Yes, I eat almost everything in a pasta bowl. They're just so... perfect 🥰

I didn't do the prettiest job of cutting the meat off the bone, but whatever. It made for a delicious late lunch with smashed taters and roasted Brussel sprouts 😋 #yum

I washed all the dishes by hand, dried them, put them away. Let the meat rest, swept and steam-mopped.

It smelled AMAZING, and apparently that's when my brain and body said, "Okay we're sleepy now" 🥴

I had frozen lamb shanks soaking in red wine in the fridge. I'd stuck them in the fridge prior to 11am the previous day, after buying groceries. I figured they should be ready to throw in the oven at 2am, so...

I seasoned them and let them cook low and slow.

So anyway. My therapist said if I can't fall asleep and it's been an hour or so... get up and do something. Make your body and brain realize they don't wanna be up and doing things, so they will try to convince you it really is time for bed or whatever.

I got up and cooked.

No, by far the worst part is the insomnia.

And I'm a lifelong insomniac 🥴 but it used to be intermittent. Now it's constant. And irksome.

I keep nodding off midday at work when I'm in the office. Have to get up and walk outside in the cold to wake up. This is 🗑

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it?), when I had a herniated disc in my back at 33, I was given lots of meds.

And apparently, Percocet and gabapentin don't always play nice. They gave me HORRIBLE hot flashes 🥵

The few I have now, are so mild in comparison.

Anyway.

I never had any big feelings about the bullseye spot. It wasn't too much better than Wal-Mart to me - other shoppers were still rude and annoying 🫠 only now, I had the privilege to pay a tad more for my abuse.

We all know where this is going, as grown adults. But 20-yr-old me really thought I was going back to my previous wage PLUS the raise.

Nope. They said, "congrats on your $5.75/hr" 🥴

And this is light treachery - Wal-Mart had done much worse to many others.

So I don't fuck with them. (4/?)

They made me drop my hourly double-digit wage, to minimum wage of $5.25/hr (yep, I'm old 👵) with the promise of a raise after my 90-day assessment.

Passed with flying colors. They were showering me with compliments. Said I'd get paid an extra $.50/hr (3/?)

I'm fine with giving Target the full Wal-Mart treatment. I don't fuck with Wal-Mart. I worked there summer of 2003 in my hometown, remodeling it into a Super Wal-Mart... before going back to Ball State for the fall semester and transferring to the Muncie store. (2/?)