Ah, Saturday my favorite day of the week. Yesterday we experienced an sql issue. Sql issue repaired.

Friday was the last student free ETS day before after this weekend, they’ll be back. But they also get Easter break as well. I liked the break from the hoards of kids all over the platform. So, I went out of here Friday afternoon at 4pm and was on the train at 4:10pm. In the office I took station #1 beside Sbvere there tonight. We did the Cops for Kids Safety program. I ended up with $600 on CPA and 3 credit cards. Robs giving away $2 for each credit card regardless of the amount. I got $6 tonight for a total of $21 this week (so far in bonuses) Also Moe let us evening guys play OTH for ten minutes because we ran out of numbers as the shift was winding down. All OTH team players regardless though got a point each for today even though Rob never ran it. But because Moe let us play OTH for our last 10 minutes J and Dawn each got a credit card. That’s 2 crucial points. JT’s team is close behind. But the good news is we ran out of numbers and anyone that was working tonight got the chance to do OTH for the last 10 minutes. I think that’s going to save us. But today is crunch day and I haven’t been to bed yet. Well I did but bed wouldn’t let me sleep. I think even though we might run out of OTH numbers we stand a good chance to win it again. That’s $50 bucks for each player. That and another $40 bucks can go towards my website. Whu Who!

Anne called me at my break and said that her company gave her a list of other call centers she (cc) can apply at when she’s done there. She likes this one CC that pays $11/hour and that’s what she’s doing now. It’s almost the same as her last job and that’s the one she wants to go try out when she’s done with her employer. It’s only a block away from where she’s working now.

We also played the Go home early game ghe. One credit card, one minute. We got out about 25 minutes early. If all goes well on next week and I get my stat pay and I get the $50 OTH bonus, and my $21 I should have a total amount of $270 and that includes my 15.5 hours. Not bad.

But I hope to have my gst cheque arrive in the post any day now. That money goes to Markus.

What? Wallmart open 24 hours? I thought that was just for Christmas. Well it’s true. Seems that there are 5 Walmart stores that will be open 24 hours in Calgary and the only Edmonton Walmart store to be open 24 hours will be the one up the street from us. I mean are they really getting any kind of business at 3am? What about the cleaning crew to do the floors and crap? “Attention Walmart shoppers, the house wares isle will be closed from 3-4am due to maintenance.” We’ve had other stores open before around the clock like the Shoppers drug mart on Jasper and 114th. That’s been an all nighter for many years. And then there’s the Money Mart and of course the 7-11’s and Mac Stores. Cliffs IGA (like Safeway) used to be open in the West End 24 hours in the early 1980‘s. The Burger King Drive Thru is open until 3am. Why not just open everything up around the clock? They do this for shift workers and we have a lot of shift work here in Edmonton. Back in 1979 I used to think having Sunday shopping was crazy. At the time this was causing quite a stir here in Edmonton. No Sunday shopping was part of the British North American Act. Now I can go get World of Warcraft at 4am at Walmart and a pair of socks. The Pharmacy, optical, and McDonalds will be closed of course. Most likely they’ll run a skeleton crew of 2-3 people. But if they have a flat utility rate, it won’t cost them much extra to have a few staff on hand to open the store. Makes sense to me. I still think having Sunday shopping is nuts. I’m all in favor of having retail open around the clock but we should shut things down Sunday. Not for religious reasons. Call me old school but I like a slower pace of life. Always have.

I’ll be out there at 9am waiting for my bus. Weather is a lot nicer out there today. It’s only -3 at the moment. Almost Spring like so it will be very nice going in. Anne was saying that Tim’s now has hash browns. Great. I can get my breakfast sandwich and has browns in the morning up from Carona station. I’m going to bring those reward points, get a caouple of books and a jar of coffee and some lunch at City Center mall after work. Anne gave me $10 for my allowence. Hopefully that James P Hogan book will be there and maybe a Anthology. Then home for a nap and then tonight is the Oilers at home to the New York Rangers. They haven’t been out here in 6 years. What a stupid shedual.

After that it’s back to more work on HT. I want to complete another character sheet. I like this story. It’s different. It’s a science fiction gothic romance. I don’t know if this is a new sub genre in SF lititure. If I’m not known for anything else then let it be fore inventing the genre. If it is one. If that is I can pull it off.

Still working on my first coffee. I couldn’t sleep even though I was in bed right after ECW. I think I had a little nap. Annes up early as well to go in. I feel bad for her company that has been in Edmonton for at least 10 years. They still have other offices of course across the country and because of our hot economy and the many CC offices located here these employees will be absorbed into other CC’s. Anne had a love hate relationship with her job. I’m sure we all do at one time or another. It ws nice to get those reward points. But since Anne and I have been married, she’s been on unemployment only once and that wasn‘t for very long. I’m surprised I’ve been at my job for as long as I have. Since we got married, I’ve always kept the same job. I kept my Army & Navy job in the 1980’s from Sept 1982-March 17th 1989. That was 6.6 years. This job, 2000-Jan 2008. On January 15th I would have tied my A&N job for length of time there.

Monday I’m going to Canada Place and pick up thos CPP disability papers. Call my Doctor and get that process working. Hopefully I can have my CPP by April first. If Rob will let me, I’d like to work just 3 days/week and I’d still do Cw up to the limit over.

Anyway, that’s all for now.

e. Jim