Yesterday at work was horrendous not just because it seem like every person in Austin was getting fabric but because I kept getting sharp spasms of pain in my back.  I arrived in work at 11am and by 11.30 knew it was going to be a bad back day! But I kept going, pushing bolt after bolt of fabric back to the shelves, praying my back wouldn’t go into complete lock up mode.  Anyway, at 4.30pm I decided I couldn’t take it any more and told my supervisor I needed to go home.  Well, the look of thunder that emitted from that face could have taken care of the devil himself.  The long and short of it, I was guilted into staying until my finish time at 7pm, although I refused to put away fabric, as I knew that would definitely be recipe for disaster.  To be fair to the supervisor, the shop was mobbed so having a person going home probably wasn’t what she needed at the time.  On the other hand, I don’t get sick leave or any pay for vacations (the norm in retail over here), so it not as if I gain anything from leaving work early other than I would more comfortable at home.

Anyway, my back is a bit better today, still twinging a bit but with the muscle relaxations I took last night, it has improved.  However, given my experience yesterday, I am not going to take the chance I am made to work up to 7pm again if it get bad again, so I decided to call in sick which I hate to do.  I feel guilty about being home, sad:(

At least it should be quieter today as the Columbus day sale finished at 9pm last night.  Now all those shoppers will have to wait until Friday for the ‘moonlight’ week long special sale where yet again everything in the store is 30,40,50 and 60% off.  Why do people fall for these ’sales” that’s what I want to know, we have a sale everyday of the week on most things anyway!  No kidding, it was so busy yesterday, we actually ran out of carts(trolleys in UK).  A call was put out to retrieve carts from outside and the person called back in to say that only 6 carts where outside, which meant the other 100 or so were inside the store being used! If there is an economic downturn, its not obvious in the fabric dept. 

Anyway, I suppose I should do something useful on my day off or I will feel guilty about not being there. Hopefully my back will be recovered by Thursday when I go back to work but at least I will in the frame shop.  Back to the cutting table on Friday and then again Mon, Wed and Thurs, Ugh! I hate FABRIC!!!!