Well! I made it. First day down, a bunch more to go (I really cannot do math at this point). Here are two observations (and then we can get on with the fun/odd stuff):
~where the booth is set up this year is a long damn way from the food court. This could be a good news/bad news sort of situation.
~this season has the potential already to be very busy and go very quickly.
~I knew this before, but it was validated once more tonight, folks who are forced to work in malls are absolutely some of the most genuine individuals you will ever come across. (I met a guy named John who works in a store near us, he was beyond fabulous, and bonus: he has probably as many tattoos as I do!)
Here’s a quick shot I took of Josh as we were closing up tonight.
I’ll try to get some more this weekend, if those pesky customers leave us alone long enough. (They were quite annoying today.)
So yesterday I was trying to put up this picture of some sour dough toast. 
With the caption of “does this look right to you?” But it kept disappearing. And my configuration wouldn’t stay put either. I finally gave up. Later I saw the Lego guy posted that he was having the same issues. (Blast, I just checked, he took that post down, fine, be that way Lego guy, make a liar out of me, what ever.) So. Not me (or him), just a WordPress problem I guess. (Hope it’s gone by the time I try to get this one up.) Here’s another snack, from last night, this time rye toast. 
Do you see a pattern here? (And no, I do not mean the amount of butter I eat.) The new toaster continues to misbehave. I don’t really see that we gained much by buying it. I could have accomplished half toasted bread with the old one.
I tweeted about this, but now I have photographic evidence that blog friends totally rock. I “met” my pal Tracy through an authour’s website. (Last year? It seems like it couldn’t have only been that short of a time, I feel as though we’ve known each other forever.) We talked on the phone and e-mailed and whined together electronically. We compared which TV shows were the most ridiculous (but we couldn’t stop watching), and we agreed on so many things. (We do have differing opinions about pets, but we are accepting of each other’s preferences.) She has a blog of her own now, and it’s phenomenal. Recently she visited an amazing place called Pop Tarts World. When she was in The Big Apple the last time, she got me some presents. 
She also shared some of her new favorite music with me. It’s Michael Franti and Spearhead. Really good stuff! (Her ruse was to say she wanted to send me some tooth poking trees, but she snuck in some goodies, as you can see.) Thank you so much my Dearest Friend! All the way across the country, we have found each other, and I will always treasure this bond.
The same day my gifts arrived, a package was also delivered for my son. 
That black plastic thing is a rifle stock. I could not have cared less. But then, he wasn’t exactly thrilled that I had new CDs or a gleeful haul from Pop Tarts World. I guess it was a tie.
I flipped today’s card early, when I first got up, took the quick snap, then promptly forgot all about it. When I sat down just now, I noticed it has kept us going with another theme. 
“The Lady of the Gift ~ generosity, receiving, withholding.
The Lady of the Gift brings messages of sharing. To be your Ally, she requires you to look at the nature and method of your giving to others. The world is our sacred place, and you only need distribute a small percentage of your wealth to others to ensure that the flow continues.
Yet this doesn’t necessarily mean giving money away, nor does it imply a direct action of charity, even though the tradition of donating is generally material oriented. In fact, the kind of sharing the Lady asks of you isn’t tangible or material at all. She asks you to look at all human beings as important in the Divine scheme of things and show others that you believe in them.
Pay attention to how you treat people; and be mindful of your perceptions. When you act as though all individuals have value, blessings all around are assured. Your belief in others has greater value than you can fathom. This alone guarantees your success long-term. Remember that you can only keep what you are willing to give away.”
(Oh no, just tried to run a SpellCheck and the card photo went away. This does not bode well.)
