Saturday 9

 Saturday 9: Cool Night (1981)

Unfamiliar with this week's song? Hear it here.

1) In this song, Paul Davis invites his old girlfriend to "come on over tonight." Have you more recently extended or received an invitation? Received. My former co-worker invited me to join her when she goes to see her boyfriend's band play here in my neighborhood.

2) He tells her she doesn't have to commit to any plans. Do you like having a schedule ahead of you with things to do delineated? Or do you prefer to see how your days naturally unfold? I prefer to not have plans. However, if I go too long without structure I get really lazy, so maybe what I prefer isn't what's best for me.

3) He wants them to cuddle by the fire. Will tonight be a cool night where you are? I've got the window open, so it's cool enough that I don't need the a/c.

4) A quiet night in front of the fireplace is likely how Paul Davis spent many evenings. When he died in 2008, his best friend remembered him as a quiet man, "a homebody" who liked staying up late into the night enjoying conversation and music with friends. Describe your perfect evening. Settling in with my cats and a good book, a good movie or a good ball game.

5) Mr. Davis also enjoyed playing pool and golf. Do you have a liking for either of those games? Not especially.

6) When he retired from music, Paul Davis returned to Meridian, MS, the town where he was born and grew up. Since we Americans can be a nomadic lot, let's find out: Is the town where you were born the same place where you spent most of your growing up years? When I was two, we moved 30 miles the from the town I was born in to the town I grew up in.

7) In 1981, when Paul Davis was a hit, so were The Rolling Stones with "Start Me Up." What's your favorite Rolling Stones' song? I'm no Stones fan, but I have always liked this one.

8) Also in 1981, Snoopy was all the rage, with kids and adults alike. You could buy Snoopy magnets, pencils, pencil sharpeners, note pads ... even a Snoopy bulletin board. If today we went shopping for office supplies, what would you pick up? I have a passion for binder clips.

9) Random question: In a biopic of your life, who would play your mom and dad? My dad is easy because he loooooved Archie Bunker, and I could see why. He was opinionated, stubbornly old school and always filled with grievance about "them." My mom could have been a typical sitcom mom, but she wasn't typical. While she loved her kids and her yard and pets and enjoyed getting her hair done, she hated housework and cooking. So maybe June Cleaver, but wearing jeans in the garden instead of pearls in the kitchen.

 

I thought it would happen, and it has

Ceecee quit. My boss at the card shop is leaving. She's going just a few blocks away to manage the new J. Crew store. But I'm bereft all the same. She's the one who decided last year to give me a chance, even though I have no relevant experience. She's done whatever she could to accommodate my schedule. She's forgiven my fat-fingered forgetfulness on the register. 

But I have been expecting this. Ever since our store became a soft target for shoplifters, she has been unhappy with the lack of support she's received from Corporate. So has Jen, the assistant manager I work with most often. I expect her to be gone soon, too. (I know she's interviewing.)

I don't know what all this means for me. Ceecee and Jen appreciate my strengths -- my comfort chatting with clients and promoting the sale items -- and are patient with my aforementioned fat-fingered forgetfulness on the register. The money isn't tremendous but it helps. I love the discount. I also think it's been good for me to have the structure of a job. I began working when I was 17 and found during my year of complete retirement that I need something like this to keep me sharp and content.

So I hope that the new manager, whoever they may be, won't rock my world. Fingers crossed.

Photo by Siora Photography on Unsplash