gordonzola | A day in the life

I needed three days off so I took 'em. But my Wednesday was a killer as they always are this time of year if I take Tuesday off. Wednesday is my major buying and meeting with reps day and because of the holiday, I hadn't talked to many of them in awhile so they all wanted to talk. Most of my big buying is already done for 2007, and I have little enthusiasm for planning 2008 yet, but there ya go. It's why they call it work.

I think what summed up my day was hitting myself in the head while working in the cooler. I was moving an empty milk crate when it hit something I didn't see, forcing the corner into my forehead right above my right eyebrow. It hit hard enough for me to stop for a second, but I didn't really think much of it. Until I went to get some oatmeal, that is, and a co-worker grabbed me by the shoulders, looked in my eyes, and asked me slowly if I was ok.

The cooler is… well… cold. 38 degrees-ish. At the risk of sounding butch*, when I'm receiving I often get cuts on my hands and arms that I don't notice until my body gets back to room temperature and they start to bleed. That bump on my head broke the skin and a line of blood had rolled between my eyes and down my nose without me noticing. Oh head wounds… why must you bleed so? I assured my co-worker I was fine and not in shock and he let me go with my oatmeal. Glad I wasn't working the floor!

Speaking of the floor and refrigeration, a bank of produce coolers went down which caused a customer to yell at us. In retrospect, she was not dissimilar to the "old bag' on last night's Kitchen Nightmares. "Why isn't there lettuce out there?" she demanded "Those coolers are working just fine."

"They are trying to fix them right now," I said.

She scoffed. "I stuck my hand in there. It's plenty cold. Why isn't it stocked."

"Let me get someone in produce to help you," I said. When I got the buyer, I said loudly enough to make my co-workers laugh, "I think she works for Hussman!"** The problem was that the cooler was too cold, not too warm, forming ice on the shelves which is not good for the lettuce family. What goes on in people's head? Yes, we're here at work and even though we share the profits, we don't want to sell you food. Sheeeesh.

A very nice English man tried to sell me some of his cheese later in the day. It's a traditional cloth-bound, cave aged, cheddar comfortably occupying the price point between block cheddars and the best-of-the-best Neal's Yard Montgomery and Keen's Cheddars. Unfortunately, that price point is currently covered by the local versions from Bravo Farms and Fiscalini.

It was good enough, but the name overshadowed the cheese. Even though I am not particularly into Star Wars, I guess I do have the humor-level of a 6th grader because when he told me his cheese was called "Wookey Hole", I replied "That sounds kinda dirty." He and his local rep looked at me like I was crazy.***

He explained that Wookey Hole is a town and that it's aged in the Wookey Hole Caves. Further a Wookey Hole is a place that, back in the day, villagers would push game towards so it would fall in and the villagers could feast on the fallen. He acknowledged that probably wasn't a good selling point for cheese.

I thought, Ok, maybe it's just me until

dairryiere came up to the desk , saw the promo material, and was all, "Oh my god, Wookey Hole?!?!" This was overheard by other workers and soon there was nothing but Wookey Hole jokes for the rest of the day.

"Hey Dairryiere! Eat my Wookey Hole!"

"My Wookey Hole is salty and pungent!"

"I'm going to the Star Wars bar to get some Wookey Hole!"

I guess working in a worker co-op means never having to develop a sense of humor past grade school level. I might buy some just because I want to watch

anarqueso sell it to people in her endearing bossy/flirty way. I need a vacation.

*As if
**Our refrigerator repair company
***They both indicated that they read the internet so hi guys! I am gonna bring in the block cheddar in 2008!