oh HO, my lovelies, the day is upon us! by all accounts it is Thursday

when I used to work overnight at the gas station, during that short lived crazy time where I worked two jobs and never slept more than three hours at a time, I had a special drink I'd make when I got in at 10. Or 11. Whenever I was able to get in. After I counted my money, after I was able to lock the doors, I'd set up my little space. I'd turn on the speaker for the window and move the shelf of flavored cigars, set up a little display right in front of the window so I didn't have to shout every time (there was a lot of blunt purchasing in my neighborhood -- by my neighborhood I mean this gas station was right outside my apartment complex, on a major road but annoying to get to if you're going north and it kind of sneaks up on you if you're going south, so mainly it served my little community). I'd put all my little bits in a row and then I'd look at the coffee. If it looked bad then I'd wait til I scrubbed them down to make more, otherwise, the drink. A tall styrofoam cup. Half filled with coffee, the other half with whatever drinks were coming out of the machine. Powdered drinks mixed with hot water. I have good memories of those drinks and so, a soft spot, though I try not to drink them because those machines get nasty if they are not cleaned properly (I cleaned them). So, french vanilla or irish cream or whatever. Plus creamer. Plus sugar. Sometimes some hot chocolate mix. But the real special ingredient were these flavored creamers we had. I don't remember what they were called, something short and snappy with a ō in it. Regular little creamer cups with the peel back top, but dark colored and menacing for they were caffeinated creamer cups. Like two cups of coffee in the creamer. What! That's nuts. So I'd top the drink off with one or two of those and go about my business.

I almost don't know how I survived that time, that strange and special time in a strange and special year.

I did a lot of singing in the freezer with the radio cranked up. Sometimes I'd fall asleep in the back office.

I feel like telling stories. But I have to finish getting ready for work. Perhaps today, more.