Post-Gustav, Making Groceries at Rouses

So, I don't really want to discuss my evacucation--that is, after I got sent home by boyfriend (see my last post). I got in the car with Davy the brother, Angela the sister-in-law, Linda the dog, and Vadeem the piano player and drove to Atlanta. Suffice it to say that we were crammed in an airport-side hotel teeming with Gustav evacuees, who if you tried to bond with them, aka "So you're evacuating too?" would look at you blankly, and say, "You waiting for drugs?"

Now that I'm back home, I feel a lot better, naturally. I have power in my house, and today I went to the store!!! Now I talk a lot of shit about Rouses but I keep shopping there, and I don't think it's just because it's convenient. I think I'm starting to like Rouses; it's still a shit hole, but I believe it's acquiring some of that "charm" that I before had so adamantly declared was missing.

Today, Rouses was packed! We played bumper-carts with each other, but amicably. Lots of "excuse mes," and "I'm sorry, ba-bys," because we all knew we were in this shit-show together. But all the employees were fighting with each other: "Stupid Produce, it's all stupid Produce, what a dysfunctional operation." Help me out, here--when that employee refers to the employees in charge of the produce department as "Produce," is that an example of metonymy or synecdoche?

The cashier checking out at aisle 4 had the name "Chasity" written in Sharpee on a piece of white tape stuck on her shirt. Bored in line, I figured that her parents thought the name "Chastity" was really pretty, but knew if they named their daughter that, she would grow up to be a whore. So they opted for "Chasity" instead, that had the same ring to it, but not the same implications. Similar signifier, different signified. Why did I go to college, seriously.

Ok, but more importantly, Chasity was training! They hadn't even given her a real name-tag yet! That's some bullshit, why train an employee at a time like this? I wanted to talk shit about Chasity, and then noticed that the woman ahead of me was Latina. "No es el dia para entrenar una obrera nueva, sabes?" I asked her. I don't know if that's right or not, but she laughed and said, "Si, con este movimiento..." or something like that. It was fun. When Chasity began checking me out, I was tempted to say some consoling words like "Rough time to have to train, huh?" but was afraid my tone would come off as insincere.

Well, I got my groceries, and for any non-natives who are interested, I'm about to make some cheese grits and collard greens. Oh my God, it's kind of like a Gumbo Party, just like on K-Ville!!!