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The Cuddly Pumpkin
28/02/2005 08:22 pmIzzie slinks into the nasty cafe. In spite of snatching 13 cheapie hours last Tuesday, the Iz still managed to use them all up and is simply unable to last until tomorrow without getting an online fix. Once again, the uttterly awful waste of a day 8-5.30pm shift meant that pottering online and chatting until 2am at the ma's place was once again not an option. Most peeved indeed
But today more so than ever. If we had been working the usual evening shift that we've had for so so long on Mondays, the Iz could have actually gone to the Pumpkin's funeral which was on at 11.30 this morning.
The Cuddly Pumpkin is one of Izzie's nicknames for one of the most adorably gorgeous people who has ever brightened the doors of Izzie's day job with her presence. She died unexpectedly on Friday 18th and a lot of people were most devastated indeed. Izzie had last worked the Wednesday night before and was so so glad that she gave her favorite Grandma lots of serpent squishes, hugs and kisses.
Izzie had four days off last week and really was hoping that the funeral would be on Thursday or Friday. Even tomorrow would have been OK. But it had to be the one day that Iz was working the nasty nine hour shift. And this shift it is just about impossible to swap with anyone and certainly not at such short notice.
Unfortunately, due to having to watch the Goblin clock, the Iz cannot write too much about this lady like we did last time one of our favorite Fairy Godmothers died. She did get lots of mentions in the old fashioned pen and paper diary but not much here in Cyberia. But if she was a plant she would have been a sunflower. Izzie would describe her as a human teddy bear. Even the grumpiest creature on the planet could not help but smile in the presence of Tessie.
It's funny. Even the most die hard rationalist militantly antifluffy bunny sceptics at work would admit that there was something about Tessie - a certain presence or what the more flaky sorts might call an aura.
While so so many residents in the nursing home are just the most demanding sort and it's very emotionally tiring to even be in the presence of some of them, folks like Tessie were the exact opposite. Quite a few of us would find ourselves inexplicably drawn to her like iron filings to a magnet. And just to look and smile at Tessie was not enough. She was simply the cuddliest squishiest huggiest most affectionate person imaginable.
The Izzie will have to make do with sending a card to the family. We could not quite decide between one with a very big and bright sunflower and another that was very pale and had a white gerbera that looked like it would have been a very bright yellow in a previous existence. Tessie was not a rose or lily sort of person, much more like a daisy or sunflower. So the white card seemed to have just the right mixture of beauty and brightness for such a sad occasion.
A lot of folks cannot understand how the house elves can get so upset by the deaths of residents - many of whom are in their 80s and 90's. "They had a long life" "No one can live for ever" etc etc etc. But there are some folks at ninety who have more life and joy in them than a lot of twenty or thirty year olds. One of the youngest residents we had was only 55 when she died. She ended up in a aged care home because no one else could put up with her. She made the lives of her family hell and basically did nothing but suck the life blood out of anyone remotely associated with her. Truly a Diva of Dementors and psychic vampire of the highest order.
So now that the Pumpkin is finally gone but still as vivid as ever in the Izzie memories, it is time to think once again of the Precioussss and ponder what sort of scheming creatures will conspire to get between it and the Izzie tomorrow morning.
If the Izzie had had a normal morning shift like last Monday, would have been able to visit the book store and pick up the Preciousss today. But this stupid nine hour shift was the worst of both worlds and we had neither the chance to say our last goodbyes to the Pumpkin or first hello to the Preciousss. Though if the Iz had the choice, the funeral would have had preference. The Preciousss will still be there tomorrow, but if you miss a funeral, there is no second chances.
But today more so than ever. If we had been working the usual evening shift that we've had for so so long on Mondays, the Iz could have actually gone to the Pumpkin's funeral which was on at 11.30 this morning.
The Cuddly Pumpkin is one of Izzie's nicknames for one of the most adorably gorgeous people who has ever brightened the doors of Izzie's day job with her presence. She died unexpectedly on Friday 18th and a lot of people were most devastated indeed. Izzie had last worked the Wednesday night before and was so so glad that she gave her favorite Grandma lots of serpent squishes, hugs and kisses.
Izzie had four days off last week and really was hoping that the funeral would be on Thursday or Friday. Even tomorrow would have been OK. But it had to be the one day that Iz was working the nasty nine hour shift. And this shift it is just about impossible to swap with anyone and certainly not at such short notice.
Unfortunately, due to having to watch the Goblin clock, the Iz cannot write too much about this lady like we did last time one of our favorite Fairy Godmothers died. She did get lots of mentions in the old fashioned pen and paper diary but not much here in Cyberia. But if she was a plant she would have been a sunflower. Izzie would describe her as a human teddy bear. Even the grumpiest creature on the planet could not help but smile in the presence of Tessie.
It's funny. Even the most die hard rationalist militantly antifluffy bunny sceptics at work would admit that there was something about Tessie - a certain presence or what the more flaky sorts might call an aura.
While so so many residents in the nursing home are just the most demanding sort and it's very emotionally tiring to even be in the presence of some of them, folks like Tessie were the exact opposite. Quite a few of us would find ourselves inexplicably drawn to her like iron filings to a magnet. And just to look and smile at Tessie was not enough. She was simply the cuddliest squishiest huggiest most affectionate person imaginable.
The Izzie will have to make do with sending a card to the family. We could not quite decide between one with a very big and bright sunflower and another that was very pale and had a white gerbera that looked like it would have been a very bright yellow in a previous existence. Tessie was not a rose or lily sort of person, much more like a daisy or sunflower. So the white card seemed to have just the right mixture of beauty and brightness for such a sad occasion.
A lot of folks cannot understand how the house elves can get so upset by the deaths of residents - many of whom are in their 80s and 90's. "They had a long life" "No one can live for ever" etc etc etc. But there are some folks at ninety who have more life and joy in them than a lot of twenty or thirty year olds. One of the youngest residents we had was only 55 when she died. She ended up in a aged care home because no one else could put up with her. She made the lives of her family hell and basically did nothing but suck the life blood out of anyone remotely associated with her. Truly a Diva of Dementors and psychic vampire of the highest order.
So now that the Pumpkin is finally gone but still as vivid as ever in the Izzie memories, it is time to think once again of the Precioussss and ponder what sort of scheming creatures will conspire to get between it and the Izzie tomorrow morning.
If the Izzie had had a normal morning shift like last Monday, would have been able to visit the book store and pick up the Preciousss today. But this stupid nine hour shift was the worst of both worlds and we had neither the chance to say our last goodbyes to the Pumpkin or first hello to the Preciousss. Though if the Iz had the choice, the funeral would have had preference. The Preciousss will still be there tomorrow, but if you miss a funeral, there is no second chances.
