but he brought his warm shirt – which smelled – and, get this, a gallon jug of milk to the heart spring, resting it all on a ledge…I am not making that up: he brought a jug of milk to the spa…I’d never seen that before and you probably haven’t, either…He’d take a swig from time to time, too…I’ve never seen the need for poolside milk service, but it takes all kinds.
Sparrow’s Sleep Log: Per standard Wednesday policy, there is no sleep to report for today.
The Diary of a Nobody is a novel. All elements are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Anything else is a coincidence.
It was inspired by the 19th-century British novel of the same name.
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