As much as I love making them, icons are frustating work guys. Yesterday I spent six hours coloring one image. Blood is, by the way, more difficult than you'd think to color properly when there is an excess of it. I spent another two hours today working on that alone, sending the image to Angel (who really needs to get an LJ) for approval.

Once we'd both determine that it was in fact good enough to be iconned, I ended up cropping out two thirds of it all. Including said bloody area which I'd spent said two hours perfecting. WHAT THE HELL.

Adding the finishing touches is taking longer than I planned. The text doesn't want to work with me. >.<

Anyways. I guess it's something to pass the time. I'm still coughing up a lung, much to my irritation. I do all right until I have to work, naturally. But it gets kinda annoying when management, hell-bent on this new system, insists that if we don't have things done by a certain time there will be serious consequences.

...I don't think they realize just how dangerous our job was to begin with. I don't care if other stores have less people and somehow are able to get the job done faster- I'm sure there are other variables thrown in there that work to their favor that we don't have. Besides maybe the cart pushers, our job is the most physically demanding. I've seen other associates freak out when we lift things like grills or bookshelves by ourselves. They're supposed to get assistance with those items, whereas if you can't do that by yourself in the back room quickly, you're a waste of space.

I guess I just don't understand what they're expecting of us. And a part of me thinks it's really unfair that we're treated this way. I mean, on Monday the garden center guy (James) was made officially ICS. His first day back there, we got told that if we weren't done with the truck at the time given that we would all be coached. It makes my brain hurt. They keep this up, and people are going to quit. I think I'm currently the only one there who actually needs this job.

RARGH. On the plus side though, some people are understanding. I've decided I need to get sick more often (Just not for so long- COUGH. Go away NOW), if I get this much special treatment. My first day back I felt like shit and was told I looked as much. Everyone but me had hours of overtime they needed to kill and when they were told to do so at lunch, Aaron basically told them they could shove that idea where the sun don't shine, seeing as that would leave me to pull the entire backroom by myself for two hours.

When I noticed that the four hours I'd requested off for a wedding were in the second half of my sift instead of the first, I asked a support manager (the awesome one, not the asshole) if he could change it for me. He gave me the whole day off because he said I looked like I needed it (te wedding was nice, by the way).

Donald bought me some more Mike's Hard Lemonade without me even bothering to ask.

Billy stopped by my house to give me a ride to work on Friday even though he's out of work for the week.

And astonishingly, Kathy, of all people, offered to give me a ride home two days in a row. The world is... a very strange place.

So in the mean time, I sleep. And hope my cough goes away soon because otherwise I may actually have to see a doctor. My wallet will be very displeased with me if this occurs.

...I'm attempting self-medication with reading lots of fanfic, but this has backfired. I found out earlier that fantasyfan17updated her One Piece/Naruto crossover (FF.net has nearly fifty of these... and hers is pretty much the only good one) yet again and have been dying of laughter.

Because I totally need to pimp out more fic to people, I may as well start with this one. The first chapter actually features Zoro and Shikamaru- and I didn't even suggest the idea. As a matter of fact, I didn't even know she was writing the thing until an hour or so before she posted the first chapter. On top of that, I don't even think she knew I'm a Shikamaru fan. Which made it both a surprise and amazingly perfect. (gushes)

The second chapter has too much win for words. Franky and Rock Lee. I die. XD

And this latest chapter I actually did suggest, but she did it wonderfully. Ah, it's a very good thing these characters will probably never actually meet. Because Nami would so do this.

Daniiiiiii! Have I told you how awesome you are lately? :3