It's Been Awhile

It's been awhile since I posted last, and for the few people who actually bother to follow this blog or check in from time to time, I apologize. The period from the week before Thanksgiving to the week after Chrustmas is a prolonged Hell Week at Walmart. Bitchy people, bitchier customers, management that couldn't find their asses with both hands and a road map (and that need to pull their heads out of their asses long enough to take a breath in most cases), and a generalized feeling of total hysteria amongst the employees and general populace, all gives way to a feeling that if I ever get though this I'm going to be looking fir a new job in the next year.

Welcome to my world.

But it's not all bad -except for the assholes who walk up to you and ask "Do you work here?" when you're standing there looking at them with an armload of freight, still in the boxes ready to go on the shelves, or "Can you get a game for me?" or any of a thousand other stupid questions.

"Why, no. I don't work here. I'm just picking up twenty pounds of freight because I like too."

"No, I don't work in this department just because my badge says I'm the Merchandise Supervisor. Where else would I be?"

" Who, me? No, lady, I'm stealing this shit. I suggest you grab that shit over there."

I HATE RETAIL!

If it wasn't for working nights and never having a holiday, I'd go back to working security ( it paid better).

On the only good note of the whole process, I picked up a Fuji FinePix S1500 sub-DSLR which I intend to use to shoot short story and novel cover photos with. It's a great camera and a step up from the point-and-shoot digitals I've been using for years. I cut my photography teeth on a Pentax ME and once had about $3k worth of equipment, lenses and darkroom setup, but that was long ago. This new Fuji packs in stuff I used to have in my old Pentax, like the ability to set shutter speeds and ISO's which P&S digitals don't generally have. Here's a full video feature as well as a continuous shooting mode too.

I've already produced some great shots with this camera and I'll have some great covers for my books and short stories coming soon.

BTW, if you aren't reading Dean Wesley Smith's blog, you ought to be.