Another Friday Afternoon

Another Friday afternoon, I am back here all on my own. The day has been slow less then seven calls. The boos is gone as well as most of the upfront staff so it’s basically Marsha( the new person) and me. Shaney Boy is here but has been in and out to human services doing Comptroller stuff so Shaney feels like he is gone. Shane will most likely stick round to 5:00 pm. I’m here “for the count” so I figured I would take off over lunch and get some banking and such done.

I have found I really enjoy going over to my bank or credit union and doing transitions in person. I am sure this is some sort of a throw-back to a day when things were slower and am sure folks felt in more control of their lives. The whole thing of seeing and interacting with the very folks who handle and ”guard” your money is important. It’s corny, I know, but I really get the feeling these folks like seeing me come in and our interactions. I secretly believe that I get better service because I visit the bank. I especially like the service I feel I am getting over the phone when I do have to call in to the institution. The people make me feel like I am important. Enough for the embedded commercial.

I had finished my banking and was onto my next destination Jeannies Smoke shop(JSS). JSS is a great smoke shop. I think every city has one. Usually an older building in the down town business district.. Wood floors which creak when walked or rolling on. The shop is usually the city’s pipe shop where pipes can be purchased, repaired and admired. The shop also has a real humid adore one you can actually walk in. The whole place smells great. JSS is very much a guy’s place. Magazines and overstuffed chairs in back where one can still sit and have a smoke. Jeannie still owns the place but I don’t I have ever seen her there. The cashiers are all young and mostly male. In the time I have been frequenting the shop there has only been two cashiers who are female. A women had to betough or severely cool to work at JSS One was cool and was very tough. But those are other posts) There is always a high quality of jazz being played at Jeanies—in the winter the place is warm and inviting and the summer the doors is always open and a cool respite( in all manners of the word) from the city’s heat. Jeannie’s is the great city mixer. Pipe tobacco, cigars( good cigars) the kind sold in real wood boxes collectively or metal tube singly—high end cigarettes and the no names which brings in the city’s pan handlers and homeless who have just enough for one pack of no names to get them through the night.

So, there I am sitting infront of the glass display cases with the sliding doors. Chet the cashier is serving the gentleman in front of me is holding a wad of hundred dollar bills at least an inch thick I could see the top bills were hundreds I could not see what the bottom of the pile was but I sensed they were hundreds too. He had a whole breast pocket of his shirt was stuffed with Punch Imported cigars. Thr guy had a high end Blue Tooth ear piece the kind Uhura wore at her duty station aboard the Enterprise. The guy was busy purchasing ornate wood cigar boxes the kid I like to buy at Christmas for writing boxes. Chet finally acknowledged my presences asked if I wanted the usual. I nodded feeling very cool. The the cigar man turned and looked down at me and said “Hi” I said “Hi” back trying not to notice the wad in his hand. I even mentioned someone’s horse came in. I did not think anyone heard me. A couple of minute Cigar Man turned and said” Do you smoke cigars?” taken off guard I said ”Sure” in a couple of deeper octaves. Cigar Man looked pleased and rook one of the stogies out of his pocket ad gave it to me. I am not sure what I am going to do with it but it sure is cool and makes a story like a left turn.