The Lou Pickney Homepage
The Lou Pickney
Homepage


Online since
August 1995

2024 NFL Draft
Draft King

NFL Mock Draft
2024 Prospects

MORE
NashvilleLou Live
NashvilleLou.com
AcePurple.com
TigerDriver.com


Lou Pickney's Online Commentary

Setting a Routine

Friday
June 22, 2012

Week one of my return to the vampire shift is in the books. Now comes what is actually the trickiest part about working this shift: the weekend. It takes a certain level of work and effort to adjust to sleeping during the day, and it is exceedingly difficult to flip that for the weekend. Friends and family who have never worked that shift don't understand the challenge involved in doing daytime activities when you are used to sleeping during the day.

I stayed later than normal at work this morning since I'm trying to get over the learning curve and be ready to take full ownership of what is going to be my regular newscast (Sunrise) at WSAZ. There has been so much to learn, which has been a challenge but one that I have relished. I've worked as hard as I possible could every day, trying to learn everything I need to know and how things have in some ways drastically changed as far as behind-the-scenes stuff goes.

By staying late I inadvertently put myself in position to be able to head over to CVS, which opens at 8, to pick up some Breathe-Right strips and knock-off Simply Sleep medicine. Hey, that transition to overnights isn't easy, and being well-rested is important in a job like mine where attention to detail is so important.

I came home, watched Reservoir Dogs (one of my all-time favorites), then went to sleep. I was tired by that point, to be sure.

Tonight I had a Jimmy John's sub sandwich for the first time. There's a location literally less than a five-minute walk from my apartment, which is decidedly convenient. I walked in and there were maybe 5-6 workers there but no customers. Keep in mind that Huntington is a college city, and when Marshall isn't in session things are different. I had looked online at the menu and decided to go with the #8, the Billy Club, a delicious roast beef-and-ham sub that was freshly made. I went with the standard layout minus tomatoes, since I don't like tomatoes.

Here's the receipt.

Note: it's almost a sacrilege in my family on my Dad's side to not like tomatoes. They were grown on the family farm when he was growing up and enjoyed as part of meals for years. But, what can I say, they're just not my thing. I don't have the outright disdain for them that I do for pickles, but it's the only thing that normally comes on it that I didn't want.

Clearly the Jimmy John's crew working tonight gets along well, as the woman who took my order started giving the guy who was supposed to make the sandwich some grief since he needed to put his plastic gloves on to make the sandwich, but she did it in a teasing way. "This guy waiting here is hungry," she said. "I'm wasting away to nothing," I quipped, also in a joking tone. It sometimes doesn't work when you try to mix in humor as a stranger among a group that all knows each other, but this time it did and they put it over a bit.

The guy working on the sandwich looked at the ticket and noted an error. "The Billy Club comes with tomatoes, but this says add tomatoes." The woman at the counter acknowledged her error and said that, indeed, my sandwich was supposed to be made without them.

The sandwich was made quickly enough, and as I went to the counter to get it, the woman said, "My no isn't working tonight." It took a split-second... and then everyone picked up on the unintentional double entendre and a round of uproarious laughter broke out. I grabbed the bag with my sandwich, grinned, and said, "On that note, I'm out of here. Have a good night." We all laughed again and I left. Hey, when you can go out on a high note, I say you do it.

It might not come across the same in print, but at the time it amused me greatly. Plus I got home and found that the sandwich was delicious. I'll definitely be going back there again sometime soon.

I'm likely going to lay low this weekend. Despite this being the Summer Without Cable for me, Netflix offers plenty of entertainment options, and there's always the internet. Yes, the NBA and NHL Finals are done, and while I'm not sure how I will watch Breaking Bad when its new season begins, overall I'm not hurting for entertainment. The weather is set to be hot and muggy this weekend, which is not down my alley. Some people embrace summertime and hot weather, but not me.

Thank goodness for air conditioning.

There is always work to be done or entertainment to be found, and it's convenient that I haven't rebuilt my social circle here yet since I'm trying to be tight with my cash at this point. But I can't complain: it will take some time to adjust to a new set of circumstances and a new schedule and handle the drastic difference from where I was two months ago to where I am now, but things are moving in the right direction -- and there's something to be said for that.


2012 Commentary Section

Commentary Archive

Return to the Lou Pickney Homepage


Except where otherwise noted, all content on this website is copyright © 1995-2024 Lou Pickney, all rights reserved.
The views expressed here are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect those of any media company.