Began to notice a little today something not
smelling just quite right in my room. Took me most of the day to figure it out,
‘cause it started out small. Turns out it was coming from some of the shell
things – I thought I was keeping - I had collected on the beach the other day.
Seems it was more than shells – stinky, rotting creatures hiding inside. Phew!
Another new chambermaid started today. Sue in her
forties, with blonde, spiky hair and lives in the poob (pub) down the street,
is danged competent – and strong! She really knows her stuff and is a pretty
darned good worker. (It is so interesting the number of staff I’ve seen come
and go. We’ll see how long Kiersty, Celeste and Sue last . . .) While we were
working alongside one another, she taught me a new term that happened to come
up in our conversation – it’s a good one: ‘half a job Bob.’ (Found this on the
internet – does it apply to you?! ‘Half-a-job Bob is the guy who never fully finishes what he’s
doing. He cleans the home, but doesn’t put away the hoover or duster after use.
He will process his mail and pay his bills but he won’t actually file any of it
away till later. It drives me mad, because he regularly leaves loose ends all
over the place without a care in the world, so they inevitably become my loose
ends as well.’)
Spoke with a young
couple just arriving (people usually are very intrigued to speak to an
American)– the wife was from Spain, the husband from France; remarkably perfect
English, of course. Spoke with another man as he waited in the hallway, hoping
to change to a different room, (and I interrupted my work to stop and chat). We
got as far as the question, ‘But why – why are you here?’ (My stock answer –
and it’s the truth and cuts to the chase really fast – is that ‘the grass is
always greener.’ The querier know instantly
what I mean by that.) before he got his room sorted and went back upstairs.
‘See you tonight,’ I called, ‘I’ll be someone different.’ He told me that he knew
just who my persona would be – ‘Polly.’ Well, that’s an affirming compliment –
I think!
Today Stacey, Celeste and I got into a
discussion of ‘rude piercings’ – piercings in places you just don’t want to
think about. In other words, if there’s a flap of skin you can pierce, then
it’s a candidate. For instance, Celeste, has a silver ball on her tongue – and
no, it doesn’t bother her at all, she says. (Knew you were DYING to know but
AFRAID to ask – I know I always am.) Stacey – we won’t even go there . . . (You
would NOT want to have been in on the discussion – I don’t think I did,
really!) And these are just regular old, everyday girls – meaning just imagine
the possibilities with someone a little more racey. (And they both have various
small tattoos, that I can see, as well – don’t want to know in what other
locations they might be hiding!)
In the last couple of days, both Stacey AND Charlotte,
on separate occasions, allowed that I was a STAR! which boils down to mean that
I ‘jumped to’ when a circumstance demanded an extra amount of effort. It’s all
good – happy to oblige. I’ll take any bit of praise that gets thrown in my
direction!
Whoa, didn’t know that could be beat! Today when I
suggested we put floral cases (old bedding style, now replaced) on some pillows
upstairs so we’d have the nicer white striped for the lower floor rooms {it seems
I spoke too soon, that we ARE running out of bedding again – too little staff
and no one in charge}, Kiersty said I was (not only a star, but) a SUPERSTAR!
Awesome!! I like Kiersty a lot – she absolutely NEVER blows off the handle. I
really get tired of all those around here that do; there are a substantial
amount that do – and frequently, too!) Today as I was detailing the skirting
board (aka baseboard in American) I found a little sparkle of a rock, wedged
down between the edge of the carpet and the wall – a diamond, or a cubic
zirconium – or a rhinestone . . . or something! Who knows? Perhaps I never
will.
Quote from Professor Ronald Dworkin, philosopher
of law, on the life well-lived_ Without dignity our lives are only blinks of
duration. If we manage to lead a good life well, we create something more. . .
we make our lives tiny diamonds in the cosmic sands.
Photos_
1- a star
2- a star
3- a diamond
3- a diamond
