New Moon Strikes Again in Still Listening to Spirit

The weird and freaky stuff happened before I even got to work today. I didn’t know this until 8:30a when I was relaxing before work and Madame called to talk a bit.

Gwen, Discover Skagway, who no longer runs her company here has been taking reservations online as well as from the few once-a-year regulars. She passes them on to us to do the tours. This has been a nightmare more often than not.

This morning was another nightmare. One of her regulars was coming to town. Gwen verified way back in June or July there would be 37 plus one (free) guide. There was a long back and forth communication about how the tour would be done. Gwen’s way would have tied up 2 vehicles all day. We told her the fee would be $50 a person for this.

She chose to do it our way which meant we were done at noon. Pickup was at the docks for an 8am departure. First problem, I sent Shelby in the 20 pax vehicle and Jack in the 18 pax vehicle—38 seats, 38 people.

Nope the tour guide had told Gwen on first booking in June that there would be 42 plus 1 guide.....RATS! So Greg sent Eric to trade out vehicles with Jack, a 25 pax which would give us 45 seats. This put that tour 1/2 hour behind schedule.

Schedule tight, White Pass Tour, drop pax at Days of 98 Show for 10:30 showing, ick up at 11:30, take them out to Jewell Gardens. Half an hour at Jewell Gardens then take them back to the docks. Anyone who wanted to stay later at the Gardens was to take a city bus back.

Shelby had a tour at noon, 12:30 really and we sold some seats on that. So, Shelby took people ready back to the ship and then picked up her passengers for the 12:30.

She still had some backpacks and stuff on her bus from the other tour. Jack said later everyone acted like they had those buses for all day, did not pay any attention to being told to take their stuff with them when they got to the Gardens.

Anyway, so Jack stayed out to shuttle people back to the ships instead of them taking a SMART bus…but that did not make him late for his next tour.

Jack came in with a huge wad of 3 $5’s and a lot of $1’s saying: Everyone said to him, give this to our girl driver. Jack got NO tips, none. Sigh.

Meanwhile, Greg screwed up our 10:30a departure by sending 2 people back to their ship with Joe at 10:15 for their passports so they could go on Joes tour. He did not check, but this was the ship parked at the end of the railroad dock, which is more than 4 blocks long!

Joe had a brain fart and instead of picking up his other passengers and coming back to pick u the passport people, he just sat there and waited for they to return. This and waiting for the passengers passports made Joe late by 1/2 hour to start.

Eric and I NEVER, EVER, EVER book anyone on a tour if they need to go get their passports unless there is an hour or more until the tour. It has not in the many years we have worked there ever worked out to the good.

Eric and I persuade passengers to go on a later tour “Go back to your ship to get the passports after shopping a bit, have lunch, we’ll pick you up at your ship with your passports for the 2pm tour.”

Sigh. I even mentioned to Greg as he stewed about this–Joe’s fault for not picking up his other passengers instead of waiting....NOT. I said “Eric and I don’t do this unless the people have at least an hour to do this.”

The computer/cash register would not cooperate with me today and then I would get flustered. When Eric was at lunch 2 grandmothers came in with I forget how many children ages 8 to 12. Every one of the Matrushka (stacking dolls) was taken apart by each of the little darlings.

Two of them wandered outside, unpaid-for dolls in their hands. Even after they had been paid for, all 8 of the little darlings getting one, they would change their minds. Inventory is messed up, but each set was the same price and I wasn’t about to ring and unring them just for inventory.

Bill had an equally weird day. His interview with Social Security by telephone was today. I gathered up all the information they requested, filled out the form which would help with the interview–back and front. Got him as ready for it as I could.

I did not count on his phone fu*king up and battery running completely out–it has been bad for a while and this turned into an hour and a half long interview… He went to AP&T, got battery, put it in, waited for it to charge, then called the woman back.

He had to troop upstairs to grab his medicine bottles because he didn’t look on the back of the form I filled out to tell the interviewer the names and dosages of his medications!!!

New Moon day, weird, yes, slow in sales. Eric and I had time to begin to move merchandise around to make one area of the shop 50% off, another 20% off and then the things we are holding over for next year.

Blessed be is all I can say. I came home overwrought, no anti-depressants, having a panic attack after I ate half my lunch I treated myself to at the Sweet Tooth today. Felt like I was spinning out of control after a nap, absolutely panicked with lungs, backc and stomach hurting.

This ended with my running to grab a bowl out of the kitchen to vomit in. Yes, vomit again and again until my stomach was empty. I washed my mouth and the bowl. Sat back down and I hurt nowhere, no stress ache in stomach, back, or chest.

I will call Lynne tomorrow to have her call in the sertraline that hasn’t arrived from Portland to Fred Meyer in Juneau so I can have it almost immediately. If the planes fly tomorrow, so will my medication. This change, according to Lynne, will take better control of panic and depression.

Sigh. Oh, and I got a message on facebook from Nita, it was 19 hours old at the time I saw it at 6:30pm tonight. Webster, her cat she has had for at least 12 or 13 years was dying Sunday night. Her heart was breaking.

Of course it was. I called her cell and land lines and left messages. I was weeping by the time I finished.

Blessed be, I am done now. Onward to tomorrow where I have a family of 5 scheduled for dog sledding in the morning and White Pass immediately following their return to town. Mom is going to call Sweet Tooth at my suggestion to order box lunches for them and especially their 5 year old to take on the White Pass tour.

I am to pick them up–she will pay by phone–and have them ready. OR perhaps Sweet Tooth will send someone over with them.