after checking into the office, today i was supposed to head out to san bernardino county to get some on location glimpse of what we do out at ontario mills and that's exactly what i did. only, i didn't learn much other than ontario mills is huge and i really need to get some different shoes for work if i'm gonna be standing on my feet all day. if i ever worked a kiosk at a mall, then i better come up with at least 100 great one or two line openings to draw in the crowd. if you simply say things like 'good morning' or 'how are you doing', then you are going to get zero in return in terms of sales. again, i am not a salesman, but being a sociologist doing a case study is interesting.

but back to the beginning of my story for a little humor. when i arrived at the mall, it was early, i planned it that way so i could eat lunch before working the mall. i knew that once i started in the mall, i would not have a break. i ate my lunch and was ready to go. i grabbed my car keys, then with the same hand i grabbed my jacket and started to put it on. by the time my hand went completely through the sleeve, i could feel that something was wrong: one of my car keys was missing. i looked to confirm. true, one is gone, the one that starts the damn car! i have one of those keys with a hard plastic head. it cracked a long time ago. i have kept it together with glue and tape throughout the years. otherwise it will fall off the key ring and then i'll lose it and be screwed. this was the wrong time to get screwed. i searched the car. i searched under the car. i searched around the car (within bouncing distance). that damn key was nowhere in sight. i checked my jacket pockets, the ones that i actually use, the outside and the inside left breast. nothing. i repeat. nothing. i am starting to sweat. this is the desert and i am wearing a jacket and am about to be late for my job and cannot find my damn car key. in final desperation, i check the one jacket pocket i never use, the inside right breast. miracle of miracles, it was there. somehow when i was putting on my jacket, the key slipped off the keyring and fell into the one pocket i never even touch. it is closed by a button so it's really amazing that it just happened to fall at the exact right angle to fit into the pocket. like a damn hamster, it squeezed into the tiniest of crevices.

another thing i learned is that ontario is too damn far. traffic going home was killer. it took me at least 40 minutes to get from ontario to pomona. ridiculous. it took me 40-50 minutes to get over there in the morning (left at 10:30am), but it took me about 100 minutes to get home (left at 5:00pm). arrived home at 6:40pm and was tired and hungry. didn't think i'd go to shamisen class or that i'd go 1 hour late. my mom called and told me to basically not bother going to shamisen because the teacher will not be teaching a full class. apparently he needs to have an operation and classes will not be held until december or at all in december. hard to understand my mother sometimes, she changes stories. shifty character, watch out for her.