A new Emporium full-timer started this week. Aaron. Yes, the guy who prefers red-heads. I really like him, but many of the people who work with him find him strange. Since I’m strange myself, I’m not sure how to describe his strangeness. Aaron’s the type of guy who just eats when he’s bored. The first two times I’ve worked with him, he’s complained of stomach pains. He’s complained about the fact that he gets

I relished my chance to tell him of what a bad student supervisor I am. He likes to talk about the greatness and efficiency of Eva J’s, his former dining facility. Well, when someone brags about how good they are at their job, I just looooove to show all the ways I suck at my job. He saw the floor of the Emporium storage room and asked-When was the last time this room was mopped? I said-uh, I remember I mopped it four semesters ago when I first started working at Plaza. I haven’t seen anyone mopping it since. He looked at the cloth on the long table in the middle of the Emporium and asked-When do you change this dirty cloth? It is the dirtiest I’ve ever seen. I said-Well, never.

After awhile, I was the one joyfully going around and pointing out all the dirty spots. I showed him the inside of the cappuccino machine, the inside of the juice machine, the dirty pieces of plastic in front of the coolers, the inside of the microwave and all the other unmentionable places that I’ve been too lazy to clean. When that was over, I looked at the items he prepped and said stuff like-Oh lordy, look at this sandwich. What is it called? I haven’t seen it for months… What?! So, Home Replacement Meals are not leftovers from Plaza? We actually have to get stuff that’s fresh? I don’t understand. I thought Emporium was the place where Plaza dumped its leftover food.

I can understand the type of guy JJ is, because I’m that kind of guy too. We both work because we have to. We’re both tired all the time, but we’re so used to it, we don’t notice it anymore.

Imagine us sipping our coffees, slapping our faces awake. In fact, I think I even walk like JJ. You know-almost like a bulldozer. (One of my friends and I were walking and she made the comment that straight women and lesbians walk differently and she said-watch me walk.

Okay, do you notice anything? I replied-uh, I think you sway your hips. Yep, that was it. She pointed out that I don’t sway my hips. So I’m trying to figure out what I do do with them. I think guys have different kinds of walks, just like women do. I’m not sure. I’ve never watched closely before.)

Anyway, I mention our similarities because I’m puzzled as to what kind of worker Aaron is. JJ and I are Taoists-we follow the (easy) path. I’m easy with my Emporium students and let them alone most of the time because they are intelligent enough to figure out what needs to be done. Heck, they were smart enough to pick up Emporium shifts in the first place, so that proves their merit. Aaron said that he would stay til three in the morning if it takes that long to clean up Emporium. Ha!!! to that idea. I let the student stay no more than 11:20 even if it’s just me and JJ left to finish clean-up. Interestingly, Aaron will be the closing full-timer this Saturday.