*YAWN*

Hi Ya’ll. I am alive! Although it’s only been two days since I’ve been here, I feel like it’s been longer. I feel like it’s been forever. Where have I been? Thursday, I went to work. And I worked. And then Thursday night Nate decided to stay with his dad so I went back to the shop since they, meaning the main printer (Kevin) and his girlfriend (Terri), were working on a 600 piece print job. It was 12:30 when we got out of there. Temperatures hovered around 100 degrees until we turned the ovens off. Ugh. It has to be hotter when you’re pulling shirts out of the 600 degree dryer, so Terri and I took turns pulling. The fronts had already been printed so we were working on the left chest prints. Then we had to change the tables on the automatic to print the large shirts. The tables are what the shirts are loaded on to go through the ink cycle. The tables were too hot so we had to wait until they cooled off to change them. They get hot because the shirts are flash dried as they go through the ink cycle so the inks don’t run into each other. We’ve had some trouble with the tables, which was supposed to be fixed, but wasn’t, so finally after running more shirts and getting frustrated with it, we finally threw in the shirt and took our sweaty, smelly selves home. Yesterday I had the Quickbooks class where I got leads on two shirt orders, one for a church and the others for a local union. I learned about Quickbooks, although I have to say, the class was boring. I left at lunch and was on the phone with Bob when AZ called from the phone at the shop and I told Bob to tell AZ that I was on the phone with him. I told Bob I would be there in a minute and then AZ called back wanting to know where the A/P folder was and I told him I was reviewing our accounts and it was on the table. He had found it by the time I got there, we talked for a minute as we hadn’t seen each other all week, not that we haven’t spoken, but we hadn’t actually laid eyes on each other. Then AZ left to go home and try to straighten up Casa Z as his mom and stepdad were on their way in for the beach trip. After my class, I called the shop as I was on my way to pick up Nate. Bob said AZ hadn’t shown back up, meaning: the paychecks weren’t there, the shirts hadn’t been ordered, and no one had any direction on where to go next. He wanted me to call AZ. I told him I would do what I could. I didn’t call because AZ already knew: the guys needed paid and the shirts needed ordered by 5:00. It was now 4:25. I picked up Nate, who was supposed to go to T-Bird’s because my cuz PC was having a party. No time. I headed east instead of west and guess who was in traffic beside of us? AZ, his mom, and stepdad. He rolled his stepdad’s window down and I yelled, "You gonna order those shirts today???" He laughed and said, "I’m on my way!" So, this is how Nanner met AZ’s mom and stepdad. I walked in and the shop looked great. Kevin had taken his time to straighten and sweep since he knew we would have VIV. That’s very important visitors. I was already on the phone with one of the t-shirt companies who had the audacity to send us a bill. In between I introduced myself to AZ’s mom and stepdad. I have to say, his Mom looked a bit out of sorts with all of the activity in the building. AZ’s on the phone, the computer guy is there, another printer is there, Nate is running around, Bob is loading shirts, Terri’s outside, Kevin and I are changing the jobs board, then AZ gets off the phone and he’s giving me instructions on half a dozen things, we’re writing down phone numbers and addresses for deliveries, I keep asking him questions, some of which I write down, some of which he says, "I’ll call ya later," "I’ll give that to you later," "Don’t worry until I get back," "What is this for?" I sold one of my necklaces to the computer guy and he gave me that money and a down payment on another piece. AZ’s mom was standing there and she said, "That is very pretty." I said, "Thank you very much." I decided that AZ looks nothing like her, at all. Then I had to chase Nate around, who had been given Dr. Pepper by his father. Who I have told, "Don’t give him Dr. Pepper, it makes him crazy." I believe AZ’s mom and stepdad got a big dose of Nate. *Says a prayer* Finally, everyone left but me and the other printer, so Nate helped me load up the deliveries, and off we went. I dropped one off and then took Nate to T-Bird’s then went up the hill to make another delivery and pick-up money, then down the hill, talked to my cousin, made another delivery, went to my cousins, ate, had a couple of beers, AZ called, I drove back to town and met him at the real estate office. We talked, I rubbed his back, got more instructions, went through the 34 messages on his cell phone, talked more, and then we left. I went back to T-Bird’s to get Nate, watched the end of "You’ve Got Mail," and then "Cross Country with John Edward." For some reason I was compelled to return to the 7-11 to pick up a $5 ring I wanted, saw one of the officers Jeff used to work with, talked to him for about a half of an hour, drove home, and collapsed in exhaustion. Nate had already fallen asleep in the car on the way to 7-11 so all I had to do was pour him in the bed. And, that’s why I haven’t been around. Now, time for breakfast. Going back to PC’s today for swimming and food. Oh, and the bank, I have to take the deposit to the bank. If I am not around next week, it is because I am buried under 15,800 shirts. *Says a prayer*