Say Goodbye to Trader Joe's (sing it with me, kids!)

Today, among other "packing/moving prep" activities, we also went to our "most local" Trader Joe's for the LAST TIME EVER.  It was MY Trader Joe's - the one where I was hired for my sparkling, ebullient personality, and then ten months later FIRED for not ever losing my effervescence!  It's the Trader Joe's that taught me about the "inside" of the grocery industry and where I made my only local North Carolina friends.  (I do have some NC friends from high school and college, but not one of them is "local.")  It's the Trader Joe's that made it possible for me to continue to collect unemployment benefits, even now.  It's the Trader Joe's that... well... um... introduced me to Green Fin Organic Red Table Wine?  Yeah.

I  love Trader Joe's.  I love the layout, the products, the people, the prices.  Had the one in Winston NOT opened in time for our temporary east-coast transition, there would have been one more "tick mark" in the "cons" column of the spreadsheet determining if we moved here or just put Stephen on a plane (a year-and-a-half ago).  Since ceasing my employment, there was really only one week that passed where my shopping trip was remotely "uncomfortable."  But I got over my own discomfort, because I am old enough to not give a rat's ass what other people think of me!  And frankly, I know that anyone who thinks ill of me, for any reason, doesn't actually waste any time "thinking of me" anyway!

What I discovered since my termination was that the "fan base" that I had always believed existed, did, in fact, exist.  In fact, it STILL exists!  Its existence probably contributed to any ill will my "haters" felt.  But you know what?  FUCK 'EM.  That's right, I just dropped the F-bomb in my own blog.  Do you hate me now?  Sorry.  Or maybe I'm not.

TODAY, I got genuine hugs and sincere good feels from all of those folk at TJ's who really did ever like me.  They'll miss me, and I'll miss them, but there is no reason for me ever to return to that particular store.  And no time!  (I expect to do another "countdown" post tomorrow, and you'll see that I'm not lyin').

When we get home to our brand-spanking-new downsized life in our (what will feel like a) tiny space, we WILL have a futon in the living room.  That is your invitation to visit.  Contact us personally for more deets.